The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-11-12

- peop10, n 1900 . ~ ~ - =
them. While the judiciary Of the
State were cringing at the feet Of Rad
ical power, from the Bench he boldly
held that the Confederate States was
de fdcto government; that as such
every man connected with its servi6e
was entitled to every belligereAt riGkt
accorded by the Inv of, na1ions4 IN
short, that every riEht which attach{d
to the Federal soldir equally beionGcxi
TO the Confederate soldier. When fke
Confederate soldier was Indicted in fIis
courts by the Radical Grand Juries for
the impressment of property for tho
Confederate service he directed their
acquittal; and when suits for damages
were brought against them for acts
committed while in the service, he uni
formly applied the same rules in their
favor that was held for the Federal sol
dier. Thus, by his manly course upon
the Bench he broke down that spirito Of
persecution to. overwhelm the adhe-
rents OF the Southern cause, as was
was the only Judge in Tennessee who
had the courage to hold that the Con.
federate Government had any lawful
right to issue Confederate money, and
that contracts founded upon, and pay
ments made in it, were valid as II
founded upon aud made in the curren-
cy of the Federal Government. When
the franchise law came before him, he
held it absolutely null and void. He
went further, and held that inasmuch
as large portion of the people of the
State had been denied participation
in the election of the then State Gov
eminent, that it was revolutionary
body, and had no authorit to bind the
people of the State in any way. He
held that no power On earth had the
lawful right to take away from the reb-
ell soldier his right to vote. He held
that the Acknowledgement OF the negro,
and placing him in the jury-box, were
alike unconstitutional and void. s
While holding his court at Shelby
vile, q Federal officer was indicted for
q criminal offence. General Thomas.
then in command of this department,
sent q squad of soldiers to Shelbyviiie
with an order requiring him to dismiss.
the prosecution and discharge the pris-s
oner. He refused to do either, and
sent word to General Thomas that he
We Id try the prisoner, unless he was
prevented by superior force, and when
that was done he would no longer
hold o position the authority of which
he could no, maintain. Through the
holiness of Judge Henry Cooper the
civil authorities triumphed over the
mi itary, and the administration of jus
tice pursued its ordinary course.
In every contest with the Radicals
since their accession to power in this
State Judge Cooper has been among
the foremost in the fight against them,
end in the late Presidential contest
Seymour and Blair had no more devot-
ed friend liz the State. 'l
There is not a stain of Radicalism or
Republicanism upon the record Of
Judge Cooper, and whether in or out
o Congress, the people of the South
will have no truer nor more faithful
champion than Judge Cooper. He has
been tried i'm the fire and found true,
and although we have not secured our
choice, as stated above, yet since that
honorable body has so decided, we are
content to have the trust in question
repesed in the hands of the man by
them selected, aud who has been the
rebels friend through all the dark days
gone by, l.-s r