Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-06
GRANT.
Defence of the Inaugural Grant
the Moses 10 whom We Must Look
for Deliyerance.

k the Courthouse on Saturday next, for Il
g purpose of indorsing Gen. Grants admi
able inaugural, which meeting it W
= hoped would besttended by patriotic me
B ofall parties, you will allow me to EXPIRE!
the profound regret which | cannot bI
feel, that in your editorial article upO
that document, you should, | am sur
not with any special design, have il
dulged in several censorious remark
, well calculated to defeat the purpose
the contemplated meeting. | have nc
the least right to complain of your cOurs
in this matter, and still less would b
justified in using language of reproach o
decrial. know that the editorial ar
ticles in the UNION AND AMERICAN ar
always conScientiously drawn up an
dictated by spirit of the most elevate,
patriotism. In general, | have had tn
satisfaction Of concurring with the senio
editor of the paper in regard to all tn
various questions from time to time S,
ably discussed by him. On this occasion
/ cannot do so, and without nov
undertaking to discuss the inaugural a
length, (Which it is possible | may here
after do at some more propitious moment,
l shall ask that you will allow me an op
portunity Of making one or two brief re,
marks in vindication Of what has just
fallen from the lips ofthe new President
and which l must think does equal honor
to his head and to his heart. am not
at all in the humor for controversy but
desire, if can, to aid in restoring concord
and true brotherhood among all classes Of
our people, too much distracted heretofore
by s.h SIMS and unfounded jealousies.
L. In your first objection to the inauE
gural, that it declares that its author will
have no policy to enforce against the
the will of the people"--that it indicates
disposition on the part of Gen. Grant
to become mere instrument for the en-
forcement of the edicts of majority of
Congress-" however much he may disap>
prove the legislative action Of that body,
and that he expresses a determination
implicitly to obey Congress, and enforce
its laws to the letter in order to make
that body odious," | must think that,
without intending it, you are cruelty
Alllu0Ls NlGns NlIdht says III
boldly and independently express
his own views to Congress upon
all public questions that he will, with
proper frmness and energy, put in eXer-
else the late power whenever he shall
disapproye measure passed by Con-
gress; but he adds that when a bill
shall have become q law according to
the forms Of the constitution, he shall
feel himself bound to regard it, for the
time being, and in a prima tacie
sense, as embodying the will of the peo~
pie, and as such eotitled to enforcement
at his hands; which enforcement he
moreover recognizes as obligatory upon
him under his official oath. He does
furthermore suggest, and, as | think, in
highly impressive manner, that by
giving prompt and faithful enforcement
to any law which may have been IN
wisely made. The people will be more
certainly and promptly enabled to ascer--
tain the true character Of the law, and, if
in point Of fact it shall not have been
passed in accordance with that ,ViU, or if
that will should have undergone any
changein the meantime, they will sooner
cause such evil legislation to be corrected.
Now beg leave to remind you that all
this is explicitly taught in the numbers Of
the Federoltst, as / am fully prepared
to prove that it is in harmony with the
action Of all our earlier Presidents from
Washington TO Fillmore inclusive;
and that the example Of Presi-
ident Johnson, which l think
you have cordially approved, is not at all
in conflict with it. He has put in prompt
and rigorous execution measures which
he had previously denounced, and which
he denounced as late as yesterday in his
farewell speech, as gross usurpations Of
power and as utterly subversive of the
government. Since you so warmly ap-
prove the Presidents frank and manly
account Of his own official career, and
have never condemned him, so far as I
am informed, for enforcing even the de-
testable military bill, | cannot for my
life see on what ground you can now be
so severe upon Gen. Grant for simply
promising to dc hereafter, what Presi>
dent johnson has SO often already done,
and what you so eloquently commend
him for doing.
,. Your second objection is that he is
" for paying the public Indebtedness in
gold unless greenbacks are specially
stipulated in the contract" With due
Difference, this is not fair statement of
his position. He says Every dollar
Of government Indebtedness should be
paid in gold, unless otherwise expressly
stipulated in the contract And is not
this right? Have any of US in Tonnes
see ever contended for anything else ?
Is not gold the constitutional currency,
and has even Mr.. Pendleton, or
Mr.. Butler, or Gov. Morton, or
Senator Sherman ever contended for more
than this-that all contracts made by
the government dischargeable according
TO their face, Chat is to say expressly
stipulated" to be paid) in something
besides gold, ('1egal currency for in
stance'') might be paid in such legal cur
rency, and not IN gold. Gen. Grant
does not undertake to decide a0hdt is
thus stipulated to be paid, but wisely, as
| think, leaves it to be settled by Con-
gress, by the courts, or by the people.
Your charge that Gen. Grants alluson
to "ten States in poverty, cOntrasted
with their condition before the war, is
severely sarcastical," struck me with
deep surprise. Read, l pray you, that
part Of the inaugural again, and / am
sure you will find it beaming with gen.
erous sympathy, and an earnest desire
that these States may soon emerge"
as he says, Unto greater prosperity than
before" Our Southern friends, | think,
would do well to recollect that our pres
ent Chief Magistrate is the same indi-
Vidual who made that Just and manly re-
port in vindication Of the South three
years ago; that the same generous heart
yet beats in his bosom that prompted him
year or two since to interpOse so mag
| unanimously in favor Of Lee and Johnston,
then both menaced with criminal pros
ecutiOn, in violation Of the terms Of their
capitulation; and which prompted him so
! nobly and fearlessly to interpose in be-
half Of Virginia, Mississippi and Texas,
and still more boldly and grandIy for the
salvation of Georgia.
His declaration on the question of suf-
frage is surely very explicit. He says
that this question g is one likely to agi-
tate the public mind of the country so
long as a portion of the citizens of the
nation are excluded in any State" and
expresses a which it is well known that
many others entertain, that the 18th con-
stitutional amendment should be adopt
ed, with view to the immediate removal
of the only serious impeachment now ex-
isting to the relief of the whole body
of our Southern people from existing
civic disabilities, by concurrent vote o.