Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-09-25
Tennessee Politics.

lowing IS an extract:
ANDREW JOHNSON.
The element that two years ago regarded |
his remittance upon the stage of national
affairs with something of horror is now |
clamoring for his election. He will be
elected undoubtedly; because, aside from
his really unattractiye character, and his
lack of the deserving quality, he has
" casen which can not be successfully
overcome, because it is directly in the line
of that advancing liberalism which is des-
tined to revolutionize all the old party Or
ganisms. The meaning of the struggle in
Tennessee, as far as it can be disentangled
Of its local and personal attributes, is TINS,
that the people there, as everywhere else,
are tired of the Hunker politicians ana
organizers, and are willing, so great IS
their WEAKNESS and disgust, to take q typi-
cal Hunker, like Andrew Johnson, boss
organizer and premium, king-bee Hunk
er, as their instrument for breaking into
the nest and scattering the birds that in
habit it,
Andrew Johnson has been fortunate all
his life in his circumstances. He has the
genius of adaptability highly developed.
There is nothing liberal or elevated in his
character, for he is both selfish and insin-
cere. But he has often managed, as in
this fight, to identify himself with the
most opposite elements, and to put his for
tunes upon the turn of the lucky chance.
and we shall see the young manhood OF
Tennessee, in spite of its natural detesta-
ton of johnson, following him to the
overthrow of clique of professional par,
tisans, who derive their title from the old
school, holding on by a sort of inheritance,
without much regard to the wants and
needs of the State or the people.
The old parties are all dead or dying.
The old party leaders are passing away.
The new generation can not afford to sad
die itself with the antecedents of the last.
Issues are altered. Purposes, motives and
associations are altered. 1t is the coming
of the deluge; and, whilst the ark is be-
ing builded on the mount, it is not sur
prising that the principle of self-preserva-
ton should move the Liberals down in the
lowlands to seize even rotten plank, like
Andrew johnson.
The fresh current of moral principles
which the spirit of reform has already
thrown into our political life-the flood OF
national and liberal ideas which has been
poured into the South-will animate the
material growth and organized existence
of such measures as revenue reform and
the establishment of civil service. We
must look to the development of these for
our redemption. To be sure, Andrew
Johnson cares nothing about them, and
knows almost as little as he cares; but the
movement of which he is the chance lead
er has the import, that it is a popular pro-
test against Hunkerism and the bunker
politicians, and in favor of such a combus-
ton of parties--of such complete disso-
luton of the old, rotten shell of effete Or
ganism-as will enable the people directly
to begin the work of party reconstruction.
We had, here in Louisville touch of this
popular yearning. Presently we shall find
it more palpable and diffusive. Our own
local legislative canvass next year will turn
upon it. and the Hunker politicians had
better be getting their life preservers ready
for they will have to walk the plank. We
give them notice in time so that they shall
not be able to say that we took them un
awares.
INDICATING THE CONSTITUTION.
The Memphis Appeal pushes the Sur
raft business on Andy as follows
A. johnson, amid his many subterfuge'
to shelter himself from official responsible
ty for the murder of Mrs. Surratt, and per
haps as q salve to q narrowed conscience
with q shameful, egotistic disregard TO
popular intelligence, urges the opinion o
Jim Speed, Attorney General at that time
that military commission had jurisdic
ton to try this innocent woman for thu
imputed crime. He claims that Speed
VIGOROUSLY the poorest apology for an AT
torney General ever vouchsafed to thu
United States, told him that mihtar.
commission had jurisdiction to try tn
accused. SuppOSe jim Speeu ulu -Opll
ionn him, as he says, how does it hell
Johnson? If the eX-President had so lit
tie knowledge of the constitution asto b,
imposed upon by a constitutional interpre
tation so tame, so stupid, is he fit to be
constitutional expounder, Us he pretend
to be, and as he imperiousy claims to b
held by the people? He insists that he
par excellence the vindicator of the consti
tuition. The only instance in his life whel
his sincerity, in this regard, was put to tn
test, was in this Surratt tragedy. II
shamefully failed. To escape conscious
intelligent guilt, in base, cowardly muI
der, he throws before him the ignoran
opinion of an ignorant Attorney Genera
johnson is, by his own defence, impale
in one of the horns of dillema. He
either too ignorant to vindicate the Cor
stitutiOn or he has, when exposed to tn
first trial, shamefully betrayed his pro
LESSONS. Either attitude units him fC
the service of a free people who have S
lately suffered from oppression. Tennesse
has always asserted for her population
nigh standard of honor. She has Away
demanded of those in place, except whe
her voice was hushed beneath carpet-ba
rule, the courage to meet official duty an
the integrity to discharge it fully. If h,
people now restore to power and int1uenC
Andrew Johnson, whose hands are dril
ping with the blood of foul and coward
murder, the outside world can not |
blamed for regarding them as havin
reached the lowest ebb in manhood an
Nrirt