Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-31
GRNa coopaR ON rHE7 sTrrJa,TrIos

oIf s----s--..----.s-. .----...----- ! NJ
GEN cOOPGE ON THE srruATIOs.
The Press and Times reports
Gen. Cooper as saying TO the dele
cation Of citizens from Madison \
county who called on himsFriday,
seeking to- Igvort the sending Of
militia to their county, that their
"action is evidence Of, a bad con-
dition of affairs in their county,
and the General added : .1e4 -.8 Z
tWhefl meetings are called and reso-
lutiens passed ,GGsking the Executive and
Commanding General not TO send troops
to certain section Of the country, We
accept the actions Of those meetings SIS
11rfmd fdcie evidence of the necessity
which exists. in your counties for the
presence Of troops, but if you
Will bring offenders g to justice,
and see that the rights 5, of
every law-abiding man in your county
are respected; when crime is committed
hunt down the guilty perpetrator and
bring him to Justice before the proper
tribunal and have him punished, then
the object which the government had in
organizing the State Guard win have
been accomplished, and you need have
no fear Of tho presehce of the militia a
Mr.. Medlin, the Radical Repre-
sentative in the Legislature from
WAY. AZ 4.
Madison county, hoping probably
to mollify the General, said to him..
We have settled our difficulties ;
/ think we can keep peace" Gen.
Cooper then broke out with this
- 5E-iisj rsIElft- U.Ti Deul'
t't'IHeS 05ree cd II feHJ lErtFTgst ,
HYou should have done this before.
Bad men attempted to control or destroy
the nation; they failed They are now
striking at the life Of the Stats you will
surely fail in this, as you did in your late
crusade against the general government
1t is remarkably strange that men have.
been driven from the polls, compelled to
leave their homes and abandon their
crops; and this by men who are well
known to the officers Of the civil law, as
we'll as large number of your citizens.
Still the ability Of your civil authorities
to preserve the peace has never been ap-
parent until since the organization of
the State Guards .F r- sirE "a.
The Press and Times also records
the following episode as having &C.
Cured during this interview:
"Mr. Sinclair-General, / think we
will do in our county what is right; |
believe they are in earnest. --l'' 'l''..
"Gen Cooper-It isremarkably strange
that you gentlemen have so recently dis
covered your ability to enforce the laws );
strange that your civil officers are now
so effective. a-...-.gI 80. .fr.-.. ......,
"Mr. WatsOn-General, martial law
will be so expensive. -.
'Gen Co6per-Ah, there's the rub !
And there might be some hanging done
that would not materially iDjure the
State or our good people" rtf 81
We prefer to give a Radical YER
sion of this interview, because it
cannot be charged that there was
an intention or disposition. to mis-
represent Gen. Cooper. We now
sec how this effort to mollify the
Governor and his man Friday is
regarded by at least the latter dis
tinguished parsonage. 1t was stated
in a Nashville paper that martial
law was to be declared in some TWEEN
ty or thirty counties in Middle and
West Tennessee, and a number Of
counties were named as being
officially ascertained as. those in
which martial law would be de-
cIared. This created a great deal
ofexcitement in the counties named,
and forthwith the people in those
counties set about holding meet
ings TO declare their purpose TO
abide by and maintain the laws,
and they send delegations here to
assure Gen. Cooper Of their pecce
full character and their determine
ton, 1t was then discovered that
this statement as to where martial
law is to be declared is a pure fic-
ton, and this is learned from no less
a parsonage than Gen. Cooper. But
the statement has worked mischief,
and only mischief for what it has
excited the people to do, Gen.
Cooper tells them is regarded las
prima .Jacie evidence of the neces-
sity which exists" for tho presence
of the 'loyal militia" in their
counties, with the very con
soling assurance that if the
citizens, not the civil authori
ties, do not at once go to work and
arrest and bring to trial and pun
ishment every law breaker in their
respective counties, the militia viii
as certainly be upon them as night
follows the day. 1t has also
brought to Nashville number of
highly respectable gentlemen as
delegates from many of these coun-
ties-as suppliants at the feet of
the Commanding General" we
should say-to plead for the deliv-
cry Of their respective counties
from the ravages of the militia and
the horrors of martial and the sus
pension of civil law, only TO be
treated in the rudest, most insulting
manner, Is proof wanted of this ?
Read the report of the Radical
organ here Of the interview be
tween the Madison delegation and
Gen. Cooper. We trust that, after
this, respectable gentlemen, repre-
senting respectable and law-abiding
constituencies, will not come to
Nashville to be Inundated and in
suited by man who has been so
badly spoiled by little brief au
thority.
Gen. Cooper's idea Of enforcing