Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-01-11

Had my Life to Live Ovar wou!o fur-
sue the same Course l have Pursued
only Moro so."
Such is the remarkable declaration OF
Governor Brownlow, IN taking hnal
leave of the patrons OF the Knoxville
Who AFTER reviewing his long and
ayentful career as an editor" he tnds
no word or act that be would have erased
or undone. On the contrary, he assures
the world that he has "the consolation
to know that [hel have alicays taught
both parents and children to hold fast TO
sound doctrine. and in defending them l
have Invariably uttered the words OF
truth and soberness." Alcays and in
sariably
With the consultations of such rehec-
tions upsn an editorial life Of more than
thirty years, SO consistently and so illus
triously marked with "ths words of truth
and soberness," with what complaceucy
and serenity will oar Senator elect take
his seat in the halls of Congress. With
what stately heroisn he can draw from
his portfolio copy OF the Knoxville
Whig, Of April l3, 1861, the very
memorable day on which Fort Sumter
was surrendered, and point to the follow
ing choice extract from his own editorial
pen on that 18th of April:
"The blame of this disunion movement
rests On both the North and the South.
1t is not our province to determine which
is most in fault. Our opinion is that this
is difficult to determine. Both are largely
at fsult--each laying the principal fault
on the other. Every well-informed citi-
zen of the United States knows that
Northern Villains have eneroached upon
the rights of the South, little by little, for
a quarter of century; they have added
insult to injury, enacted infamous Per
sonal Liberty laws, encouraged slaves to
run away, and sought to bring on a COLI
sion between the North and the South
that would result in a dissolution of the
Union |"
And having read this he can proudly
show that force ought never to have been
resorted to by the Nerth, for in the same
article he said:
"Civil and military forces can never
bring about reconstruction. The day
for this has gone by Moral forces must
be resorted to, but the wicked hearts and
reasonable designs of Southern seces-
sionists, and the dams able depravity and
hellish purposes of Northern abolition
lists, will alike resist, and successfully re-
sist, all applications of moral power"
All this the Governor said on the very
day that the glorious stars and stripes
were hauled down at Fort Sumter, and
at the very time President Lincoln and his
Cabinet were preparing the call for rs 900
troops But if ,his be not enough to
convince the Radical Senators that he
was the teacher of sound doctrine" let
ihiiln draw forth q copy 0ff 0ff the prospectus
Of the Knoxville Why, published on the
same memorable day Though written
March l2) and read to them these con-
elusive paragraphs:
I'VE are willing to try Mr.. Lincoln
under the pledges of this (nsugural) ad-
dress, promising to rebel when he at
tempts to inaugurate oppressive and
unconstitutional measures, whether in
reference to slavery or any other subject
81 believe that the zeal of the anti
slavery party at the North has not yet
subsidized, aud that the border States have
cause to guard against the medner por-
tion Of Abolitionists. | shall battle
against the Greeleys, Gsrrisons, Sum-
ners, Chases, Hales, Bsechers and Fes-
ssndens; and with equal freedom / shall
denounce ell who are hand and glove
with the Ysnceys, Rhetts, Dsvises,
Toombses aud Wigfalls, and other dis
uuionists South, who seek to destroy this
Govern ment from equally base motives.
Nv. g. BRowSLow,
Editor and Publisher.
"Msrch IL, 1861"
Having fully satisfied the Summers,
Chsses, GreeIeys, Beechers, Fesseudens,
etc., ETC., that they are the identical in
against whom be is to battle"
lot him, then, with oil the solemnity
becoming so grave q communication. |
present each OF bis " "Northern villains"
With a copy Of his Farewell Address
10 the readers of the Knoxville Whiq, |
and let him reassure them that he "bas |
1leays taught both parents and children |
% hold fast 10 the forms Of sound doe
irine;' and that be has inraridbly I
altered the words Of truth and sober
ness" and, finally, that "if be had his
lie to live over, be would pursue the
Iame course he has pursued, only more
10 =
Thus endesh the 6rst lesson. n.-Knoz-
'lle Press and Herald.