Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-01
HAVE WE A DICrATOR AMONG Us.

SN~'SA0u o0 VIC O~PitOi eseoKuoy
gives the following language as
coming from Gen. Stokes:
Gen. Stokes in closing his twenty min
.utss' rejoinder said: / will now raise
my warning voice to notify the people
that if they go after that man Senter
they viii be led into trouble. Tf on next
Thursday you will come to the ballot
box and vote for me, all will be we'll;
but if you elect Senter, / will swear by
the powers above L will proceed to
Washington and repeal the law remov
ing the disabilities of Gov. Senter, as
well as those Of Rebels, and place them
were they were twelve months ago,
and there they shall stay. :
The Union Republican party will not
be trsmpled under foot BY man who
sOkolsy disregaTds the laws Of the State
and the constitution Of the United States
as De Witt C. Senter has done in the APP
pointment Of registrars throughout the
State.
Ideny the fact Of his (Senter's) being
Governor at all, except as being allowed
by the Republican party to continue in
Office, falling to him as Speaker of the
Senate; and that writ of quo ieGrranto
conld be sued out against him for now
discharging the functions pertaining to
the Office Of Governor.
We venture to say that the ef-
frontery of this threat has never
been paralleled. AS specimen OF
impudent, egotistic and soaring
gasconade, 1t is without an equal.
Let us analyze it. A member of
the Congress of the United States,
aspiring to be Governor of the
State in part represented by him,
dares to threaten the people, in the
event they refuse to elect him, to
organize the power of the Federal
government to nullify their ex-
pressed will at the ballot box. Not
only that does he threaten. He de-
clares that he will revoke their fran
chise privileges and remand them
to an indefinite term of political
slavery. Nay, he goes further. He
intimates that partisan court may
be ordered under q writ Of quo
aoarranto, to set aside the constitu-
ton of Tennessee and depose from
the Executive Office the incumbent
who fills it. +
Without wishing to be offensive,
we are constrained to inquire if
Gen. Stokes is a fool. To rant in
this fashion, argues that he has lost
his senses. Too much loyalty has
made him mad. Either it must be
so, or he supposes he is speaking to
a herd of dolts and whey faced das-
tards, too ignorant to know their
rights, and so craven IS to be
frightened at this attempt to intim-
idate them.
Really this question is too ridicu.
lous to merit reply. In the first
place, the powers of the Federal
government will never be used for
any such purpose. Secondly, the
leaders of the Republican party are
too wise to take up Stokes defeated
aspirations after such a fashion.
Thirdly, Gen. Stokes is of calibre
much too light to successfully lead
a revolution so momentous and far
reaching in its consequences. We
publish it only as an evidence Of
the desperation which he feels.
When the election is over, he will
be quiet. AT the assembling o.
Congress he will take the first occa
sion that may offer to "unpack hi
heart with words and fall q cursing
like a scullion." His rage will
evaporato in breath, and he will
collapse into plain Mr.. Stokes-ar
ordinary member of very ordinary
| Congress and after the 4th o
March next, or the adjournment o
the last regular session of that body
he will take a position still NOR
humble and common--that of re
tired statesman { y whose sands o
life have run out.