Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-22

/ dnudIy IOm Iuo DOuIH. II COMES, L0O
from long suffering lOyalists, both coloret
and white. In Mississippi at the presen
hour, as is shown by the letter of oul
correspondent printed elsewhere, there
is no word to describe the actual situation
but anarchy. The lives of the loya
citizens are at the mercy of the mob
Murderous outrages are fearfully com.
mon. A kindred state Of affairs exists
in Texas. Its record of tragedies is
shockingly large. In Louisiana, Arkansas,
Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia,
North Carolina, and Virginia, the same
spirit of violence against the colored and
white loyalists prevails. The civil fumes
tionaries are impotent, or in league with
the Rebel mob. The military strength
has been economically" reduced to I'M
excusable weakness and ineficieucy.
| The holocaust of murder continues es-
sentially unchecked under Grants as
under Andrew JohnSon's administration.
| Meanwhile Grant recreates excessive
| ly. Rational recreation in itself is good,
and sometimes very important. If he
absolutely needs, and is likely to con-
tinue to need so much, he ought, in the
present condition of affairs, to resign,
that the country may have, what it very
much needs, President in fact as we'll
as in name. No thoughtful observer of
the tendency of affairs during the past
six months but feels that the pilotless
drifting of this summer has been toward
dangers with which little later it will
be most difficult to grapple. Not only
are cruel and needless burdens imposed
upon the loyal people of the South, but
while an incompetent President gives
months to the watering places, races and
jaunting, the shrewd diplomatists of the
old school of Rebel politicians, perceiving
their opportunity, are marshaling their
forces, and by fraud and intimidation rex
gaining control of their former political
estates. by the wisest administration
during the next three years, it will be
difficult for the Pre- ident to restore to
the loyal party of the nation what his in.
attention and want of vigorous action to
maintain national authority in the South,
has this summer lost to it. 1t is largely
due 70 his laxity, when he should have
been firm and decisive, to his apparent
Indifference and inattention to the actu.
al condition of affairs at the South, that
we have had the abnormal political de-
velopment represented by Walker in
Virginia, Senter in Tennessee, Hamilton
in Texas, and last and most disgracefIl
of all, Dent in Mississippi. The Southern
Republicans - those not connected
in the Hamilton Dent fraud in the name
Of Republicanism-have been reduced
to what seems to them a necessity of
the situation, (though most unwelcome,
and against their own better judgment,
as we know from some Of them, of ad-
vocating amnesty and Cancellation.
The position Of the President. AMI the
course of such journals as the New York
Tribune, has, they say, left them no
other alternative. Without continued
restraint of the Rebels of the Southern
States, for at least several years by
firm and decided administration of the
national government, loyal, Republi~
can party cannot he maintained there.
The anarchy which attends amnesty"
in Tennessee is already foreshawdOwed
in Mississippi and Texas. 1t is inevitable,
with impoverished loyalists thrown I'M
supported on their Own resources in an
unequal contest with pardoned, and
theI efore yet powerful, disciplined Rebel
antagonists. Tennessee and Louisiana
are hopelessly lost to the Republican,
loyal party, and as needlessly sacrificed.
If the first six months OF Grants admin
istration are type of what we may ex-
pect during the remainder of his term,
the sham Democracy may count with
certainty upon an easy victory in 1872.
Conserving to such leadership as Grants
and Greeley's, the Republicans, as
party, will have completed the suicide,
begun in Virginia and Tennessee, ere
that date.
The good words spoken by the Presi.
dent in favor of the ratification of the
fifteenth amendment are more than coun1
terbalanced by his failure to inspire re-
spect for and to command obedience to
the national authority in the South.
Even should the amendment chance to
be ratified by the required number of
States, now a question of serious doubt,
it is the open boast of Rebels that they
can with impunity, and that they will,
render it of non-effect In May last it
was deemed a foregone conclusion by
nearly all, friends and enemies in COM
mon, that the amendment would be pro-
claimed as part of the fundamental law
of the nation by the lst of January, 1870.
Now, especially if Ohio be carried by the
Pendleton shamsDemocracy in the ap-
preaching election, we see little prospect
of its early ratification, even with the en-
forced acquiescence of Virginia, Missis-
sippi and Texas, exceptby dividing TexaF,
and possibly one or two more OF the
oontumaciOus Rebel States. 1t will
be remembered that originally there was
a provision for the future division of
Texas into several States. That prCvlso
was intended to strengthen the cause OF
slavery 1t is said not unlikely soon to
become necessary to turn it to account
in the service Of the cause of freedom.
We therefore invite the attention of the
members of Congress, and of the Presi.
dent, whenever he shall return to Wash
ingtOn, to prepare his official message, to
the consideration of the subject of di-
vision Of Texas, as contingency which
| may arise in the near future.
Meanwhile, if there are any influential
friends of the President, who can induce
him to speedily return from his wanders
ings to the post ofduty, we beseech them,
in the name of suffering loyalists of the
South, and of imperilled national inter-
ests, to do so.