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

Antenneque gemant &C sine funibus
| Possint imperiosus
Equor ?"
have few words Of important infor
nation as to recent occurrences in Wash
ington City, and one or two warning sug
| gestions in reference to the future, t,
communicate, for the benefit of suct
calm and considerable citizens of tht
South as are willing to obey the moni.
tons of rea son and patriotism in prefer.
ence to yielding up themselves and all
they hold dear to passion and prejudice
NOT A PARTISAN
am no partisan at present in any
sense of the word for many years past
have declined to yield to the command OF
any party or faction, and have endesy-
ored both to think and act for myself and
in conformity to the directions of nv
own conscientious convictions of duty.
regardless altogether of the sneers and
criticisms Of the shallow and the selfish,
or the coarse and malevolent revilings O /
the corrupt and the servile. aim at no
consistency save that founded ON princi.
pie There is no object connected with
public affairs at all desirable to me save
the solid welfare of my country. re-
gard constitutional liberty as the first of
civil blessings; and detest tyranny and
oppression wheresoever practised, and
under whatsoever plausible names and
appearances they may seek continuance
and support, L went to the capital of our
great republic some three weeks since;
and having remained there long enough
to attain the object Of my journey, which
was to find out, as far as might be able
the true character and purposes of those
in power-l shall now attempt to report
the result of my observations, with that
honesty and freedom from bias which he
only can feel who has no individual
ambition to crafty, and ne party or sees
tional ends to accomplish. shall endeay-
or to use on this occasion the language of
manly freedom, feeling assured that
there never has been a period in Ameri-
can history when it was more important
that truth should be disseminated and
error as well in thought as in action,
cautiously avoided.
REVIEW OF THE PAST.
may remind those to whom am now
addressing myself, with something of
the calmness which should characterize
just and impartial history of the dis
tant past that we have just emerged
from the troubles and sufferings of a
bloody and exhausting civil war, brought
on, as few now can doubt, by the unwise
action of comparatively small number
of individuals, Ofextreme opinions and of
restless and aspiring tempers, in different
parts of our widespread republican
the measures conducting to the origination
Of which the great majority of our citi-
zens had no partieipancy whatever Dar-
ing the fouryears which have passed away
since the cessation of armed bOstilities,
many efforts have been made by various
individuals, both official and unofficial
and sundry schemes have been essayed
by persons OF diverse tempers and de.
signs, for the restoration of general con-
cord, and for the binding together anew
of all classes of our eountrymen by ties
of reciprocal trust and kindness.
A GOOD TINE CoMING-GEN GRANT AND HIS
CABINET; AND CONGRESS.
That the sublime and holy work of
national pacifcation has not vet been
fully accomplished, is apparent to all
but Jam satisf:d that there is at this
moment good reason to anticipate its
speedy contamination, under aus
pieces recently instituted; and it
is indeed most rejoicing to the heart
of the patriot to believe, as | do most
confidently, that the particular portion
of our people who have heretofore suffer-
ed most from the Iuinous effects of war,
and who have been thereby placed in a
condition of deplorable helplessness and
incapacity for self.protection, against the
terrible incursions of injustice and op-
preston, have been, within the last three
or four months, even by the defeat of
those hopes of relief which stood asso.
ciated with the recent Presidential con-
test, so fortunate as to find them
selves mnch nearer to the full restoration
of their rights and liberties, than they
could reasonably have hoped to be, had
their efforts to elect the candidates of
their choice been completely successful.
am sure that no man of discernment
can visit Washington City, and
coolly survey the scenes there 10 pro
gress, as have just done, without COM
ing to the conclusion that an individual
is now in the Presidential chair of the
s0undest intellect; of firm and infiexi
bic will IN regard to concerns Of moment,
yet most bland and conciliatory in refer
ence to all matters Of trivial import; of
a calm and considerate temper; pos
sessed of much knowledge of men and
Of the general motives of human action;
frank and cOnfding, yet watchful and
clrcumspectj with generous and aiec-
tlonate temper; soul exempt from all
low preJudices and all stormy passions
a hero, a patriot and true philanthropist.
l have seen and known more or less of
various occupants of the White House,
from the days Of JamesMonrOe to the pre-.
sentmoment, and aver beforeHeaven and
my eountrymen, that it is my deliberate
opinion that there has not been vet, in
the long list Of our Presidential Chiefs, a
man more happily fitted for the perform
ance of executive duties of everv kind,
than the illustrious parsonage who,
against the wishes of many of our most
enlightened and meritorious citizens,
was elected in November last to the
highest Office in the gift of the American
people. All men of sense whom | met
in Washington, most freely admit that,
howev.r high may be the abilities and
virtues of Horatio Seymour, it would
have been altogether impossible for him
successfully to meet the multiplied diff
culties which Gen. Grant is every instant
encountaring, and overcoming, in part,
by the aid of his uneqnaled personal
| popularity, and in part Also by reason OF
his enjoying the full confidence and re-
spect of almost every leading man in
Congress. Some of the members Of his
cabinet | have formerly known, and
known most favorably; with others !
formed a most gratifying acquaintance
during my sojOurn in Washington; and
were | now called upon to name one oil
them in place Of whom should be in
c'ined to wish some other individual to be
substituted las being probablybetter suited
to the duties to be performed, really
should not be able to do So was much
gratifed at finding the general temper
and spirit of Congress greatly improved
of late There is a prevalent INDIGNATION
to sustain the President anC
his cabinet in all their effort
to promote the national welfare; un
kind and discourteous collisions in de
bate are seldom known to occur; and
am confident that there is now an almos
universal desire for the speedy remova
of civil disabilities in the South, in accor
dance with the known and constantly ex
pressed desire of Gen. Grant himself an
Of his cabinet advisers.