Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-01

| tal6 matter investigated In secret ana o.
one party. Afterwards I met with Gov
Foote and Gov. Brown, who belong to thi
Conservative party to which / do not be
long. ! was very much grati6ed in thI
course of the conversation to learn tina
these gentlemen were truly In earnest in
the Yindicstion Of the rights of the color
ed race. Isuppo that may assume thai
am friend 10 the colsred race and have
enough respect for them to assert their
rights and to condemn those outrages.
asked these gentlemen if they were willing
to come to this meeting, to be present at
it and see that the proof was taken square
| iy and fairly and put before the country.
| Each one responded that they would.
| The question is in what manner do you
| wish 10 investigate this matter? Do you
wish TO take the depositions secretly and
seal them up? What will be acC omplished
by that step on your bshalfY L contend
that everything in the country should have
light, air and free speech. This is what
you want. think this affair in Rnther-
ford county most outrageous, and il should
be exposed to the people Of the United
States. There is light in the exposure of
such outragss as this-it will make a
rufian hide himself in the dark. II il the
expression of party sentiment that wher.
ever such outrages occur there should be
a meeting Of the intelligence of that COM
munity and an expose of the whole affair
made TO the public. The proper course to
pursue is to repair to the courthouse, Sc
cure the services Of q Justice or Justices of
the peace, perhaps as many az three, TO
have oaths administered to the witnesses
and have their testimony taken down ia
short hand. / think this matter should be
Investigated publicly. I propose that
Governors Foote and Brown and myself be
present ss three persons. / will give my
best effcr 10 your behalf. / have net
I g I'd sny reason why this meeting should
be ned secretly. We know very veil
that Justice cannot be administered
excsIt in open day light. The best counsel
can give you is TO set out quietly, pa
tisstly and. deliberately to examine lhis
matter that has occurred in Rutherford
county, snd sin it from the bottom. What
we will do here will give origin TO the rise
of public meetings in other parts of the
State. All that Is needed throughout the
State On behalf Of the body of the people
is the expression of condemnation of such
outrages. believe there will go forth
from the city Of Nashville a spirit that
will be psnacea to your whole race. 1t
Is net possible that there can be majority
of the people in any district Of the State
who would dare to say one word in behalf
of the ouirages. We here in Tennessee
make but very small part Of the great ma.
ton, and the public opinion Of this nation
il q power greater than that of any other
power on earth. To-day It keeps in order
all the people from Maine TO the Gulf.
You need an exposure of this matter, and
you need the moral sentiment of
the condemnation Of all coed msn in the
State and United States, and that is the
thing which is nov proposed You nalu-
rally feel your passions klndled, but you
will receive the respect Of all good men
when you act with patience and modeTa-
ton. The object then is for the bene-
ct of your race by redress of these out
RACES. II the names of these offenders of
law could be ascertained they ought to be
brought TO condign punishment, and l for
one hold myself ready at all times, as an
American citizen and as a member of the
of the bar, to give my poor services in
behalf of the humblest man in this COM
munity, especially if he belongs TO your
race. Ii seems to me, therefore, that the
most judicious course to pursue in this
matter, will be TO adjourn this meeting to
the Courthouse, and in the meantime Be-
cure the services of three Justices Of the
Peace and a capable clerk or shorthand
writer, to take down the testimony: 4
Nh Lewis, colored was the next
speaker He said, in reply to
Judge Trimble, that the meeting
was held secret because these men whom
they were about to get the testimony from
had 20 return home soon, and as soon as
their names we're made public as having
given such testimony every one of them
would be lynched.
Gov. Foote said that, if it is necessary,
we will send body of 500 armed men to
escort them to their homes.
George Carter, colored, said be had
pledged himself to these fugitiyes that he
would do all he could for them, and that
nothing would be done that would jeopar-
die their interests when they returned to
their homes. Many statements had been
made as 10 how their testimony should be
given. A committee was appointed yester-
day to investigate the matter, and as soon as
it discovered that names of white men had
been placed on the committee, there was
q GOODNESS of spirit all over the house.
The Governors proclamation, published
in the papers and issued few DAYS ago,
amounted to no more than if he had issued
it himself There have been outrages
committed nearly every day, and yet none
of the scoundrels have been arrested and
punished. Ifyou gentlemen of talent and
education can devise some means to pro-
tect my people from injury after being ex-
posed, then they will come forward and
give in their testimony. Gov. Foote re.
marked that the whole people shsuld
mite in !heir demand upon the Governor
that military force be sent to protect
them, and said it would not cost the COLI
ored men one cent if the guilty parties
we're arrested and prosecuted.
Gov. Neill s. Brown said he had just
been informed that a company Of United
States soldiers had been sent 10 Rutherford
county, one-half to Murfreesboro, the other
to Smyrna.
George Carter, colored, wanted some
means devised by which the colored fugi-
tives and their families can be protected
and supported while they are compelled to
stay here in the city.
Gov. Foote said in reply to this that ap-
plication would be made to the citizens 10
raise a sufficient sum for the support Of
these unfortunate men who had been driven
from their homes He also said that
these witnesses ought not to
be tempered with before they APP
peared ia court, and that the testimony
ought not to be taken in writing before the
investigation took place, as that would
look suspicious and would not make the
evidence strong enough,
George Carter then asked if three JUS
tices OF the Peace could be obtained in the
city who were not in sympathy with the
Ku Klux.
Wetmore then jumped up and said no,
not one of them.
Clay Roberts said that there was no in-
formation received at the Governors office
of the outrages in Rutherford county until
| Saturday, and on Sunday the proclama-
ton was issued, and the Governor, hearing
that the proclamation was not obeysd,
caused to be sent there a company of Uni
ted States troops which left the city to-day.
If it is necessary, every soldier in the
United States will be there within the
next thirty days, and if the colored peo-
pie cannot trust the United States govern
ment in the name of God whom can they