The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-03-07
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RECK ON BROWNLOW.
9, ReIlum History OF Tennessee

,st Rellum History OF Tennessee
,aul from Official Documents.
he southern Refugee Governors
NJ All Cripples and Imbeciles.
MI, sollowing Is a full report Of the reply
Inv Ion. James b. Beck to the attack
tlno mon him by Senator Brownlow. In
huo r Of his remarks Mr.. Beck was re-
o1Iv and persistently interrupted by Re-
lhlican members Of the House, who,
lr"uchout his speech, conducted them
p p.os as though seated on nettles:
I'm pEoK's PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
Mr Sneaker, / thank the House for the
Imtssy they have shown me in allowing
:" make q personal explanation. This
ishs first time | have aver asked such a
nlsaiIece, although / Inn serving my third
i.,a. and l had hoped l would never be
o"apelled to ask Of this House opportunity
."make an explanation personal to myself.
IND assure the House now, as l said be-
5rs tbe consent of the House was given to
NV making this statement, that | do not in
tend to use any
BILLINaSGATE OR ISLANDER,
mr. to degrade this House by any illusions
Erich members of 1t will not say are emil
nently proper under the circumstances. 1t
Il more important for me that | shall BIO
right. and that the House shall say that |
vas right in the remarks for which | have
bsen arraigned by a gentleman elsewhere,
Than any mere personal matter can possibly
be. My standing and usefulness in this
House depend upon it.. -.
In the speech which I made in this House,
said that Gov. Brownlow, Of Tennessee,
had. while in office, made a Pandemonium
If that State. l had been on the commit
lee to investigate the condition of the
Southern States. l had been specially
Sarped to make a report upon the condi-
ion Of the finances and the election and
raoistration laws of the various States.
And when | came to look over the condi-
tion of things in Tennessee, for four years
allowing the close of the war, l saw such
condition of things there as existed
NOWHERE ELSE UPON THE AMERICAN
CONTINENT.
t. was because 1 did find that state OF
things so existing that l made the remark
adj. If those facts did not exist, then |
was guilty of SANDER. If they did exist,
and if / told the truth to the House, that
Tennessee had been by misrule a Pande-
monium for four years after the wal closed,
then l was not guilty of any SANDER. |
stand either as a willful and malicious libe-
Ter, or stand confirmed by the facts as they
may be shown.
Therefore, before l say a word as to the
personal attack Upon myself, | want to prove
to this House that 1 was right in saying
that Tennessee had been q Pandemonium
for four years, for on that fact all else
hinges.
Mr., Stevenson-I rise to a question OF
order.
The Speaker-The gentleman from Ohio
mfr. StevensOn] rises to a question OF
order. He will state it.
Mr.. Steyenson-It is whether, upon a
a personal explanation, the gentleman has
a right to proceed into a general discussion
of the condition of the State Of Tennessee?
The Speaker-It has been repeatedly
ru]ed in the House that when the House
gives the right to . gentleman to make a
personal explanation, if it does not limit
him; as to the time, he is entitled to one
hour, and in occupying that hour his line
of remark is within his W discretion, sub
iect. of course, to the rules of the House.
Mr.. Beck-f desire to make the state
ment because that is the great point in this
matter. l deny the right Of any man to
claim or ask for the privilege OF this floor
to malign or SANDER any man outside OF it,
because he has a right to speak here; and
whatever / have said upon the floor OF the
House l have said
UPON MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A MAN
and as a representative. The truth OF false-
hood of the statement / made must acquit
or condemn me. II, being attacked, am
not prepared to prove that my statement
was true, | stand confessed as a wilful and
malicious slanderer, and deserve to be de-
nounced.
l said that Tennessee had been in that
~deplorable condition, and l say so now. l
turn to the history of the State, and l will
refer to and ask leave to print a carefully
prepared article giving its political status
from the time of the Inauguration OF Its
government up to 1868, wherein it is shown
that the men who took control Of its Legis-
lature in the spring Of 1865 passed a series
of acts unparalleled in American history.
Constituting themselves and Gov. Brown
low masters of the situation, although as
a body
THEY DID NOT REPRESENT ONE-TENTH OF
THE PEOPLE,
and were neither elected or appointed I'M
der any of the forms of law. They passed
the old seditiOn law almost in the very
words of the act of 179S, making it a highly
penal ofense to speak unexpectedly ofthe
powers then controlling the Government.
Emerson Etheridge was tried before a mil
tary commission because he had dared to
do so. Outlawry of the person, outlawlry
Of speech, of the press, Outlawry OF the
franchise, outlawry of everything that did
not bow to the orders and succumb to the
mandates of the men then in power was the
order ofthe day.
The first thing, as I have said, was the
edition law, which 1 hold in my hand and
viii have incorporated with my remarks In
he Globe in order to prove the facts. That
EDITION law, passed on the 3D. day of June,
l65, provided that whoever should De
lilly of uttering seditious words OF
eeches, spreading false news, writing OF
tpersing malicious libels against the State
Government, etc., shall be guilty OF
hemeanor, and, if. convicted, shall be
yer held unworthy Of holding any Office
rOft or trust.
hen followed In few daysthe law limit
the franchise. I wish gentlemen tc
that I am referring to official dOcll