Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-03-08

Under the law. ifproperly carried out,
l felt that | would have received not
less than two thousand votes in Lin,
coin, one thousand in Franklin, and
eight hundred ia Coffee :. but my vote
in all of them was SO small that real
ly do not.now remember it. Connec-
ted with the fruits Of the refusal of
the registers to do their sworn duty in
said counties, and the willful omission
to register, my district was, Just before
the election, flooded with troops, Ten
nessee militia, mostly made up OF
troops from East Tennessee. They
were stationed at Tullahoma, in Pulas-
XII, at Lewisburg, at Fayetteville and
Murfreesboro and squads were sent
out to each precinct. | know of no ac-
tion or the part of tie MALTA. except
they were strongly opposed to my
election. and strongly in favor of Gov
ernor Brownlow and my competitor,
and they had no hesitation in 80 sta
ting at public speakings and elsewhere.
They were particularly demonstrative
at Tullahoma. where | spoke. in COM
pany with Captain G. A Sheafe, WHO
was candidate for the Senate on the
Democratic side. In my opinion the
condnct of Governor BrOwnlow was
unjustifiabie; he used the power Of his
Office for my defeat there were no
charges against either ofthe registrars
of having acted wrongfully, illegally
or fraudulently on file in his flee at
Nashville, or that of the Secretary of
State. I looked to see none could be
found. 1t was the act of a partisan
for party purposes, and it succeeded.
l was overwhelmingly defeated. =
In February 1867, he authorized q
declaration of martial law over the fol-
lowing-named counties, to-wit: Over
ton, jackson, Maury, Giles, Marshall,
Lawrence, Gibson, Madison, and Hay
wood. -
Whereupon General Cooper issued |
his order, and deprived those counties |
even of the right to open their courts, |
suspended the writ of hdbeds corpus, |
uHu put Ills ONCI I1lClns 1
These things were done when the |
Governor had been advised by the au- |
thoritieg at Washington that sufficient |
military force to aid the civil govern |
ment would be furnished by the Uni |
ted States. That series of wrongs and |
expressions made it plain to the people |
of Tennessee that they could expect |
10 protection from their State govern
ment; they were crying out and rising |
everywhere, protesting against the
way in which they were treated. Dis
franchised, held under the bayonet in
subiectiOn to an irresponsible power,
the Governor himself candidate for
office. and the members of the Legis-
lature candidates for otlice-the peo-
pie kept in silence, and
BAroNETS AT THEIR THROATS TO EN-
FORCE IT.
Therefore I submit with all conf
dence to this House and to the AmeTi- |
can people that my statement that the |
State of Tennessee was a Pandemoni- |
um, made so by the arbitrary and des-
potic edits of her Governor and his |
worthless Legislature, was true.
For that / was assailed. l was |
charged with being one of the vilest |
and basest of men. 1t was charged |
that | had left the pursuit of hcstler /
in livery stable, and
HAD TAKEN UP THE sLAvE-DRIvER's |
LASH.
and that / was the scorn and contempt |
of all decent men. That was the sub |
stance of the charge against me, made |
in high place; where men are pre- |
r., thn trYnth h on6 40
slander. l would not tnotice it but for |
the fact that what has been said in that |
Hall will go to the ends of the world, |
and know that truth never catches |
falsehood unless it followed quickly. |
| am willing to stand upon my record |
before my people at home. They know |
me; they have trusted me; they would |
defend me; but they can not speak to |
the whole American people, as can |
to-day in this Hall through their |
Representatives. When men rise in |
their places anywhere, L care rot |
where, and charge that | am man so |
degraded, either from my past associa- |
tions or conduct unworthy of a gentle |
man here or elsewhere, in the past or |
now, L denOunce the man who makes |
the charge as
A LIBEI.LER AND A SLANDERER.
1 denource all such charges and in
situations on my own behalf, and In
behalf of the people who sent me here
to represent them.
/ know why these charges are made. |
What | said about the State govern
ment of Tennessee was also said about
the men who hold the reins OF govern
ment in the other States, and said a
Jnal abnnf nf tnpm
One man-GovernOr Davis, of Texas
was. as | afterwards learned,
STANDING IN THIS HALL LOOKING NE
IN THE FACE
when said it, I said more of Gov.
Bullock, of Georgia, when he sat on
this floor in the last Congress. / have
said more about nearly all of the 9TH
ers :;
THEY ARE NOT ALL CRIPPLEs AND M
Beetles,
I have never told lie about one of
them. / am prepared to prove every
fact which | have stated here or else
where about the tyranny of the usurp-
ers in the Southern States. And it 4
will not do to put up man to villify
me and then say, "Oh l am a cripple;
/ can not write / can not walk" and
vend their malice by making him their
mouth-piece. Are all of these South
ern Governors of whom / spoke
cripples? / am prepared to prove all
have said against every one of them.
And it is because -.....
THEY KNOW 1T WILL BE DONE
Read, of Florida, Scott, of South
Carolina, and Davis, of Texas, Bullock,
of Georgia, all know it will be PROV
ed, and the gang that are trying to
cover up their outrages for them know
it.
know it has been proved that they
are wincing now. The gentleman
from Ohio Dir. Stevenson ] knows it
is all proved, and that was promi-
nent in getting up the proof which
will be laid before the country in less
than week. That, sir, is the reason
| they are