Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-20

renders the protest unavailing as to them,
may not the few who are righteous, and
whose number is Car beyond what vas re-
quired TO save the cities of the plain
from destruction, be heard2 There are
thousands and thousands of men in Ten
nessee who fought for the Union in the
late war, who viii feel that all is lost if the
enemies of constitutional government
shall succeed in this effort to strike down
a State.
Petitioners in the name and on behalf
of the unoffending women and children OF
Tennessee solemnly protest against step
which must bring anarchy, and sooner or
later, civil war.
They point to the blood of all. the Ten
nesseans who have died defending the ma
tional flag, and on behalf of their orphan
children they solemnly protest against this
destruction of civil Government IN Ten
nessee by congressional interference.
Petitioners beg to remind the President
of the United States, and the Congress Of
the United States, that the step, when
taken. will be regarded by intelligent men
everywhere as the first bold and deter
mined step to change the form of govern
ment; it will confirm all who are now
doubling the capacity of man for self
government; it will dampen the ardor of
all the real friends and believers In the per-
petuity of our form of government; 1t
will withdraw capital from the legitimate
channels of commerce and trade; it will
discourage our men of enterprise and to-
tally paralyze their efforts; it viii alike
disturb the mercantile and farming inter-
ests; in word, this fatal step, if taken,
will break the hopes and blight the pros
poets of the people of the whole State, ex-
cept the men who get Office by it.
Tennessee is just recovering from a
long and dreary night of suffering, and
shall the beams of light which are
break Nc upon us, be cut off, and the
night Of death, moral and political death,
again be our portionl May God in His
| mercy forbid it,
The following names were signed to the
petition Immediately after it had been
read: W S Winstead, A I Robert, John
Golfers, john W Allen, j A Cheatham,
If Hyronomus, 2 H Brown, d
Walker, John Morrow, B S Cooper,
Warner Lewis, Nicholas Perkins,
Isaac Pane, Charles P Phillips, James
Irwin, T Furman, F NJ Corbett, w H
Bronston, Citizen of Kansas, L Lewis,
| S L Allen, James r Bruce, James o
Pigue, James A Chiffon, w III Page,
James Haynie, r X Greenfield, J
tB White, James w Felts, d II Miller,
Michael Flynn, Arthur @ White, t p
Weakley, Jasper Evans, w Bush, VIM
| c Camp, A Hermann, i Spurlock, L
w Patterson, w p Ray, II S Peach, M
Whitaker, Sullivan, j r Ralston, z A
Cartwright, Madison Stratton, E NJ Cullen,
10 G Guild, r II Campbell, Joseph Crelgh-
| ton, N Menefee, ] II Hales, VIM K NJ
| Fletcher, w III Lillard, Thos S Dodd, G W
Nance, G Brown, Philip Lindsey, d
| II Coder, A Cheatham, r Cradock, S Z
Jones, John L Brown, Jas S Reeves, A
W Johnson, c Morgan, Jr, Ira Conwell, a
Wells, N Hancock, John Stewart, Charles
Morley, Patrick Cleary, Jr, o Ewing, Sr,
H Grisham, 7 b Spain, NJ Gray, A
Colyar, w Childress, VIM G Brien, L T
Beech, L W Haley, NELL S Brown, Turner
Williams, A A Hawkins, G p Smith, John
F Ferguson, W D Gatlin, Thos n Frazier,
John b Davis, Dennis Murphy, S J Hen
6erson, S NJ Ament, H Gary, A S Camp,
VIM b Caldwell, Joel Battle, r G Daven-
port. Hugh Carroll, K J Morris, Thos
Herrin, B i Gleayes, G II Stocken.
Mr.. Colyar also read 10 tie meeting the
following letters:
LETTER OF COL. JAMES F. CHAABERLIN.
NASHVILLE, March 10, 1S7O.-Hon. K. ],
Morris, Mayor, Hon. A. s. Colyar and
others-Gentlemen: 1t gives me pleasure
to answer your interrogatlons of this date,
and in doing so, will respond in the same
spirit of kindness and candori in which they
were submitted.
| / came to Nashville, Tenn, in October,
1864. an ex-Federal officer, having held
several commissions in the United States
Volunteer Army, and have resided here
ever since. In the spring of 1864 l re-
ceived the appointment of Military Agent
for the State of Pennsylvania, (my native
State) for the Department of the Southwest,
on the staff of Gov. Curtin, now Minister
to Russia. This position resigned in the
winter or spring of 1866, and have since
that time been engaged IN the practlce OF the
law in connection with ID. f. Wilkin, Esq,
of this city. From the time first entered
the State until the present, have frequent
". first in connection with my duties as such
military agent, and since then in the active
practice of my profession, had occasion to
visit many of the cities, towns and villages
never at any time, or in any place, suffered
the least injury, annoyance. or ineonven-
fence from the people of the State. 1 will
say, however, in this connection that while
have never been afraid or ashamed, but
on the contrary have been proud of my
past connection with the United States
army, and have upheld at all times, and in
| all places the supremacy of the United
l ord tho IrTtx- Of ol1o
glance to the old fag-yetI have never, by
boast or taunt, sought to exasperate the
people of any locality against he, or the
flag to which claimed allegiance, but on
the other hand, by spirit of forbearanoe
and iberality Of thought feeling and ex-
preston have endeavored to win their re-
spect. In other words, have endeavored
to be Sin war an enemy, in peace friend. "
From first to last l have mingled freely
with the people of South, and 1 must say
in all candor and honesty, particularly OF
the people of the State of Tennessee, in
GLIDING the ex-oficers and soldiers of the
late Confederate Army, that in all my re-
lations with them, both public and private,
| ! have universally met with marked kind
ness and respect.
1t is true that during the past few years
outFages have been committed within the
borders of the State, but believe sincere
", and l think l can safely assert, that in
nearly every instance they can be ascribed
to private, or personal animosity, and not
of political feeling and if in some in
| stances political malcontents have met with
summary punishment, the facts when
| brought to light, have always shown the
punishment 10 be just.
The action OF tho late Convention shows
that the universal desire of al. good men
of all parties is, that our political troubles
should now cease. This is too apparent to
need argument, and cannot but condemn
the course of the malcontents, in and out
| of Congress, whose unholy ambition would
now prompt them to upturn the present
well-founded system of government, which
accorded equal rights to air men, and again
foist upon us military government, re-
pugnant alike to the feelings of the people
ana the Constitution of our country, the
protection of which, as an integral portion
of the Union, we have right
to claim. I sincerely believe that
the large portion of the outrages
reported to have occurred within the
| State, have been manufactured purely for
selfish political purposes, by those vino de-
sire to retain positions of political prefer
ment, and have no foundation in truth
whatever. l believe, further, that since
the close of the late rebellion, there has
been no time when there existed more
profound state of peace within the State,
or when the people of the State, irrespec-
| tive of their antecedents, were better dis
posed to abide by the laws and to support
! the Government Of the United States. l
have the honor to be, gentlemen, very re-