Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-09-28
Hon. w. G. Brownlow.


mn. Gco. w. Eookcr, VI C., Ncrti"sriHc,
DEAR SIR have your letter of the 18th
inst. askingmeto cooperate with youin get
ting up a Convention i'm this city of native
Southern Unionists, 1.-The main object OF
whose meeting, as you express 1t, lis to
bring about concert of action amongst the
Rdtire Unionists as against the carpet
Dagger
As a member of Congress and a citizen
of my native State, nay as an esteemed
personal acquaintance, / would he glad to
meet YOU and take you by the hand; but
not as a member of the proposed Conven-
! ton, assembling mainly for the purpose
! indicated in your letter. We have had too
many of these Southern Conventions,
| called together professedly for the purpose
/ of advancing the interests of Agriculture
! and Commerce: but in reality, for the pur
pose of ''instructingthe Southern mind and
| firing the Southern heart in the cause Of
treason and disunion.
But | am not the man to unite with any
! body Of men in a war upon carpet-baggers,
whom | understand to be Northern men
or Yankees, who have settled in the South
before and since the rebellion, and especial
! ly since the termination of the war. They
are a class of men by whom l have firmly
stood through evil and through good report,
and do not propose, at this late day, to go
! back upon them.
| In nv Inaugural addresses and Messages
as Governor of this State, invited and
encouraged immigration, did not invite
! Northern men TO settle in Tennessee as the
! slaves or interiors of native Unionists or
native Rebels, but when they came here,
! to assert their manhood and equality, and
| in proof of it, the records of the Executive
! Department of Tennessee will show that :.
appointed many OF them to Office.
| / Amounted tba1N bppnnap they \Varp h1p-
est, capable and faithful, and because they
had shouldered their muskets at the break
ing out Of the war, fought their way into
| the South, and achieved the right TO hold
office, and settle in Virginia, Tennessee
and every other Rebel State
Another objection have to the proposed
! Convention is that it contemplates IA war
! upon Grant and his Administration. Upon
/ this question ] differ with you as widely as
upon the carpet-hag " question.
! regard the President as having ecOno-
mically and wisely administered the Gov
| eminent, and by him and his Administra-
/ ton propose TO stand with unfiinching
| fidelity.
The rebel party proper of the South are
| unchanged and unrepentant, and seek TO
accomplish at the ballot box and by legis-
/ lation what they failed to effect with the
/ sword.
If a Convention were proposed in which
IT
ern states, / would 20 into it heartily, and
especially would ] like to see it in my own
State.
Take Tennessee as an example, and see
| what q spectacle she presents to the world.
We proposed in the canvass of last year
to bring about universal suffrage, meaning
of course that it should be don in Il legal
and constitutional way, which would re-
quire a period of two Years to accomplish
it. The rebel Democracy seized upon this
liberal offer, making it the occasion to run
rough-shod over the Franchise law, elect
ing body of men to the Legislature 9
majority whom were rebels at heart during
/. the war, and many of whom were rendered
ineligible under the amended Constitution
of the United States.
Why, sir, even Andrew johnson i,
openly denOuncing the Rebel Democracy o
Tennessee. He charges, and truly charges
that i'm the platform of their recent State
Convention, upon which they are running
a Rebel General for Governor, they re-asser
and re-atfirm the doctrine of secession as
promulgated by Southern rebels i'm 1861.
And if you, Mr.. Booker, should be pres
ent at your proposed Convention here,
promise you that the men who will APP
plaud you most vociferously when yOI
come down upon carpet-baggers anC
Grants Administration, will be the mel
who threw up their hats when the frs
army Of Bull Run was driven back upoI
Washington.
) So far as the claims of Southern loyalist
are concerned, my messages tothe Legisla
ture while Governor, and my votes in tn
Senate, will show that ! am the earnest ad
vocate Of their speedy payment. But an
in favor Of discriminating between loyal
lists and rebels. Already too many claim
have been paid 10 rebels South under tn
= preten-e that they were loyal.
J. have the honor to be,
Very respectfully,
w. G. BROwNLOW.