Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-07

| OF them Nj eSSrS. Brown, atSon, and
Simmran more than once in regard to
the grave matters which they had in
charge. These gentlemen will all avouch
what I now assert, that Gen. Grant very
promptly granted them In behalf of
those whom they represented all that
they asked at his hands; that the House
of Representatives, in voting down Gen.
Buffers bill week ago, by an OVER
whelming majority, placed Them
selves in perfect accord with
the position of the President; and that
leading Radicals in that body, on the
most kind nd confidential terms with
the President, (Messrs Dawes, Farms
worth and others made manly and
eloquent speeches, in support OF the
great principles of constitutional free
dom. and against the proposition to rein,
state the defunct convention there in the
powers which it had already so cruelty
abused. 1t is no breach OF confidence
for me to state that worthy and patriotic
Senators of the dominant party in Con-
gress gave the most emphatic assurance
to some of those commissioners, in my
hearing, that if even the bill of Gen. But
Ter should pass the House Of Represen-
tatiyes, it would be defeated in the Sen
ate by very decided majority.
LIBELALITY OF THE PRESIDENT AND CON-
GREss.
am justified by these and other fact IS
in asserting, and l am sure that | can
do so without the hazard of contradic>
tion, that, at the present moment, the
President and his cabinet and q large
majority of both Houses Of Congress, are
in favor of pursuing such course, gems
orally, in the delicate concerns Of our
section, as will be consistent with JUS
tice, with the constitution, and with a
wise and providing craftsmanship.
PRESENT CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
am confident that had exceedingly
favorable opportunities Of judging as to
the true condition of things in Washing
ton City, and do now give it as my de-
cidei opinion that the longSsuffering peo~
pie ofthe South, and the people ofthe State
of Tennessee in particular, have their
future fate and fortunes completely in
their own hands. All that they have to
do in order to effect their complete de-
liyerance from present evils, is honestly
and courageously to adapt themselves to
the circumstances of their present situs>
ton to acquiesce fully and unequiVocally
in the now settled policy Of the Federal
government in regard to them to refrain
from all factious and HnpatriOtIc opposi-
ton to those in whose keeping the
American people have just solemnly
deposited the ensigns Of authority; to
manifest in every decent and proper
mode the love which well know them
yet fervently to feel for the land of their
nativity their profound respect for the
government founded in part by their own
venerated fathers their cordial recogni~
ton Of the supremacy and binding force
of national legislation giving eVi~
dence on all suitable occasions, that
whilst freely and independently, yet
decorously, expressing their opinions and
wishes touching all public matters, they
are resolved to have no pant in reminding
the flames of civil discord in sowing
anew the seeds of dissension and ill~wlll
in the bosom of the body polite; or coun-
tenancing any man or set Of men in the
revival of angry and perilous agitation as
to past issues, which, if carried on with
the heat and violence which has been
formerly displayed, should civil war not
be renewed in our midst, cannot but have
the effect of placing our people IN an ap-
parently antagonistic attitude to Federal
authority, and utterly inclpacitating those
connected with the government who are
at this time so friendly to us, for carrying
out the generous measures which they
have projected for our relief No Zone of
any extended influence now in Congress
expects us to yield up any of our own
inalienable rights but they do expect,
and have right to expect, that whilst
claiming and exercising them, we shall
do nothing to modest or call in question
the rights of others in our midst, who
have been adjudged worthy to participate
with US in the blessings of civil liberty,
with all its known privileges and NUNS
ments.
RFTRosPFCF OF THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
Fortunate would it, fellow citizens,
have been for US, had Gen. Grant, with
his just and magnanimous sentiments,
with his SURPRISING popularity, and with
his calm and imperturbable spirit, occu-
pied the position which he now so credit,
ably holds, at the periol of Mr.. Lincoln's
most deplorable decease He would
Immediately have convened Congress
and advised with that body as to the
terms proper TO be embodied in the
plan of reconstruction then neees>
sary to be adopted; and under his in
fiuence, terms would at once have been
agreed upon in which the States and
people of the South would have rejoiced
to acquiesce. He would have been
able to exercise the ample pardoning
power which Congress had cOntidingly
placed in the hands Ct the President, and
few unpardoned Rebels, except those re-
manning obstinately dislOyal, would now
have been languishing in disfranchise-
ment. He would never have been
tempted to wake up a spirit Of deplorable
rivalry in Congress, as to the honor and
popularity likely to be derived from
taking the lead in the business OF recon
struction. He would never have been
instrumental in enkindling spirit oil
ferocious revenge, by reiterated declara"
tons that it was necessary to make
treason odious," by the capital punish
ment of all who had been consciously"
guilty of this grave offence. lie would
not have found it necessary, IN order to
propitiate the rage of faction, to propose
the arrest and trial of such renowned
Confederate Chiefs as Generals Lee and
johnson, and inviolation too ofthe solemn
terms of their surrender. He would not
not have though it. needGul, for the pur-
pose Of securing Southern support TO his
administration, to bring before him
all the men of considerable pro-
perty in the South, in order, by ad-
ministering pardon to them to have it In
his power to WELD their influence alter
wards over the less wealthy masses OF
their countrymeA. He would never
have set the evil example of issuing his
dctatorial rescript addressed to sovereign
States, requiring them to modify their
sacred organic law to suit his own auto
cratic pleasure. He would not have
been actively instrumental in defeating
a deliberate Legislative proposition en-
bodying universal amnesty and an
partial suffrage, because it CHANGED not
to be part of his own chosen pro.
oYamme. He would never have judged
it right to labor for the defeat of such a
constitutional amendment as that now
known as the fourteenth, when military
government bill for the Southern States
was pending, or at least menaced, giving
n dalibarata and formal ILedOe toe that i