Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-07-17

The savage Parthlans who fought their
foes with hellebore upon the points of
their arrows and their javeliDs-when
they had pressed brave enemy to the
banks of the river, were amazed at the
splendid courage with which the shat
tered e.my of their foes disputed posses
sion of the ford Thrilled with admirs-
ton at their valor, they shrank back from
the contest. They threw down their
poisoned javelins and unstrung their
bows In the sight of their enemies. "Go,"
said they, "snd cross the river in peace.
We will no longer harrass and torture a
foe, which in the sight of the immortal
gods has shown such splendid courage.
1t was left to the fervid civilization of
the nineteenth century, and to the free
commonwealth of Tennessee, to ignore
this magnificent example of the barbs-
rian warrior, and to say to brave and
fallen people, 1--WE will crush you to the
esrth-we will grind you to power-we
will degrade you below the level of the
Spartan helot or the Brazilian save--we
will compel you to pay the taxes and to
furnish our revenues-but you shall have
no voice in the Government-you shall
be, from this time forth, dumb and
voiceloss cipher here in the home OF your
fathers, and in the land that has been
made historic by your wisdom in its
councils and by your prowess in the
field"
No marvel then, my countrymen, that
Senator from Tennessee who had some
thing to do with the inauguration of this
unhappy state Of things, when he came
to contemplate it at distant standpoint,
has sickened and relented in his heart,
and has had the manhood to proclaim a
truce with oppression and injustice.
Yes, you may "tell it in Gath "-yon
may publish in the streets of Ascalon,"
that the Hon. William G.. Brownlow has
clothed himself in the beautiful gar
ments of peace, and has declared upon
the house tops that the white man shall
be free in Tennessee as well as the black
man. I have known that old man long
and we'll. Vindictive and irascible as he
seems, he always carried lurking spice
of generosity in his heart. A man who
to say no more Of him-with all his in
EQUITIES, is yet one of the few of our late
oppressors who has been perfectly and
thoroughly consistent in his course. We
accept this tardy justice at his hands
and bow to him with
[" That sort of desperate gratitude
The dying patient owes the barbarou, knife
That delves in throes of mortal agony,
Then plucks the rooted cancer from his heart"
No marvel then, sirs, that the present
Governor of Tennessee should have
grown sick as he looked upon the humili-
alton he, too, had helped to bring upon q
defenseless people, and should have en-
tered the field in full panoply of war to
fight your battles for you. To you citi-
zeHs who have SO long voted with these |
people, and have moved heaven and
earth to rivet these internal chains upon
the necks of your own countrymen, this
chivalrous conduct of Governor Senter is
a living admonition and an eloquent ex-
ample.
The issue is fairly and squarely made
between the dsenthrallment of the white
man in Tennessee and his continued
He that is not for us is
against US. This is no mere political
question. 1t assumes the solemn dignity |
Of a question of hereditary right and in
dividual liberty. Go with us now, and
the dark and bloody past will be for.
given. And, alas we have much to
forgive each other. Go against US if you
choose, and if we conquer in the fight
you shall be forever protected in the en-
oymeHt Of every social, civil, religious
ard political right-but for your prefer
nent in the future, it we're better that
milestone were hanged about your neck
md you were cast into the bottom of the
,ea."