Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-30
TO THE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS OF
TEHMEsSEE.

i .
Inc present anomalous political situation
in Tennessee renders it the imperatiy,
duty Of the Democratic State Executiv,
Committee to communicate to the part,
such information and advice as may seem
necessary to attain the success of our party
and through this the triumph of thos.
political principles which we deem essen
tial to the public welfare. We find the
Radical party of Tennessee thoroughly or
ganized, active, energetic and watchful.
It has at its command to dots work in this
canvass thousands ofyolunteers and seven
tenths of the Federal officials who ere to
be found in every county and In nearly
every civil district of the State. On the
other hand we find the Democratic party
torn with dissensions and distracted about
personal issues as though the contest was
one of men instead Of struggle for prin-
ciple. We find 'fndependent'' candidates
and ''bolters" in every Congressional dis
trict and in nearly every county, thus
endangering the success Of the party
and bringing within the range of
reasonable probability, the election Of
three or four Radical Congressman and
greatly jeopardizing Democratic major
ity in the Legislature. The result Of the
recent elections in some of the Northern
States hsslargely increased the probability
of Grants reelection, and thus largely in
creased the necessity for a solid Democratic
delegation in the Houseof Representatives
from Tennessee in order to prevent
change in our government from Democratic
Republicanism to Radical Consolidation
and Capitalization. This change the
Grant administration could easily and
would surely make, if we can judge the
future by the past, if the Grant party
should again have two thirds vote in the
House of Representatives. The memory
of Radical rule in this State is too fresh
in the minds of our people to require any
argument 10 prove its certain fatality both TO
our material interests and our political
rights. In addition to other important
legislation, the next Legislature will by an
act of the last session of Congress again
lay off the State into Congressional dis
tricts so that we shall have ten Congress
ional districts instead of nine as at present.
The Radicals, who claim that they will,
through Democratic discussion, elect a ma
jority of the next Legislature, openly aVow
that if they succeed they will so district the
State as to certainly give them five mem
bers of Congress for the next ten years.
These are matters of Federal and State
legislation too important and too threaten
ing to be overlooked or disregarded.
How shall these apprehended dangers be
surely avoided? We know of bat one plan
which insures success: That is for the DEM
ocratic voters of the State, to lay aside all
personal preferences and prejudlces, to listen
no longer to the discordant voices Of those
disorganizers who for months past have
been prOclaiming from the stump and the
tripod that the great political need of the
day is the disruption of the Democratic
party, and stand firmly in this hour of trial
by the well-established usages Of the party
and vote for its nominees. The question is
not now whether this OF that Democrat
would have made the better candidate, bat
whether the nominated candidate Is not
preferable to his Radical opponent. We
have endeavored to obtain from reliable
sources in every county in the State ap-
proximate estimates of the vote that will |
be received by the various candidates now
before the people. From the information |
thus obtained we give it as our sincere con-
viction that there is not an ''independent" |
candidate for Congress, not one, who has |
the remotest chance for election. We fur |
ther give it as our earnest conviction that |
the supp = Of these independents" by
proportion of the Democratic
voters of the State will ensure the election |
Of from three to FIVE Radical members of |
COngress-among them, that chief Of the |
tribe, be who for seven years has been the |
most bitter, the most proscriptive, the most |
the most unrelenting enemy OF |
a restoration 70 the Southern States and |
Southern people of the rights and privileges |
guaranteed to them By the Constitution of |
the United States-Horace Maynard. Ben |
iamin T. Butler of Massachusetts, may |
have st some time shown some spirit of |
exhibited some disposition |
TO forgive, manifested some indication of /
returning leniency-Ho-ace Maynard never.
Whenever his single objection could pre-
vent the removal of political disabilities, he i
has ever been present and prompt to make
it. After the elective franchise had been
restored TO the people of Tennessee; when |
peace, quiet and fraternal feeling prevailed |
In this State, Mr.. Maynard, true to his hos |
tility to the people of Tennessee, went 20
the room of the Congressional COMMITTEES |
on Reconstruction and privately placed in |
the hands of its Chairman, B. F. Butler, |
the following propositions to which he had |
the signatures of five of his col |
leagues:
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED SITS,
WASHINGTON CITY, ID. c., Feb. 10, 1870.
Hon. B. F. BUTLER,
Chairman Reconciliation Committee:
"As Representatives from the State Of Ten |
nessee in the Forty FIRST Congress- in behalf of /
ourselves and our constituents, we submit the |
propositions and earnestly press their /
immediate consideration upon your committee: |
81. We submit that the power now controlling |
the State of Tennessee is .wholly illegal and re- |
vOlutionary, brought about by fraud and YiO- |
lenee in contraventiOn of the constitution OF the
State as reorganized by Congress.
49, That the present State government of /
Tennessee is wanting in the great and essential |
requisite OF good government without which |
peace and happiness are impossible, tO-wit, the |
proper protection OF the property and the lives |
Of its citizens
SO. The State government OF Tennessee as |
now constituted and revoiutiOnized has never |
had any recognition by the Government of the |
United States, and we ask that Congress take 1
Immediate steps to provide for us a government,
republican in form, that will conduce to the |
happiness of and welfare of all its people.
so. We ask that you supplement- this work /
With an act for the enforcement of the third sec
ion of the fourteenth amendment to the Con-
,titution of the United States"
Signed SAMUEL NJ. ARNRLL,
W. B. STOKES,
W. F. PRossER,
LEWIS TILLMAN,
W. j. SMITH,
HORACE MAYNARD.
Shall this man of political vile and pol
teal guile be returned to Congress from the
State at large by a minority vote ? This
must be determined by the 1fmocratic |
Toters of Tennessee. If they divide their
7otes on Cheatham and Johnson, as they |
how; seem disposed to do, it would be
diocy to deny that Maynard will be elected.