Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-05-17
THE EMPIRE AND OUR COTEMPO'
RARIES OF NASHVILLE.


The Nashville Union and American
and the Republican Banner, having
been circumcised in the faith of negro
equality, are somewhat startled at the ap-
pearapce of our letter in the New York
Tmperialist The thought of change
to more healthy state of affairs than
that advocated by these worshlppers Of
negro equality is at once sufficient TO
make the kinky hair of our cotempora-
ries stand on end. The people of this
country, let it be understood, have adj
yanced in ideas, and have begun to rea'
son since the miserable old shell OF re-
public was pulled down about their heads
Every one who is capacitated To think
knows full well that we have no govern
ment in this country except that insti-
tuted by carpet-bsggers, backed up with
bayonets. Whose life ia safe in this
State, we should like to be informed, was
it demanded by the Governor, whose
authority under the militia law would
authorize him to declare war upon an
individual, or community, as suited him
best? Will these old swinnied and sore
backed Democrats look around for
moment and note the exact condition oil
the Government that they now hug TO
their deluded bosoms with such extatic
10y? Wherein, please inform us, con-
sist the protection to life and property
under our State laws2 The taxation
already exacted by the assessors ex-
ceeds the income from resi- estate. which,
in itself, is virtual conf scation.
If the citizen is gnilty Of the least
seeming violation of the carpet-bag law,
he is tied up by the thumbs, as Captain
r 'chardson was, "a few days since,at Hum
boldt, or is shot, as is considered best by
men who have no appreciation of justice.
These are not vegaries, as some would
charge, who are 80 completely stupehed
as not to know that we live under the
most grinding of all despotisms. Look,
for instance, at the state of affairs that
exist in Arkansas, once the home of
happiness and prosperity. There is no
law which governs except the will of the
dictator who calls himself the Governor.
Have we not, almost in hearing Of our
city, seen our countrymen shot down by
a lawless set of blacks, ordered by the
Executive Of the State, contrary to all
enacted law and in violation Of every
principle of right And yet mon Of in
formation pretend to stand aghast at the
thought OF regal authority. The Gar
Of Russia, in the most despotic times of
Peter the Great, never exercised more
unbridled authority in disposing Of the
lives Of his subjects, than do the up
start Governors of our country in saying
who Of our citizens shall remain alive
and who shall not. With all these facts
aud the bloody history of democracy
before our eyes, we are charged with
abjuriHg the faith Of our fathers. We
emphatically deny the charge, and call
for the proof. But" says our Nash
vile contemporaries, and the Aralanehe
of this city, "you are in favor of In
perialism, and therefore not Democrat,
as you profess TO be-" The idea is quite
ludicrous to contemplate, coming from
these old Bourbon Democrats.
The Democracy spoken Of by these
journals has long since ceased to exist in
this country, having been buried with the
hopes of the Southern people in their
death struggle for the Constitution. But
our contemporary of the AUal0nehe asks:
why do you call yourself Democrat
on sill occasions and If you are not,
what party do you belong tot" Now,
we know very well 10 this State what
Democracy means, as We we're one in this
section who had the naming Of the new
born.
We we're at the christening Of this in
FAINT party, and remember full well the
difficulty that It's projectors had in fud-
iug suiiabIs cOgnomen fer Il. Afler
the entire catalogue Of names had been
gone through with and everyone was 10
doubt ss yet what to call the unknown
babe, it was, BY vote. eventually deter
mined to give it the nsmeof Democracy.