The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-07-30
;pailp argus.
The Tennessee Canvass.


Politicians all look with anxious interest
to Tennessee, where the people w'il choose
ha.veen Senter and Stokes for Governor the
frat week in August. The Boston Post con,
,sins the subioined reflections on the polltCai
situation in that state which are worthy 1ne |
consideration of the people OF The Wnole
country
I, ia now hut few DAYS to the election in
Tennessee, when that long suffering anu pro-
foundly agi,ated state will probably make
lurch over from extreme tyranny !" extreme
hberality. Strsngest OF oil, the man wnose
name will ever be identified with establishing
the former for four years, VIII no" DC 'ouuu
on the side of the latter Senier penny 'ne
aatino Governor, in consequences Oh the res
ignation of Brownlow, aud the supreme
Court If the state having recently decided
,Lst ba ma, authority to remove the Commas
s;ona-s of Registration, he has the practical
o,ntrol Of the franchise for the pending e.ec'
ION in his hands, and as his liberal sentl.
ment. on that subject are perfectly well
known, and so widely indorsed by the peo'
pie as to COMPEL his opponent, stokes, 10
follow after at q distance, 1t seems TO be gen
orally believed that he will be elected oy
triumphant popular majority nose WY
advocated wholesale distran chise mentshouid
have been prepared TO accept the iheVi'ao'e
reaction. The spirit Of tyranny cannot iohP
maintain itself aud a rebound OF pubhc sen
tmeut is always certain. -. ,..
Tho canvass has been exceedingly bitter
and nersonal, the chief issue being this cues
ton Of disfranchisement. Had the party 80
long in control Needed the tendencies lhat
we're di.coyerahle all around them they
would no, have forced the election OF Judges
arnresslv to decide so dangerous an issue
3irac,lv against themselves. The measured
ackno1ledpement Of their gubernatonal
candidate that this arbitrary pohcy WAS
wrong, comes too late and IS too SLOW 10 an,
aver the ends for which It WAS gwen. hnu
the very fact that II WAS eXtorteo, 100, "hii'
il fails TO strengthen the Stokes party oy
single vote, does most eifectually recruit Ih'
Senter party by corroboratlng the Hghuui
ness of his position. The democrats vote
with the Senter organization, because ~ II
the liberal one, and only for that reason.
We hear the same talk among the Radicals
of tennessee about lighting out the disiran
ehisement issue within the party, that II
heard in this state about dealing with FRO
hib,ion in the same manner but there, a
here. the vital issue has passed beyond part
control, and gone into the hands OF the peo
ME. who mean TO deal with it after u fash,o
OF their own.
The same vote that elected the Supreu
Cour, Judges will elect Sen,er Governors al
be largely increased. From the momeI
when the former was ascertained, the electic
of the latter might be prudently predicted
II simply meant that registration was TO
taken out of the control of a few petty ofhcer
created BY the legislature, and so liberallze
AZ to give the great body OF the people IN
privilege of the ballot which was denied them
The Senter Legislature, elected ss 1t Will b.
bv the enlarged suffrage, is likely to gent
back ex President Johnson TO the Unite
States Senate, where he will enjoy his OF
portunity TO make plain agood many mattel
on chheretofore his lips have been scale
Ii can scarcely be with undisturbed comp
cency that Gen. Grant contemplates such
probability, and it would be the most natu
al inference that he should favor, so far ,
he can DO SO, the party led by Stokes
opposition.
The lesson is one that deserves seriot
needing, administered as IT so recently hi
been in Virginia, that there can be no gree
err mistake made in this country than 10 WA
tonly exclude "A numerous class OF PeoI
from the balot,box. Public sentiment
volts instinctivey at IN experiment whicf
so .openly hostile to the first principles
true republicanism. Almost any other e
periment could be tried by vndicti7e par
sans with more safety than this. After I
people of Tennessee come to their own aga
and suppressed popular feeling is dePrlv
of its possible harm by being set free, the
il little doubt that the state will assume tn
attitude of internal repose and peacefulne
whose want has subjected its best iterests
such protracsed peril. For the first tin
since the war, q truely liberal sentimei
promises to hold sway in Tennessee, as
Virginia, and to bring back the state to sc
government and prosperous peace