Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-11

safety. 1t is notorious that in nine out
Of ten Of the precincts in West Tennessee,
colored men have never voted with any
freedom or safety. By keeping them
out Of the towns, as has been the case
with thousands in this county, and fore
ing them into these precincts, little
bullying sufficed to drive the people
home. So many Of their comrades for
exercising their rights as freemen, bav-
ing been taken out at midnight and hung,
their fears were very natural. 1t must
not be understood that there has been no
actual violence. We have heard of
few cases, but the mass of outrages have
been perpetrated in out Of the way places,
and will never be heard Of The great
game Of frauds is so far success. The
franchise law has been nullified, the
Confederates have rallied, illegal voters
voted as many times as they pleased,
disqualified judges of election have made
such returns as they pleased, ana the
Democracy have the State Goyernment
at its mercy. What redress we have
against this, we must confess, is not so
clear to us. The Legislature isjudge of
the qualifications of its own members.
The Democrats will decide that every
Democrat who claims seat is rightfully
entitled to it, Notwithstanding any
perjury committed in taking the candi~
dates oath, or any ineligibility under the
fourte snth amendment. And We thick
we may safely say that one-half Of the
Democrats elected are thus ineligible or
have thus perjured themselves. As for
contest of the governorship, the constr
tuition prescribes that it shall be heard
and determined by the Legislature, under
such laws as that body shall pass in re-
lation thereto. So far as we are aware,
the Legislature, never anticipating such
q contingency as the present, has never
passed any laws regulating guberna-
torial contest.
1.-THE conduct and decision of per-
jured Democratic Legislature in such q
manner can easily be foreseen Res
course TO the national government is be-
ing discussed. The government has not
interfered with Georgia, where the most
perfdious and fragrant violations of the
constitution and of the conditions of its
readmission have been practiced. We
trust our friends, in their just indignas
! ton at the reckless violations of oaths
and laws, will take no rash and i'll adj
viSed action"
That is q sweeping characterize
ton of a victorious people as law
breakers and perjurers. 1t is the
most impudent, the most unjusti-
fable that well could be conceived.
An itinerant carpet-bagger comes
here to insult brave and magnani-
nous people who, in the exercise OF
their rights as freemen, have left
the proscriptionists and carpet bag
| gers "out in the cold" The Post
INDUCES very freely in assertions as
to frauds and intimidations, but
singularly enough fails to show
where any frauds have been com
mitted or where any one was intimi-
dated from voting. This is an easy
way to account for defeat. The fellow
who wrote the article knew that il
he located the frauds he pretended
had been committed, he would al
once be exposed. The charge o
perjury against the gentlemen who
have been elected to the Legisla
ture is as Infamous as it is impu
dent. The fellow who uttered it de
serves to be booted out of every
respectable community into which
he should dare to thrust himself
The whole article is a disgrace tC
the journalism of the State, and We
put it on record to show the intelli'
gent reader the character of the
clement that has ruled in this Stat'
for four years. Let the author o.
this foul aspersion of an over
whelming majority of che people o
Tennessee, be marked as disgraeec
man.