Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-01
hROwNLoW,s I.Asr aAnn.

hROWNLOW'S LAST CAEsD.
Gov. Brownlow's card which is repro I
dueed elsewhere, is decidedly the coolest
thing we have met with in many day.
1t was well understood here that Gov. |
Brownlow cordially approved the steps |
which were taken TO prevent the Radical
assemblage in this city on the Goth of |
May, 1869, from organizing and nomi-
mating a candidate for Governor, and that
he as cordially approved the course pur-
sued by Gov. Seiter in the canvass pre-
ceding the August election. 1t is well
known that the disruption of the Radical
party in the attempt 10 organize that
convention and the subsequent election of
Gov. Senter, resulted in. the election of
the present Legislature. And Coy. Brown
low is as much responsible for this result
as is Gov. Senter. The men who were
thus elected to the Legislature were as
well known in their political leanings
while candidates as they are to-day, yet
Gov. Brownlow quietly asquiesced in
their candidacy and election, that Gov.
Senter might triumph over VIM. B. Stokes.
Now that he has had his revenge upon
Stokes, he is ready to turn upon and de-
siroy Senter, if possible. 1t is well I'M
derstood that Brownlow bore no love for
Senter, and before the latter succeeded
to the position as Governor in February,
1869, by virtue of his Office as Speaker of
the Senate, Brownlow called out large
body of militia, ostensibly to preserve the
peace, when there was about as much neces-
sity for troops for such purpose, as
there is for third wheel to cart. There
is reason to believe that the real reason
for calling out the militia was to embar-
rass the new Governor, to whom Brown
low was about to turn over the State with.
an empty treasury, and no resources to
meet the current demands upon it. His
subsequent embracing of Senter was sim
ply TO defeat Stokes, and now he is seek
ing to destroy the former. 1t will sur
prise nobody that he has thus early
turned upon Gov. Senter and the Legisla-
lature be helped to elect. They have pur-
sued too elevated, too conservative a
course for him, and it is as natural that
he should oppose the good in government
and laws and the administration of laws
as it is that night should follow the day.
The Governor bases his advocacy of
setting aside the present State govern
ment, and the acts of the Constitutional
Convention and the Legislature, and the
appointment Of Military Governor, upon
the assumed ground that there has been
q wholesale murder of white and color
ed UniOnists throughout the State There
has been no such occurrence as he seeks
to impress upon the people by this de-
claration. There has been, since the Au-
gust election, no such ''reign of terror"
as characterized Gov. BrOwnlow's admin
istratiOn of the State government 1t is
true, We have had some violations OF the
law, as we had before the war, but none
for opinions sake, and nothing Ike that
which his vindictive administration of the
government engendered. But to show that
this plea is sham and pTetense, we have
only 10 point to tine fact that South Carolina,
under Radical rule as thoroughly as Ten
nessee was under the Brownlow regime,
is, according to Radical accounts, the
theatre for Ku-KlUX outrages and crimes,
yet no step is taken, no desire is ever eX-
pressed to set aside the government there
and hand over the State to the tender mer-
cies Ofamilitary satrap. Nor should We have
heard one word, even from BrownlOw,
about setting aside the present State gov
eminent and the appointment of Military
Governor to supersede Gov. Senter, had
not the Radicals lost the control of the
State There's where the shoe pinches,
as every man in the State knows. 1t
was 50 in Georgia, and it will be so in any
Southern State that passes from under the
control of the Radicals.