Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-04
LETTER FROM COL. STEPHENS
The Duty of the Hour.
Hear and Heed.
From the Memphis Appeal. July 30.

From the Memphis Appeal, July 30.
TO THE wings, OF WEST TENNESSEE. -5
A number of our old political associate,
have asked me to address you some word!
of exhortation. They say that some oil
you have become so disheartened and in.
different toward the great public issues
before the country as to be disposed to
stand aloof from all elections; while
Others few only-show some DISPOSE
ton to yield to the insidious whisperings
of Radical emissaries who are per.
suadiDg you to re-establish the Wing
party. They say also that my lifelong
association with you is ample reason for
venturing to address you, and that you
will receive my suggestions in good part,
even if you do not see proper to act upon
them. Yielding to these considerations.
l make this appeal to- your patriotism,
trusting that in your charitable Judgment
you will do justice to the motives of one
to whom you have ever been so kind
suppose my fidelity to the Wing party,
while it existed, viii not be questioned.
My veneration for its departed sages is
not diminished by the lapse of years, and
my affection for its surviving members is
akin to that which brother bears to broth
er. am happy in the belief that most
of US are united still, and that we are
still sanding for the right, still contend
ing for liberty regulated 6y TAR. Here
and there l find an old and respected
friend in the opposite ranks. Starting
out upon the idea of perpetuating the
union of States at whatever cost, he has
allowed himself to be carried on in that
wild current of passion which has swept
away the rights of the Southern people,
and he now finds himself in the bosom of
party which ignores all those principles
of government which he has been taught
TO revere, and which seeks to degrade
and impoverish his early friends and
neighbOrs. l can lament the situation of
such Wing. | could extend to him the
right hand of fellowship if he would but
return; but could not consent to aid in
making him feel comfortable by Joining
his company, and to make his party vic
tOriOus by dividing and weakening the
only organization which can make head
against it.
There are now only two parties in the
United States; and for years to come
there can be no other. ...
One of these is the product in part of
the recent civil war. Setting out upon
the hypothesis of the divine right of
kings, that all resistance to a government
IS treason, and that rebellion is the chief
of all crimes-the one objectionable sin
it proposes to take from the people the
power to resist the government no matter
what may be the provOcation. Its mis-
sion is therefore to break down the bar
riers which surround the State sovereign
ties; to consolidate all power in a central
government; to reduce the people to a
state of immediate allegiance and sub
lection TO that government; to prevent
any union among them for their common
protection by fOmenting hatred between
the white and cOlOred races, and 70 keep
the superior class under the ban of politi-
cal disabilities, until they can shape the
laws and institutions of the country &C
cOrding to this model, and mould the
habits and thoughts of the people to this
new and dangerous experiment of gov
eminent.
The other party embraces all those who
desire TO curb the powers of the Govern
ment, to preserve the Constitutional guar
antics of liberty, TO give equal rights to
all men, to remove from the Southern
people their political disabilities, 10 give
to those whose taxes support the Govern
ment a fair share in its administration, and
to give vitality once more to that essential
principle of liberty that the Government
is made for the people, and not the people
for the Government From Canada to the
Gulf, from ocean to ocean, all who wish
to set limits to arbitrary power, to pre-
serve the writ of habeas corpus, and thus
protect the personal liberty of the citizen,
TO secure economy in the administration of
the Government: all who wish 10 restore
harmony and hrotherly love to the Ameri-
can people; all who believe that q man
may have fought for his native South
without FORGETTING the rights of citizen,
and without sinking below the level of a
HottentOt-all these must act with this
grand party, and with this alone. Any
man who does this is my brother, wheth-
er Wing or Democrat, whether Northern
or Southern, whether Confederate OF
Federal, whether American or foreigner,
whether Israelite OF Christian, whether
Roman Catholic or Protestant. They are
all alike citizens of our country. They
all have a common interest in securing the
blessings of Just, an economical and a
paternal government. If they unite as a
band of patriots, they may accomplish
this result. If they divide, their overthrow
is inevitable.
Some may say that they do not like the
name of Democrat others may dislike
the name of Wing; others still may OBJ
ject to being called Conservatives. For
my own part l am no sticklcT about
names; 60 for the substance. The
Democratic party, at the close Of the war,
was the only existing organization to
which we could rally. The old issues had
all died by natural decay, or had been
crushed by the rude hand of war. But
still the organization had life and vigOr.
It proposed to Join forces with all who
wished to restore the Government 20 its
original purity. By common consent we
all came together. II seemed necessary
to have a name. Many preferred to con-
tinue the old name Of Democracy; and !
confess that now, if never before, there
is fitness in that name. Democracy in
its modified sense, as applied to large
nation, means a Government which owes
its power t. the people, and in which the
people, through their representatives,
make the laws, as Contradistinguished
from Government which exists indie.
pendent of the people.
This is precisely the difference now be
tween the two contending parties. One
is for q government which shall always