Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-11
The True Condition of AT
fairs i'm Tennessee-A
Refutation of Rad
zeal SANDERS.

Islander and misrepresent US and
the great body of the people,
this correction is entirely unneces-
sary. But when men pretending to
represent the people of this State, make
speeches in Congress, and read letters
from high officials of the State, making
these false statements, we fear that fail
ure or omission on our part to deny them
might be construed into an admission of
the truth of these reports, however, in
credible they may be, and the authors
thereof unworthy the confidence of any
intelligent people.
Justice to the people of our State, to
our friends abroad and to the members of
the General Assembly of the State, re-
| quires that we should correct these false
and mischievous reports. 1t is charged
by these enissaries of disorder that the
Legislature is composed almost en-
tirely of rebels; that they have
passed laws discriminating against the
colored and Union men of this State;
that they have repealed the common
school law, solely with the view to with
draw its benefits from the cOlOred chill
dren, and children of the poor Union
men; that they have enacted law to
| prevent negroes and poor men from
hunting and fishing on the lands of the
rich. We might pronounce these charges
| false, and known to be so when made,
| and do SO declare them; but will give
them separately more distinct notice and
refutation. The Legislature is composed,
almost entirely of original Union men,
| there being twenty or more members of
the present General Assembly who were
Union soldiers during the late war, and
adhered faithfully 10 the cause of the
Union to the end of the contest. In
| truth there is but one member of the
| present General Assembly who had any
connection whatever with the Rebel
cause.
The present Legislature has done every
thing in its power, to remove all invidious
political distinctions for or against any
class, race or color, and have by repeated
enactmcnts, endeavored TO give full force
and effect to all the reconstruction acts of
Congress, and to cause strict observance
of the amendments TO the Constitution
and of the proposed Fifteenth Amend
ment. 1t is true the common school law
was repealed, but with no inimical feeling
against the education of any class.
1t was done because il was eX-
tremely onerous upon the people to i'm
pose a tax sufficient TO sustain a system as
expensive as this was and, further, after
the decision of the Supreme Court of the
United States declaring the State liable in
receipt of taxes for all of the issue of the
Bank of Tennessee, had the law con-
| tinucd in force, the receipts for schoolpur-
poses, for perhaps the next two years,
would have been received in this worthless
currency, of which no use could have
been made inthe maintenance and support
of common schools; but q number
Of officers to be paid out of the STATE
Treasury for no services whatever, excep
the bare name of County and State Su
| perintcndcnt.
| The Legislature has passed no Law
, whatever upon the subject of hunting o
! fishing, as the journals of both Houses o
the General Assembly will show.
a 1t is charged that the State Constitu
T tional Convention was composed in tn
main of prominent ex-Rebels-that thei
= objects were revolutionary, and thei
i chief aim the turning out of office of
: loyal judiciary. 1t is true that the Con
stitutional Convention was composed i
? part of prominent Rebels and Of man
: prominent Union men, but it is furthe
true that these prominent eX-Rebels wer
eminently conservative, as all of the
speeches and the Constitution which the
have submitted will abundantly attes
is Their work was revolutionary only so +;
as it was necessary, in order to restore
the people of the State a republican for
e, Of government, that is, to give to all IL
y right of suffrage, and TO remove judic
N airy, many of whom held their offices
ry appointment from former Executive
the State, made without warrant of lay
Us and many of whom were wholly incor
10 potent to fill the high and responsible p
n sitions to which they had been appointe
of This action of the Convention, vacatil
ne all the judicial offices of the State, W
ov urged by the Union men therein, and
he their influence, mainly, adopted.
he But the work of the Convention spea
OF for itself, securing equal rights and libt
oh ties to all, and discriminating again
we none, on account of race, color, previo
led condition or former sentiments. If ra
VI fed, it will effectually break down all |
in litical distinctions on account of past d
he ferenccs of opinion.
ny 1t is further charged that the people 6
me banded together to resist the law-t
In they encourage mask marauders, and c.
ong niYe at the murder of Union men and
INC groes They even attempt to cite ca
Il
tod of murder and give names of those nj
VS. dered. That there are cases of violat
les, of law here, we do not deny; but they
tGo not of more frequent occurrence than
oni any other State of equal population.
,me have taken occasion to examine the nj
still Der of cases of mob violence reported
was the Executive of the State, and kl
his the truth of what we speak, and
way feel that we are fully sustained
not the assertion that fewer instances of 6
have occurred under the administra
of the present Executive, than du
2rty- any period of time of equal length du
was the administration of Gov. Brown
kplo- ~. -. h., ,tooo ,n;scb;ef. makers