Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-27
INCIMIDA rION-THE sTOKERS ON
THE WAR PATH.

IDArION-THE sTOKERS ON
THE WAR PATH.
The Stokes organ of yesterday
has another warning to Confeder-
ate soldiers" the purpose OF which
is to intimidate such as may have
certificates of registration and pre-
vent them from going to the polls
and exercise tho right with which
they have been vested by the &C
ton of registrar, who is declared
q judicial officer by the Supreme
Court. 1t is remarkable what a
fatherly interest the Stokes organ
is taking in the Confederate SOL
diers, but it is explained by the
fact that it is feared they will not
vote for Stokes. The State Journal
charges that Gov. Sentcr isviolating
the franchise law, "and consequent
ly his oath of Office, in permitting
his registrars to issue certificates OF
registration to those ex-Rebels who
will receive them" and it then asks
"Will the great mass of men who en-
listed and fought under the Confederate
banner, become particepS criminis with
him in this violation of law, or will you
like honorable and brave men, as the
large majority of you have proven your.
selves to be by quiet demeanor and
obedience 20 the laws in the past, re-
spect your paroles ? Have you so soor
forgotten that on the 9th day of April
1865, your great leader, General R. Z
Lee, surrendered his entire army to Gen
Grant, under the distinct pledge upon thu
part of each one of you that you would
observe your paroles and the laws II
force where you may reside, and tht
government gave its pledge that you
were not to be disturbed by its author
ty. Every Confederate soldier, when ht
surrendered, took upon himself thu
solemn and binding pledge.
"This franchise law is embodied IN The
constitution, but is not Gov. Sente
openly violating it in appointing regis
trars whom he knows will open the reg
istration Unfortunately to all. Is b,
not endeavoring to ensnare exCOnieder
ate soldiers and make them equally
criminal with himself? What cares h
if they are arrested by the United State
authority for a violation Of their parole!
ifhe gets their votes? And if he doe:
love them as we'll as he processes, Wha
can he do for them in'such an event? ID
cannot reach or influence q military
commission. The only question tina
commission can determine, are, whethe
| the franchise law is in force, land this
will determine from the decision of tn
Supreme Court and then, as to the limo
cence or guilt of the party accused of it
violation. It's path of duty will not b
clouded with doubts and uncertainties
and its decisions will be speedy and b
attended with the severity Of militar,
verdicts.
Are those who served in the armies c
the COnfederacy, under an honest Blu
erroneous conception Of patriotic duty
willing to bring about an unfair and a.
illegal election-such one that the gov
eminent will feel constrained to recog
nize, by such measures as to make u
never forget that the laws are made to b
| enforced, and must and shall be re
| SpGcted."
This sort of talk about the pa
roles which the Confederate soldier
gave when they surrendered, is tn
vericst bosh. Those paroles wer'
not intended to bind the COnfeder
ate soldiers for life. They coulc
bind those who gave them only
during the existence of the wal
They were certainly absolved from
these paroles when the Prc5ldon
issued his proclamation OF amnesty
and full pardon for all Offense'
committed during the war. There
| is no binding force in the paroles
which the Confederate soldiers gave
of the nature which the State Jour
nal assumes, and if there was, the
Confederate soldier who votes upon
a certificate of registration granted
him by a registrar, could not b(
held as violating his parole. Ii
thus voting, they violate no law
and it would be assuming degree
of ignorance in the writer in the
Stokes organ which we do not wish
to assert, to say that he is
not fully aware Of this fact. II
would be an infamous usurpation
of power on the part Of the federal
government to order the arrest Of
any Confederate soldier who may
vote in the election and his trial by
military commission There 1t
nothing occurring i'll this State upon
which the President could have 8
prctcXt for declaring martial law
if he were 80 disposed, and this ef
fort TO intimidate men from voting
after it has been adjudicated by {
judicial officer that they are emit,
tied TO vote, is unworthy a paper
that assumes the organising Of Il
party and of Il candidate for the
office of Governor; it is more il is
disgracerul. But the State Journal
does not stop in lis work Of in
timidation with the extracts We
have quoted, for it continues:
"Alrsady the strong arm of the gov