The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1869-10-28

=. JOURNAL.



10 iail to congratulate our people upon
the selection made. If there is one man
in the State ofTeuncssce, who has done
more than another for the rebel sol.
.iler, that man is Henry Cooper while
the war Was in progress, he insisted all
tie while that it should be conducted
Ia conformity with those humane prin'
cipIes which arc prescribed by the in
ttrua,iopal code between bcliigerents |;
and when in violation OF that code, it
was proposed to arm the slave Of the
South, and .urn him against her PEG
pie, lac opposed it bitterly. Actuated
by like sentiments in SGI, he warmly
espoused The election Of Mcclellan
md Pcndlcton in their contest with
Lincoln and Johnson. The issues in
thnt contest were well understood BY
our people-upon the one side the Of,
i've branch Of peace was held out to US,
while on the other, the utmost drcgs OF
tubjusa,ion were the bitter alternative.
When the war was over, and the Courts
open, be was upon the Bench, and al
though the Radical party had control
CT the State Government, and the FED
eral Military held autocratle sway IN
the State, yet he had the high courage
10 dare to do right, and while persecu'
lions thickened around the icbel sol
die. and the Southern people, he STOOD
wall Of fire about them Willie the
judiciary oith State we've crlnglng at
the feet of Radical power, from the
Bench he boldly held that the Conted-
cate States were q de .f"cto G'',ern
meat; that as such every MAJ. connec
1el with it, service was entitled to ey.
cry bc.Ijgcrent right accorded by tho
law of naiions--in short, that every
right which attached to the Fedora
soldier equally, belonged to the Con
tolerate soldier. When The Conicder
ate soldier was indicted in his Court
by Radical Grand Jurie3 for the i'm
prcssmcut Of property for the Conled
crate service, he directed their acqut'
u! ana when suits for damages were
brought against them for acts commit
ted while in the service, be uniformly
applied the same rules in their favor,
,lat we're held for the Federal soldier.
Thus by his manly course upon the
Rtnch, he broke down that spirit OF
prosecution and litigation which at one
t!m1 threatened to overwhc.m the adj
herents Of the Southern Gauge ~ was
done in other parts of the State. He
was the only Judge in Tennessee who
hal the courage to hold That the Con.
fedcratc Government had lawful right
20 issue Confederate money, and that
contracts founded upon, and payments
made in il, were rs valid rs if founded
upon, aud made in the currency Of the
Federal Government When the Fran
chise law came before him, he held it
absolutely null and void, He went
further, and held that inasmuch rs n
large portion of the people of the State
had been denied participation IN the
election Of the then State Government,
that it was revolutionary body. and
had no authority to bind the people
of the State in any way, He held that
10 power on earth had the lawful right
20 take away from the rebel soldier his
right to vote. He held that the cniran
chisement Of the negro, and placing
him in the jury box, were alike uncon-
ttitutional and void.
,yhi.e holding his Court nj Shelby
vile, Federal officer was indicted fol
q criminal offence, Gen, Thomas then
in command Of this department, sent
n squad Of aoldcrs tC ShclbyvIllc with
an order, requiring him to dismiss the
prosecution and discharge the prison
or. lie refused to do either, and sent
word to Gen. Thomas that be would
try the prisoner, unless he was proven
ted by superior force, and when that
was done, he would no longer hold 4
position the authority OF which he
could not maintain. Through the bold.
ness of Judge Henry Cooper, the civil
authorities tiiunrhed over the Militia.
rs, and the administration of Justice
pnrsucd its ordinary course.
IN every contest with the Radicals
since their accession to power IN ttis
State, Judge Coopc. has been among
,hc foremost in the fight against them,
and in the late Presidential contest
Seymour aud Blair had no more dc
voted friend in the State
There is not O stain Of RadiGa,jsm
or Eepnelicanism upon the record of
Judge Cooper, and whether in or out
of Congress, the people Of the South
will have no trucs or more faithful
champion than Judge Cooper. He
has been tried in the fire and found
true, and although we have not secured
our choice, as stated Above, yet since
that honorable body have so decided,
al :.