Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-03
PasTY NAMES.

best of our, ability we have met the at
lacks which have been made upon our
position, whether coming in the shape of
direct assault from the more bold of our
opponents, or as covert attacks from
those who would assail, by sheer, the
advocates of principle. We leave
it for others to determine the measure
of our success. We have felt, and so ex-
pressed ourselves again and again, that
organization was necessary for the tri-
umph of principle. We have seen but
one party in Congress, and in ali the
States of the North, and the East, and
the West struggling against Radicalism.
We have turned back over the pages of
Tennessee politics for the past two years,
and have found in the last State Conven-
ton of the opponents of Radicalism that
they with one voice, irrespective of
former party affiliations or differ
ences of opinion arising out of
the war, assembled in conven-
ton for the purpose of appointing
delegates to the NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC
CONVENTION" When thus assembled they
deemed it proper to adopt the name and
designation borne by the only political
organization with which they could asso-
eiate, and to formally unite themselves
with the existing DEMOCRATIC PARTY. In
order to render opposition to Radicalism
effective they cordially allied them
selves a0ith that party whose creed a0GS
enuncjated by Thomas Jefferson in
1901. F.. -. CHI ..., g.
| Having found this to be the situation,
in the beginning of thecampaign we were
astonished to find efforts made to divide
our ranks by attacks from different points
upon secession leaders, Unionists, Isham
G. Harris Democracy and johnson men.
We felt called upon to bring this attempt
to SOW dissension in our ranks prominently
to view. Soon after, an effort was made
to induce Tennessee to follow in the path
way of the Conservatives of Virginia.
We were told decided grounds are taken
against the Conservatives of Virginia
merging themselves by name or in fact
into any national party" "Ihe Con-
servatiUeS are erhorted to stand 6y
their name, aOhich can be borne equally
6y Wigs, Democrats and Repu6li-
cans, and under it to rally and organize
in every Congressional district for'the
coming fall campaign" +.
1t was urged upon the people of Ten
nessee that, in this respect
''The course of the people of Virginia
is eminently polite and wise. No sincere
and sensible man will question this
Tennessee should follow in the same
straight and safe pathway by all means. "
Here an issue was made which we
could not permit to pass unnoticed. The
Governor, members of Congress and of
the Legislature elected this fall will be in
Office during the next national contest.
They viii necessarily have great influence
in determining the result of that contest
Upon that result depends the success of
that principle asserted by the Democracy
of Tennessee in their platform of June,
1868: .T enc g.l s51.- 60 / g
The Constitution created the Federal
| Government supreme under well-defned
| limitations and restrictions, leaving to the
| States large mass of residuary rights
and powers over their domestic concerns,
and making the States co-equal in respect
of such rights, and that the result of the
war has not, and should not, in any man.
ner, be construed to impair these rights,
or aggrandize the power of the General
Government to the enlargement of the
public liberty. .-.. ..
We felt it incumbent upon US to insist
that the next State Convention should not
back down from the position taken by the
party in its last convention; that it should
not follow in the same pathway with
Virginia.
1t is gratifying to know that every one
of the gentlemen prominently named in
connection with the gubernatorial can
vass has unequivocally endorsed our posi-
ton. Gen. Bate, Gen Quarles, Gen.
Brown, and Col. Colyar have all spoken
in uumistakable terms. Not one of them
has followed Virginia in taking
decided grounds against the Con-
seryatives, merging themselves by
name or in fact into any national party"
Not one of them has 'exhorted the Con-
servatives to stand by their name, which
can be borne equally by Wings, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans, and under it to
rally and organize in every Congressional
district for the coming fall campaign"
Not one of them has advised that Tennes-
see should follow in the same path with
Virginia. Each of them has defined his po-
sition as uneguiyocally as Gen. Brown,
who says, "TursheSitGtingly announce
myself q Democrat" and declares
that he is in full accord with the national
Democratic party, and stands in political
faith where he did in June, 1868, when
he chad the honor, as Chairman of the
Committee, to report resolutions to the
State Convention then sitting at Nash
Vile" They all proclaim with him that
they will earnestly labor in the ranks or
elsewhere in the great battle which is be-
ing fought by that party for the princi-
pies of constitutional liberty"
We have not been making a struggle
for name, but we have felt that the sue
cesso of our republican institutions depended
in high degree upon the success of the
Democracy in the present campaign. We
have felt that the success of the Democ-
racy depended upon the next convention
reafirming the positions assumed by the
State Convention of 1868, and the posi-
tions now assumed by all of the gentle