Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-02-21
A MALIGNANT sLAEDEH.

How long shall the people of East Tennessee
who sympathiEed with the South, be made thus
to suffer for their political opinions VIII the
intolerant spirit, born of hate, never die ont in
East Tennessee p Unson and Anserican.
The insinuation contained in the forego.
ing paragraph is q gross and malicious
libel upon the people of East Tennessee,
Just such as we would expect from that
quarter 1t is a reflection upon the honesty
Of our courts and the integrity of jurors
unwarranted by facts. The reflection is
only in keeping with the course of men
who were exasperated because East Ten.
nesseeans would not follow them into re-
bellion, and who never let an opportunity
pass to SANDER and revile them.
The Union and Americas, bases its re-
marks upon the report of an occurrence in
Greene county last week, where some one
is said to have fired two shots into the
dwelling house of Mr.. Burkey, for the
alleged reason that he was trustee of the
M. E. Church, South, and as such had
brought suit for the recovery of property
occupied by the M. E. Church. If the cir
cumstances as reported be true, it was
gross and nnjustifiable outrage, and we
have no doubt that Mr.. Burkey can pro-
cure proper redress before the courts of
Greene county. From this circumstance,
the Union and American makes the bold
charge that there is evidence that a reign
of terror exists in that loyal region (mean-
ing East TENNESSEE to such an extent that
''rebels" are AFRAID to institute any sort of
legal proceedings against q loyal man."
1.-THE italics are our own]. We deny the
assertion. We challenge the Union and
american, or any one else, TO get any num-
berof respectable ex-rebels to say that they
"are afraid to institute legal proceedings
against" any man when they have just
reason to conceive their rights or privil-
eyes have been trespassed upon.
Under these circumstances, we are justi-
fable in pronouncing the statements of
the paper alluded to as being libelous and
malicious.
Notwithstanding the multiplied acts of
the late infamous Legislature intended to
goad on the Union men of East Tennessee
to the performance of something impru-
dent, there is no disposition upon the part
of our people to retaliate upon ex-rebels
who reside amongst us. Such contempti-
BILE efforts to bring disrepute upon whole
community, without any just ground, and
without the shadow of truth, are beneath
the dignity of a journal of such pretensions
as the Union and American. Nothwith-
standing we knew they were strongly
prejudiced against East Tennessee ever
since 1861, we had given them the credit of
being governed by at least faint show of
truth and veracity.
We repeat, that if the Greene county
case was as we find it reported in Demo
cratic papers, it was gross outrage, and
we trust the offender may be brought to
Justice speedily. We do not dispute the
occurrence, but In the absence of other
and better testimony, we take 1t, as related,
TO DO true We sincerely regret that 1t
should have occurred, but deny that it fur
nishes evidence for such wholesale, indis-
eliminate and false charges as the Union
and American sees 1T TO make. The ami |
mus of the paper is apparent. 1t seeks to |
injure East Tennessee at the expense of
truth.
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