Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-10
HOW GOES THE FIGHT ?

HOW GOES THE FIGHT \
The friends of Mr.. Stokes must
confess that he threw away one Of
the prettiest opportunities that q
man ever had of making himself
Governor. We pointed out to him
the fact that the question of the
restoration of the right to vote to
the white taxpayers of the State,
would be the absorbing issue of the
canvass. 1t was understood that
Gov. Senter was occupying rather
extreme ground upon this ques-
ton, while Stokes was affecting
some liberality. 1t was then that
rumors got in circulation here that
Stokes in his speech on the 9Th inst.
would take the broad ground that.
in the reorganization of the State.
government disfranchisement was
a necessity, but that now that ne
eessity had ceased to exist, and that
the time had come when every
taxpayer should have free access
to the ballot-bOx. If he had taken
this position-for he made the lead
ing speech that day-he would.
have completely blocked the.
game on Senter, and have elected
himself Governor by an over
whelming majority. 1t is pretty
well known that the evening before
he made his speech he was strongly
inclined TO take that chute. What
influences were brought to bear that
caused him to waver and finally to-
take the position he did-which
really amounts TO nothing short Of
the extreme Radical demand of
keeping the white taxpayers away
from the ballot box SO long as their
votes would endanger the success
of that party-is not known to the
public. But when Gov. Senter took
the broad ground that every tax
payer not convicted of an infamous
crime, should have the right of the
ballot restored TO him, it was clearly
seen that the friends of Stokes
felt that he had thrown away the
opportunity of his life of making
himself Governor of Tennessee 1
by not taking the chute that
Senter did. Now let us see
how that feeling has been JUS
titled by subsequent events. Only |
three days had elapsed after Stokes
had defined his position, when il
was announced that the ssgacious
publishers of his organ here-the
Press and seeing that the
tide was setting in the wrong direc-
ton, had sold that paper to the
Senter wing of the party. A more
torcible illustration of the old adage |
about rats leaving a sinking ship |
was never furnished. Indeed, the |
CONSERVATION seems to be general. |
While this is going on in the
Stokes camp, the Knoxville W1tg, |
organ of Gov. Senter in East Ten
nessee, and which reflects the views
of Gov. Brownlow, who has here
tofore been as proscriptive and
ultra in his Acknowledgement policy
towards Rebels as a man we'll
could be, accepts the situation after
this fashion
BY one grand, opportune movement,
IOv. Senter has lifted himself TO real
greatness. We refer readers to the
-epOrts, published in another column, of
he speeches Of Gov. Senter and his Do
itical opponent, Gen. Stokes, at Nash
lille for proof Of the statement Just made.
lhe moment was ripe. The hour was
struck. Gov. Sentsr showed that he
the Sagacity and craftsmanship
o Seize the golden opportunity and pro-
laim great idea; aA idea, which was
nre TO prevail, sooner or later, and |
which Governor SeRter saw was better
onceded, with grace and magnanimity,
han reluctantly relinquished, when it
Ould not rEuch longer be withheld |
That is at least candid. 1t is .
confession that the restoration to
he white tax payers of the State
# the right to vote cannot long
10 deferred. The enlightened
ointment of the nation, in which
he Republican party north of Ma
on and Dixon's line sympathizes,
demands that the men who pay
lac taxes necessary TO sustain the
.overnment, shall not longer be
ept from the ballet-box, and the
wig coniesses that this con-
ummation could not long be
eierred. The Wing of Tues
ay also contains this paragraph
Returning yesterday from Washington I
Ounty, We found much more interest in
he Senter and Stokes canvass than We
al expected. And what was still more
nrpTising, we found Senter's friends 4 I