Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-30

Ben Butler has written to Gov. Senter,
requesting him to appear before the Recon
st1uction Committee of Congress, and tes-
tify concerning the condition of affairs in
Tennessee, as regards order aud the OBJ
seryance of law. Our Nashville dispatches
say that Senter will. comply with Buffers
request, and leave for Washington on
Monday.
What has Ben. Butler or the Recon
struction Committee of Congress to do
with the enforcement of the laws of Ten
nessee, or of any other State in the
Union? The best answer Senter could
give to the letter of Butler would be to
rebuke the impudence of the author, and
tell him he is meddling with that which is
none of his business. It is the duty of
Senter, as Governor of the State, to take
care that the laws be faithfully executed;
and Buffers letter is an indirect method of
telling him that he has not performed his
duty, and that he is accountable to Con-
gressional committee therefor.
Suppose Butler should write to Gov.
Palmer, and invite him to come to Wash
ington and testify as to the amount of
crime in Illinois. Only few months
ago, the Republican newspapers of this
CITY said that the lives of the citizens of
Chicago were not protected by law and
the officers of the law, and that ''thugs
and assassins had possession of the CITY,"
Did this testimony give to Congress juris-
diction of our police force, and OF our
courts and Sheriffs, and render Gov.
Palmer liable to answer for his official
conduct to wretch as criminal and detes-
table as Butler?
Gov. Palmer has given proof thst he
respects his office, and will maintain its
dignity, and defends the rights of Illinois
against Congressional usurpation. Would
he attend upon the request of Butler to
testify in such a case Would he not
rather take steps to express to the writer
his contempt and indignation Were
Septer to follow such a course, instead
of dancing attendance upon the Recon
struction Committee, he would show that
he is possessed of some of the courage,
and sense of propriety, and respect for
the State which has exalted him, that
ought to be found in man in his po-
ton.
Were the Reconstruction Committee to
summon him, he would be under no obi
cation to obey the summons; but under
the strongest obligations TO refuse to at
tend, and resist the attempt of Congress
to exercise jurisdiction in a case (which
ii has not a particle of authority. 1t has
no more right TO compel the Governor of
State to appear and answer for the en-
forcement of State laws than it has to
require Circuit Judge to account for his
appointments in holding terms of court
within his circuit.
Admit, for the purpose of argument,
that the representation of the Radicals
concerning the prevalence of crime and
lawlessness in Tennessee are correct how
does Congress acquire jurisdiction thereby2
Are the Federal authorities charged with
the execution of State laws? Such doc
trine was never heard of in this country
until Grant became President. He was
too stupid and ignorant to be aware of its
mOnstrous character, and he recon-
mended Federal Intervention in Georgia,
although no application for such interven-
ton had been made by the proper authorl-
ties, in the manner and for the purposes
pointed out by the Constitution.
Did Congress, in abolishing and setting
up State governments, usurp power for
decent purpose, its action would still be
criminal, and blow at our political sys-
TEN that ought to make the men RESPONSE
bic for is execrable. What then shall be
said of the despotism and contempt of
law which wades through crime to such
infamy?
We find the foregoing in the Chicago
Times of the 2Sth. With its enunciations
of principle we fully concur, though we
differ from it little in politics. Although
Tennessee and Illinois are sister States and
equals in theory, they are not so in fact.
Where the General Government would not
put the weight of her little finger upon
Illinois, she would strike Tennessee with
all the power of her right arm. There
fore, while it might be sacrifice of dig
nifty upon the part of Gov. Palmer to
comply with the request of the Recon-
struction Committee, and which we would
not suggest that Gov. Senter should
''dance attendance" upon that committee,
yet if he can by complying with their re-
quest satisfy the reasonable Republicans
in Congress that there is no necessity for
Federal Intervention in our State affairs,
and thus avoid that dire calamity, he will
be but simply performing duty which
he owes to this State while she is under
duress.