Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-02-26
APPEAL
nffIcIAL lOuaNAL aE THE eITY.


BR0WHLOW.
Picayuue Butler, NJ. G. from East
Tennessee, asserted not long ago In
pneress that the Democratic party
had stolen three millions of the Ten
nessee School Fund and Brownlow's
pimps only three hundred thousand
dollars. The original school fund was
Invested in the State Bank of Tennes-
see. This bank, with all Others Of the
Saath, and with nine. tenths Of the
people OF the South became ~insolvent.
II was never before asserted that its
assets were stolen. However criminal
as a political fact Butler may deem the
rebellion, it did not have origin in GU
pi iity, and very few men in the South
sought to make money even while the
Confederscy existed, and Butler never
made an assertion so wholly original.
The Bank of Tennessee failed, and
thus g share Of the school fund was
lost. Since the gold that belonged to
this fund, constituting a special de
p0sit, was not stolen, it is hardly
probable that paper obligations be-
longing to the public schools would
have been dishonesty used by the re-
bells. IN this same debate the charac.
ter Of Governor BrownloW was un-
Justly assailed. He was never accused
OF corruption. He boasts Of vices
singulsrIy unique, and is the on
" member OF his party having
the opportunity in these States who
did not make Unionism pay. Alb
surdly corrupt as was his whole
administration, he himself derived
from it no personal pecuniary advan-
fages. In this he differed from Grant,
who not only enriches himself but his
whole family in all its lateral branch
es. Let Brownlow stand in all the
solid originality Of his character. He
is surely the last man who should
be robbed of a virtue. 1t is due to
him as a Tennesseean, and as a Vir-
ginian by birth, to say that while the
wealth Of the people was lavished on
his basest minions, he vas never him.
self corrupt. His dishonesty was of
another sort, superinduced by an in
sane mslignity of temper. He made
a speech here ia Memphis not long
before the war began, in Odd Fellows
hall. 1t was one OF Brownlow's live
lest harangues. He began by saying
that he had spent a pious cody life
Of devotion to the service Of his Di-
vine Master; that he confidently ex
peeted to go to heaven when he died;
SHUT" he continued, self 1 should
find an AbOlitionist within the gates
Of paradise, I will know full well that
9. fearful fraud has been prsctised on
the stupid .door-keeper." While his
moral obliquities and inconsistencies
are amazing, BrownloW was never a
thief; while his minions, the carpet
bsggers and a crew Of cOrmCranis
from the mountains, of the Bill Stokes
and Butler sort, stole $40, 100000, there
was no sOrdid motive Of BroWnlOw
that begat the absurd follies and hates
and Yillainies Of his ruinous admins
tration. He made Tennessee a veri-
hell, but not for the love of
gold, and in this he differed from all
Radical masters Of the South. We
have a sort of a pride in BrownloW as
4 purely original, historical character,
and cannot suffer injustice to be done
ais worth. He was the heaviest spe-
sial curse ever sent by an incensed
Providence to breed contentious and
lsTass and degrade our race; but
With all his sublime %follies, his absurd
explosions of stage thunder, his nerv-
ranting prOclamations, his APP 9
Desls to the worst passions OF depraved !
ignorance, he rose above his fellow :
southern chief magistrates, Bullock, :
5eott, Reed, Warmoth, Clayton, and :
heir bssely selfish money-getting 4
,~Onfederates, who plundered States to :
)enury, as Mont Blanc towers above ;
he meanest hillock in Switzerland. f.,
However vast the sums stolen by :
and however culpable because !
le did not prevent robberies, Brown :
Ow himself was never profted-such :
t least Is the opinion Of most Tennes :
eeans. :