Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-09


Constitutional Convention had accorded
them these privileges.
GRANTS INTERFERENCE WITH
STATE ELECTIONS.
When Grant was elected President, it
was not supposed that he would distin-
guish himself by taking part in the State
elections. 1t was claimed that he would
be tolerant, and that he would try to ex-
cmplify the motto for which he had be-
came famous, viz: ''Let US have Peace. y
His history has been directly The reverse
of this doctrine. Scarcely an election
has been held since his Inauguration in
which he has not interfered. In this re-
spect he has distinguished himself above
all his predecessors. He urged the ulti-
mate reconstruction of the State of Vir-
GINA, so that the people could choose
their own Governor and State officers.
But when an election was to be held
there, we find Gen. Grant taking hand
in its management He first favored the
Conservative Republicans, but soOr
changed his course, and denounced then
as Democratic allies. The result was 9
glorious victory for the Conservatives,
the Grant party being whipped out OF
sight.
Next came the election IN Tennessee,
and in this contest Grant arrayed his
administration against Senter and the
liberals and in favor of Stokes and the
proscriptionists, and the friends of Sentel
who held Office were made to walk the
plank. Stokes threatened if he should
be defeated to have the State placed
under military rule, but Notwithstanding
this, and the known sympathy of GRAM
in his hehalf, he was defeated by ar
overwhelming majority. At the last SEES
sion of Congress, the first after the cleo
ton, an effort was made to have thil
State remandcd TO military rule, and tC
60 through the process of reconstruction
again, aud it is notorious that Gran
favored this measure as a punishment OF
the people for refusing to elect Stokes.
Then came North Carolina The fca
lures in that canvass are still fresh in al
minds. Grant sent large military force
there from Fortress Monroe, to aid Holder
and Kirk in their infamous attempt &c
control the State by the declaration Of
martial law. No chapter in our history
is half so base as the deliberate attemp
made by Grant and Holden to force The
people of North Carolina at the point Of
the bayonet, to vote for the administra
ton candidates. The result Yves rebukt
more overwhelming than evcrl In spite
of threats, and prisons, and Federal bay
Oneis, the people voted, and they voted Il
condemn the administration and its al,
herents.
Next we find Grant meddling in South
Carolina, and using his influence to rivet
more firmly the chains of prescription
and corruption upon the people of thai
State. The following is q letter he ad.
dressed to the Attorney General of South
Carolina: /
never opposed the reelection of Gov.
Scott, nor spoke disparsgingy of him
On the contrary, only look upon the so
called 'Reform" mOvementin South Caro-
lima as a device to give the control of the
State to the enemies of the party which
has supported me, and which supported
our armies and maintained the Union.
U. S. GRANT.
Lone BRANCH, N. j., Aug. %, 1870.
This letter is characteristic of the man.
Gov SCOTS has been the most corrupt
administration that has ever cursed South
Carolina as corrupt as that of Holden, in
North Carolina, or that of Reed,
in Florida, and Grant must be
aware of the fact. When
he is spoken to privately on the subject
he processes to be opposed to the scheme
of public plumber which has been inaugu-
rated in South Carolina, but as soon as
this fact is stated publicly, he backs
square down as he has with regard to
every promise he has made to the South
ern people. Scott leads the extreme wing
of the party that elected Grant, and the lat
ter is willing that he shall revel in the
corruption by which he has enriched him
self and brought the State heavily in
debt.
Now there is an effort made by the
lovers of liberty to strike down the pro-
scriptionists in Missouri. As might be
expected, Grant is found taking sides
against the liberals. This has been his
course in every instance. And in doing
so now, he places his administration in
antagonism to the great body of German
citizens in Missouri. Senator Carl Schurz
and 3. Gratz Brown, the leaders of Ger
man sentiment in the Southwest advocate
the policy of repeating the odious laws
DISTINGUISHING a great body of the citizens
of Missouri. They are in favor of ex-
tending the rights of citizenship. What
does Grant do? He is found taking
ground against Schurz and Brown, and
the bulk of the Germans. They are styled
GTholters. - and as such are read out of the