Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-22

| johnson to represent Tennessee, but "
fail to see the force Of its argument
| The Banner bases its reasoning upo
the assumption that there is danger Q
rousing the ire Of Congress and exeit
ing the wrath Of Gen. Grant. And ]
further argues that the State can de
rive no benefit from Mr.. Johnson's pre-
sence in the Senate. 'ina ah 'aooii
In the first place there is no REASONABLE,
ground for apprehensions and no possible
dsnger that can arise to the State from
his election, and as far as Congress ant
Gen. Grant are concerned, they gave then
united influence against the people q
Tennessee in the recent canvass, and the
result shows precisely how much (ol
rather how little) their influence is worth
As to the benefit to be derived, we think
there is no man in Tennessee who can
exercise one-tenth as much influence as
Andrew johnson. He is more familiar
with the condition of the government in
all its departments than any man in the
United States, and he is one of the few
men who have been associated with
Washington politics without becoming
inoculated with the poison of "consolida-
tion"-of Capitalization and all those
modified forms of monarchy which, an
tagonistie as it may appear, are the out
growth:of feeble and unmanly Conser-
vatism. n5T8 li71 Dsl. eil.lI
Tennessee is Cor ought to be- free
and independent, sovereign State, and II
so, it has the right to send such men to
the United States Senate as have the
ability as we'll as the manliness to repre-
sent it as such. If there is any question
as to this right, now is the time to settle
it. If the chief power resides in the
District of Columbia let US know it; but
if as we have always believed, the SOW
ereign power rests with the people Of
each State, then Tennessee has the right
to send such men as her representatives
may select to defend her rights and her
interests in the Senate Of the United
States. i So =
The enemies of free government are
troubled at the thought Of meeting
Andrew johnson on the floor Of the Sem
ate. They know that he will become q
leader and not follower. The same views
which he has announced recently upon
the stump in every part of the State, he
will fearlessly announce in the presence
of those Northern Senators who have
gloated over the misfortunes Of Tonnes
see. If there ever was time when the
government was on the verge Of ruin it
is now, and if there is any man living
who can turn the tide of Radical u>ur-
patton at Washington, that man is Andrew
johnson.
He is no friend of secession, and for
that cause we have been his enemy, but
he is no less the avowed enemy Of a
centralized despotism, and thus far we
are his friend. His trenchant logic and
his outspoken earnestneSs are character
istic of the man, and his expositions Of
the usurpations of Congress, the limits
of legislative authority, the privileges of
the executive, and the reality Of writS
ten constitution will tell with sledge~
hammer force in the Senate.
1t is due to Tennessee and to the
people Of the South that the truth Of
history shall be indicated, and that
whether in the Union or out of it, we as
people understand the principles of
free government, and while we demand
nothing more we will accept nothing less.
There is no medium or halfway grounds
between the right to govern ourselves
and the right of might-or military ne
cessity. But our friends of the Banner
leave the impression that there is danger
In giving too free expression just at this
time-as much as to say that the elec>
ton of Andrew johnson would be dis
pleasing to the goyernment-thereby
meaning Gen. Grant and his cabinet
which Of course includes those illustrious
specimens of Administrative Absurdity,
Creswell and Boutwell,.
Now we think it is high time for some
one to say again that the people are the
government. 1t may sound odd and old
fashioned to many, but it is one Of those
old truths that, Webster like, ''still
live" and which will live on long after
Gen. Grant and his cabinet are forgot
ten, and there is not in Tennessee an.
other man who can reiterate this old
truth with such vim, force and emphasis
as Andrew johnson.
We hope that the Legislature will
elect him, and that his voice may again
be heard reverberating in the Senate
chamber defending the rights of Tennes'
see Gin the Union" with the same earn
estness with which he labored to preven
secession in 1861. We repeat it, we ar,
Gin the Union" not of our own accord
but by force of bayonets, and as Andrew
johnson was one of those who insisted
upon coercing us into the Union it is hi
duty, as we believe it will be his pleasure
to prove to Butler, Sumner, Boutwell, ant
Gen. Grant, that the Union for which h
labored was Union Of equal States, ant
as such Tennessee intends to stand, re
CARELESS of all threats, until the super
structure of free government is swep
from its foundations by the deluge
"The Empire"