Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-29
His Views about the Situation In
Tennessee.
How the Election was Conducted
and Who were the True Be-
publicanS In the Contest,
Stokes q "Dead Duck"
What lie Thinks about the
InterferenGe0f the GEN.
eral Cover nment.
From the New York Herald. Aug. Is,

| From the New York Herald, Aug. Is.
| d. w. C. Senter, the present Cover
or and Governor elect of the State
Tennessee, arrived in this city last ever
ing, accompanied by Gen. Joseph
Mabry, who is spoken of as probab
successor to Senator Fowler; Colon
John B Brownlow, son Of exsGovernt
Brownlow, and Colonel D M Nelso
The Governor and his party, short
after being installed in comfortable quar-
tiers at the st. Nicholas Hotel, were Gale
upon by several TenneSseeans of not
who came to pay their respects and otfe
the Governor their congratulations o
his election. Mr.. Senter lisa young mai
being only thirty-six years OF age,
above the medium size, and stoutly, o
rather solidly, built. He is quite affabl
in his manner, courteous to fault, AM
very pleasant conversational, bu
withal rather averse to stalking politics
or reviewing the situation for thu
special purpose of getting himself int
print. Our reporter, on announcing hi
mission, which was to obtain the Gov
errors views on the condition of affairs
in Tennessee and his side ofthe election
story-General Stokes having already
furnished his side to the public-Was
very cordially received, and after little
"gentle prevailing" succeeded in draw
ing him into conversation on the mooted
Tennessee subject. @
"The fact of the matter is" said the
Governor, in answer to our reporters
inquiry as to the motive Of his journey
North, " the fact of the matter is | don't
like to talk politics after election time,
especially when the talk is published
in the newspapers. / would rather let
the whole Tennessee question die out
of itself, which it will If it is only left
alone. You ask me if / came North to
see General Grant about the election in
our State. To this l answer no. Ny
visit has nothing whatever Of an official
character, and it is not my intention to
speak to the President concerning Ten
nessee. l do not think it necessary"
Reporter-But, Governor, you know
Stokes says he will have all the federal
in Tennessee removed
who voted for you. A word from you
might change the aspect Of things.
Senter-I do not intend to see the
President on the subject. If the office
holders who voted for me are removed it
will be gross injustice, for every one Of
them is staunch Republican and an ar.
dent Grant man. This puts me in mind
that Stokes claims that all the good Res
publicans voted for him at the election.
Well, l will show you how false is such
an assertion. First and foremost, nine
out of every ten of the Grant and Colfax
electors of the State voted for me, and
three -fourths of the delegates to the Chi
cago convention voted for me. They were
during the presidential campaign, and
are still, strong Grant men. The fact of
the matter is, the fight in the late cleo
ton was strictly between the liberal Re-
publicans and what people in Tennessee
understand by restrictive" Republicans,
the latter being opposed to extending the
franchise or in any way holding out a
hope to the men who had joined the
wrong side during the war, of an era of
peace and brotherly feeling. The plat>
form of the liberals who elected me was
based on the resolution offered by Carl
Schurz at the Chicago convention, and
which was made part of the platform
on which Grant fought the battle for tn
That resolution favored the
extension of privileges and the removal
of disabilities from the people of any
Of the States that had been in rebel>
lion whenever it was found safe to invest
them with all the rights they had lest by
the rebellion. On the strength of that
platform we won the fight.
Reporter-Your opponent says by
fraudulent registration.
Senter-Hs says, when he Gays that,
what he knows to be untrue. He lays
great stress on the fact that his vote was
within $500 Of the vote cast for Grant.
Now a full vote was not polled by the
at the presidential election.
They felt they had a sure thing, and
consequently many of them stayed at
home. That vote, therefore, can not be
mistaken as test vote by Stokes. The
vote to compare our last election with is
that cast in '67. And how do the facts
stand ? Why, Stokes got $4,000 votes
less than Brownlow in 81, and the old
registration was in full force in '69. You
will thus see that all his talk about
fraudulent Registrations is just SO much
bosh for he would have been defeated
by his oppnents getting 1900 majority
had there been no new registration. He
bases much Of his assertions about fraud
in the elections, 1 believe, on the point
of there being such a heavy vote cast ;
but he could easily explain the increased
vote if he chose to. The decision of the
Supreme Court of the State, you will res
member, some time before the election,
decided that all those who had been
granted certificates by the first enfran-
chise law, but who were deprived of the
right of voting by the second enfranN
chise law and by executive proclas
nation, should be allowed to vote. This
admitted 10000 votes that had been here
tofore kept out. As for the charges that
the election was carried by my appoints
ing corrupt registrars, they are absurd.
/ appointed the best men could find.
Indeed, removed registrars in Wilson
and several other counties, whom knew
to be strong advocates Of my election,
because they refused to issue certificates
according to law, as fixed By the Su.
preme Court decision. Among others ]
removed registrar whom l found selling
certificates to whites and blacks alike for
twenty-five cents apiece. Was the re-
Inoyal of such man "fraudH' Why,
sir, all the charges of fraud in the world
cannot change the actual result of the
election. In the CalfsKiller district
where Stokes fought his only battle du-
ring the war, and got whipped at that
he didn't get single vote. He was
beaten in his own county, in his own
senatorial district, in his own congress
sional district, in fact, beaten in every
congressional district. In his own con-
gressional district Brooks, the "restric.
tive". candidate got $50 votes less thar
Thornberg, the Radical candidate in 1867
Can Stokes charge that to the registrs'
ton decision which admitted SO many
additional votes ? T4. "E.f.
Reporter-What do you think, Gov.
ernor, about what the restrictive" party
say concerning Governor Brownlow
about his having made political som
ersault2 ....rarr. ..
Senter-Political somersault! / tel
you Mr.. Brownlow is as strong, as arden
and as uDfinching Republican as h.