The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-08-11
The Tennessee EIectIOn-Its Causes
and Results.

ana Results
The result of the Tennessee cleo
ton fully justified our anticipations.
The political power in that State has
been again transferred to the old rebel
element which, in 1861, dragged the
State into rebellion in spite of the
efforts Of many thousand Unionists
who lived among the mountains and
valleys Of the eastern part of the State,
1t is no consolation to US to know
that this result has been secured as
much by the folly of the Republicans
as by the shreRdness of their oppo-
nents, though the latter acted shrewdly
throughout the canvass. We do not
know that one faction into which the
party permitted itself to be divided is
any more censurable than the other.
SENTER and BRoWNLoW are terri
bly, guilty, but not more so than Gel.
Stokes. The truth is, the party,
though very large, was not large
enough to crafty the wants and ambi-
ton Of both SENTER and Strokes.
Everything had 10 be sacrificed to
their personal aspirations. The in
fatuation which seemed to take pos
session of men whose experience in
past political struggles ought to have
taught them GOODNESS and caution, is
a phenomenon that We are unable to
comprehend, much less describe. 1t
was evident from the very outset that
a split in the party would result in
the triumph of its lifelong enemies;
yet, so cunningly had hate and jeal-
ously been disseminated, that either
faction preferred the success of the
rebel element to the triumph of the
other. The only consolation the ad-
herents of Colonel STOKES are now
able to extract from the election is,
that the friends of SENTER were
everywhere defeated for the smaller
Offices, and that his aspirations for
the U. S. Senate are effectually
b!ighted.
We regard Tennessee as lost to the
Republican party for many years to
come. The bitterness of feeling de-
veloped in the canvass will effectualIy
prevent any consolidation of the party
in future contests, were the Demo
crats not smart enough to strengthen
themselves in the position secured
through the diasensions of their OPP
ponents. We expect a general over
hauling of oil laws bearing upon cleo
tions, if not radical changes in the
Constitution itself. With such malig-
nants as EMERSON ETHERIDGE to
manipulate a Legislature anxious at
best to legislate against the interests
of the Republicans of the State, we
shall not be disappointed in seeing
the enactment of laws similar to those
which disgraced Gov. SHARKEY's
Mississippi Legislature; and however
odious and oppressive may be these
laws, Congress viii have no right to
interfere as was done when the Mis-
sissippi legislation was abrogated.
Perhaps no paper in the country is
more responsible for the disastrous
results in Virginia and Tennessee-to
be followed. in all probability, by
similar results in Mississippi and
Texas-than the New York Tribune
By its vehement and persistent cry
for the Acknowledgement of all the
rebels of the South, it created con
fusion in the ranks Of those who were
accustomed to look to it for political
advice. They were made to believe
that all their unfriendly legislation
against those who had taken an active
part in destroying the Government
was wrong, aud a conflict naturally
sprung up between those who trusted
the Tribune's declarations and those
who doubted the infallibility of its
judgment. That conflict resulted in
the WALKER and WELLS fight in
Virginia and the SENTER and Stokes
controversy in Tennessee, and in both
instances the disastrous defeat of the
Republican party. The Tribune has
secured the enfrauchisement of the
rebels, but it remains to be seen how