Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-15
The Black and White Villains Of
Tennessee Answered by a
Radical Organ.
The ST. Louis Democrat DenOunCes
Maynard and his Negro
C0mpeers.
A Plain, Sensible and Fair State
ment of the Case from an
UnIOOked-fOr Source.

deeds reaches us except by way of
/ Washington. We have a host of
staunch loyal papers in Tennessee up
on our exchange list, but we have not
observed in any of these papers for
months a single well authenticated
account of harm dOna to anybody for
his political opinions. Nor DO We re-
member that the special dispatches to
! the Western papers, or the Associated
/ Press dispatches, have given any ac-
count OF these daily OutrageS. a little
more detailed information is surely
| desirable, before proceeding to Iegis-
/ lation Of @ character utterly unprece-
deated in our history.
We all know what this complaint
means. Every honest man IN the
country, be he Republican or Demo-
/ crat, VINO is reas sOnably informed Ia
regard to current events knows that
when the Stokes party was beaten last
wear they threatened TO Overturn the
State government, to GUST the officers
elected, and to get the power restored
to their own hands by act OF Congress.
This threat was not made in a corner,
nor by unnoticed individuals. 1t was
made by Stokes himself and by lead
| ing papers in his interest. We all
| know tnat the movement now being
made is in pursuance of that threat,
and that It's Obje.t is to get back the
power for those who have been voted
| out of office by the people OF Iennes-
see. We do inCeed believe that the
election was marked by the most
! atrOciOus violations Of law, and that
there has been disorder in some To-
calities since that time is probable
| enough, though no detailed accounts
] have reached the public through OTdi-
nary channels. But for all this the
! Constitution provides a remedy, not
! bv act OF Congress. The trouble Is
that stokes and his followers in Ten
nessee want the power, and the Con-
stitution does net provide any way to
| secure the power permanently to the
minority in any State.
/ Stokes is a Republican his friends
! and followers are Republicans. We
| should have been most happy had
4 hey succeeded ip retaining power by
fI,a ocular vote, But when Congress
i s5ked to EssUlne a power never yet
/ agevrise6 or claimed, and 10 oYerturn
the established government Of state
TeTresented fullg in both branches OF
! CdnGress. not even the natural SYM
/ ns{Iv of Republicans for hepnbu-
cans ought to blind US to the fact that
fbe measure proposed is revolutionary
| in character. will establish a most
! dangerous precedent, and should not
! he reSOrted TO unless the plainesU pos
] sihIe necessity exists for 1t.
Now no such necessity does exist
for Congressional interference in this
! case. For the Constitution provides
sn ample remedy. In case Of uIsor-
! der or violation of law in any State,
which the local authority cannot or
will not suppress, il is the duty Of the
! / legislature or Of the Governor to call
uD0n the President for aid, snd the
! President Is then empowered 10 u G
4 the military force 0i tue United STATES
to secure order and the enforcement OF
law. That Is the plain and all-sutfi-
cient remedy which is provided by
the supreme law of this land, and 1t
! seems to US utterly improper and
| simply revolutionary for Congress to
act until this constitutional remedy
/ Sag been tried. Some OF the members
of Congress state that the Governor is
! oven now about to call upon the Pres
ident for troops. If the delegations
which visit Washington with elapo-
rate statements would first lay their
! complaints before the Governor, and
! demand of him the performance OF ms
/ duty, we do not believe taat any
/ Governor would dare to refuse II the
on,rages are indeed OF daily occur
| renee and if the statements made at
| Washington viii bear scrutiny In
J Tennessee. This is the remedyiWhlch
! the Constitution provides. why IS It
! not the remedy resorted to by our
/ friends ia Tennessee?
Let 1t be remembered that Cover
nor Bullock, himself, having the power
to cali upon the President for troops
TO enforce the laws in Georgia, refused
to do so, and instead of adopting the
! nIain constitutional remedy, he went
TO Was hingtOn and prevailed upon
Congress to legislate at his dictation.
| What followed? Did peace result?
General Butler asserts that murders
are as frequent there rs ever, and
therefore has just tried to pass another
bin. The only effect of the first bill
was to give officers to certain persons.
Tbe main effect of the bill proposed
nv Rutler was 70 continue in Office GER
tain persons. But how does that sort OF
! thine secure peace? Does it not, on the
contrary, perpetuate strife, by putting
| a majority under the power OF mi
uoritv? We confess, It seems to US
| that the Tennessee movement has the
very same object and no Other-to put
certain persons into power. Certain
persons have lost seats in Congress
and places in the State, and they want
Congress to legislate them into Office,
in order TO preserve peace and stop
Outrages in TENNESSEE It seems TO
us that the constitutional remedy is
not ONLY safer, but is likely TO be far
more efficacious than the one which
| they propose. 1t will not restore peace
to Tennessee to send back Smith and
Brown to Congress. But 1t will re-
store peace to send troops to enforce
the law, whenever it is violated.
But suppose that fails; suppose
that outrages still continue; would
YOU have loyal men put at the mercy
of rebels?n Not at all. If the consti-
tutional remedy fails, and If Congress
is fully convinced that civil order can
not be preserved in Tennessee by the
processes of self-government; the ma
iority eIecting the officers, it IS then
The duty OF Congress TO formally de
clare that community in insurrectlon
against the United States, and to order
the President to send armies there
destroy all vestige Of civil govern
: ment, establish a military r1le, crush
! ! out by drum-head court martial every
man who de6es the law, and hole
the State IL that way, if need be, iol
, a century, without the shadow OF ciVl
, lawi That is the remedy for the eX
IRENE easel BIT ii is az Insult TO IN
conaD,o5. sense Of men to pretend thG
! zoe are maintaining Se!f-gOrer1'Daea
,che, ice haze 10 pass Jalcs putting D'e'
into office and keeping them there i0h00
: the people fCiU not eject. That sort Q
I ghiy0 aCiU treat dorm the best part
B that euer e1-;sted. There is no middle
ground. Either Tennessee is fit fo
self-govern,nent, or it is not. II 1t !
I we must leave her to choose her owl
officers, and preserve order by consti
tutional methods only. If 1t is not
e we must boldly say so, and send tn
E: sword TO cut the knot.
? Louisville Hems.