Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-25
THE WEEKLY APPEAL,
MEMPHIS APPEAL

The APPEAL, in its last Sundays issue,
makes certain remarks in regard 70 our
short notice of the late election. II ap-
pears that the oath matter has wormed 1t
seif around in his head. We never main
tanned that johnson, the lately chosen
Nayor. was not a citizen of the United
States. but that he asked for English pro-
lection during the late wal TO get rid Of
certain duties incumbent on citizens. The
question now is, how did he do this? Did
a mere assertion suffice, or did he have to
support his declaration with an oath?
The APPEAL answers as follows:
The use of war oaths, we confess, has
not been remarkably advantageous, or
profitable to the Government or people.
Their effect has been demoralizing, and
the Government has never been protected
by them 10 a cents worth. But Mr.. John
son did moi swear falsely. His oath was,
hat be had not f0nsworn his allegiance to
Great BritaIn-nOthing more"
In this point lies the confirmation Of
what we maintained. Can acitizen OF the
United States al the same time be a sub
ject of a monarch? Does the naturaliza-
Jion law allow such a backdoOr as that?
Moreover. the defense of the APPEAL
gains nothing by the distinction between
3 war oath and any other. Oath is oath.
and unrruth Is untruth, none the less,
even with the aid Of the Jesuitie "proba-
bleism " OF this Interpretation.
The advice given to the Germans not to
allow themselves to be misled by their
organ, we have ourselves always taken to
heart, and especially contributed with
our energy 10 bring about-that they
should cut themselves loose from party
slavery, independently exert a power in
politics, and throw overheard that regular
huurbug entitled a regular ticket etc.
The above is from the Ney Zeit, the
German paper Of this city, in response
TO a few words of comment lately
made in the APPEAL. If it has not
maintained that Mr.. JOHNSON is not
= citizen, We are at a loss to see any
good public reason for calling his
character in question. We have here
tOfore understood the excuse made
by his antagonists TO be the protection
of the public against a supposed in
competent officer. That point yield
cd, what IS 10 be gained TO the
city by attempting to drag down
The reputation which has al
ways been 80 wei and honOrably sus-
tanned by the now Mayor elect of the
city and people? chi 50Ro2 If Mr..
JOHNSON asked for English protection,
il was not to get rid of duties incum-
bent on a citizen. Hewas a citizen Of
Tennessee, and he was bound to obey
the law Of his.immediate sovereignty.
The Southern people were byadoption
his people, and their God his God.
The South was his country, and he
was under no moral obligation to war
against it, or his friends. Ii he sue
in escaping by an evasion.
which the Federal commander was
not shreWd enough to discover, it was
what thousands did with per-
feet moral integrity of purpose.
And we applaud him for his address
ia Outwitting his enemies, and the
enemies Of his State and people, strug-
for independence. lie affirmed
on oath that he had never forsworn
his allegiance 10 the British Crown, 1
and the affirmation was true. That is
all about it; and we pity the sickly
entimentalism of a nan whose intel
.ect aud moral sense is not robust /
enough to see that he did right. To
condemn him would be to condemn
strategy in war; for such sub
stantially, and nothing else, il
vas. He owed no good faith
10 his and his c0untry's enc
mics, and as such he had a right
% deceive them if he could. He
seems TO have been equally adroit and
successful. The crime was his enc
he.got fooled-and that is
al the crime there was about it. Wei
supposed that no man could have out
lived the war and not found that out
by this time.
We do moi pretend that the natu-
.rslization law has any "back doors"
We do not claim that Oaths are not
binding, or that falsehOod is admissi-
bic. But VIC aver that oaths imposed
By the bayonet are not always full Of
he highest moral obligation, and that
when q man avoids service in the
ranks OF his c0untry's enemies by a
contrivance, which involves no
'alsehood, and which his enemy is not
enough 10 see, sOf far from incur
ring just censure, he deserves to wear
the laurel ior it. The laws Of the
United States made Mr.. JOHNSON a
He never became such by
of an oath.