Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-21
"ANDREw JOHNSON AND RTsfO-
RY.o
Military We. Constitutional Rule-A
Chapter About :" History that is NOT
History.

Snapter ADOut "hAstOry" that ts no
History.
To the Editor of the Union and Americn:
The Banner, in its 1872 prospectus
would commend itself to the popular sup
port as a "peaeep organ. It declares tha
It's political teachings have ever been in
srired with the one leading idea of the proc
psrity, commercial and political independ
ence, and peace Of this State and of the
South" And yet, while protesting to be
thus devoted TO 'peace," and TO urging the
people to 'shake hands over the bloody
chasm" made by the late war, it surrenders
its columns, on Sunday last, to an as
sault upon ex-Presideut johnson that il
ve-y well calculated not to produce 'peace'
among the people of Tennessee. All the
acts he perpetrated as Military Governor
are now TO be rehearsed through the col
um1s Of the Banner, in order TO sire the
Southern heart" against him. And yet is
it not a sufficient justification of ex-Presi-
dent johnson, as to whatever act of doubt
full propriety, viewed from our standpoint,
he may have committed, that even
his alleged piOtence was as an excess
of mercy compared with what would
have been the course of "Confedes-
ate Soldier" IL he had been in
Johnson's place at the very time he per-
formed the acts now complained of. But
it is no part Of our present purpose to enter
into an argument to show the constitution
atty Of the acts TO which exception is now
so inOpportunely taken. 1t is enough to
say that Andrew johnson was a military
ruler; that the government which had sent
him here had conquered, by arms, not oaly
our territory, but according to the rules of
war, (to which Confederate Soldier had
very unwisely Rppealed,) our property like
wise. As prisoners of war, the con-
Queror might have dealt with us as rigor-
Ously as the rules of civilized warfare justi-
fed. What would have been left of us
your property and liVes-uDder the usages
Of civilized warfare, confederate Soldier"
may determine for himself, when he re-
members that if ex-President johnson had
been made prisoner by the Confederate
forces, his life would not have been worth
three ceuts, even if he had not been hang
ed outright. But ex-President johnson
was merciful in this, that whereas he had
never received anything but uGkindness and
injustice from the people of his own State,
because he determined to stand by 1.-THE
Union and the constitution which he had
sworn to support, he dealt out little, but
kindness in return. If he felt it necessary
to rebuke the open and fragrant opposition
among the people, to the government of the
United ates, whose military representa-
tive he ' !, by the temporary incarceration
of leading ministers in our midst, be had
the undoubted right to do so, not so much
under the specific grants of the constitu-
ton, as under the laws of war, to which
Confederate soldier" had so unwisely ap-
D aed. He will remember that before he
1 L. l., 4
nored, aud despised, and spit upon the con-
stitution. He appealed TO the highest tri-
buual known among men-tO arms-and
when he was beaten away from Nashville,
and ex President johnson was installed as
military ruler,to pretend now that he trans
csnded bis power as such, is simply to con-
fess that the constitution is not so mean a
thing as Confederate soldier" pretended it
was, when be undertook to set it aside
aud that tie attempt to do so was as
wicked as it was unsuccessful. Is it not alb
surd for Confederate Soldier" to attempt
to hold ex-President johnson amenable to
the Constitution, when he had already
thrown it aside as a despised thing; and
that too after he had appealed to the arbi-
trament of arms, and been defeated?
But this is not the point to which we de-
sired to call special attention. If the alb
surdity of Confederate Soldiers" position
is not clearly discerned, by the thoughtful
reader, in the light of the laws of war, we
are determined that this statement shall
not go unanswered. He says:
you looked around you and you had
the sense TO see the war was near a close;
you conceived most hellish and damna6le
idea-moved by feelings of malice and pet
ty spte-and called the convention of the
22nd Of February, 1865, and disfranchised
more than one hundred thousand brave
Tennesseeans and disqualified them from
holding office. This charge is generally laid
10 BiogDlow, but now you are charged
directly with it, and deny it if you dare"
Now, we insist that when the Banners
Confederate Soldier" would arraign ex-
Pres dent johnson, he shall do so on facts.
And we are told to-day that there are no
facts in the above extract. Ex-President
l. as not only not "moved by ma
lice ana peSty spite'' TO call the conven-
tionof the I'D of February, 1866, but he did
not call the Convention at all. On the
contrary, the convention of the 22d of Feb
ruary, 1855, was called by the Executive
State Committee of the Union men of Ten
nesSee, all Of whom were anxious to re-
store civil authority at the earliest practi-
cable moment, and ex-President johnson
had nothing to do with the calling it to-
gethcr, Or lis deliberations when it con-
Yened.
Again, it is untrue that the convention of
the I'D of February, 1866, ''disfranchised
more than one hundred thousand brave
Tennesseeans, and disqualified them from
holding office" On the contrary, that con-
venti0n disqualified and DISTINGUISHED not
one single Tennesseean. Perhaps, at that
tina, there tCere "one hundred thousand
brave Tenuesseeans" in the Confederate
army; but not one was prescribed or "dis.
franchised' by that convention. On the
contrary, after fight in its Business Com
miCtee, lasting two days and nights, an
amendment to the constitution was re-
ported, which denied no one the privilege
of franchise who was not denied amnesty
under Lincoln's proclamation Of general
amnesty. And when it is remembered that
Maynard, Wisener, Spence, and all the
other malignant leaders were on that bust
ness committee, and that the war was then
@ng fercely wsged on both sides, the lib
crafty Of the proposition, and the great
triumph of the Conservatives over the ma
lignants in securing it, will be more fully
appreciated.
But after two days discussion in the con-
ventioD, it was determined to compromise:
and, by agreement, the second article was
withdrawn, with the distinct understa nding
that the Legislature which first assembled
under The Constitution thus amended,
should not only 60 as far as the convention
had gone, but would even 60 farther, if by
that time the war had ended, and grant
universal franchise. This was the cOnsid-
Grafton of the compromise.
Ex-Prcsident johnson left the State soon
after the Convention adjourned for Wash
ington, and when Brownlow and-his Legis-
lature assembled, instead Of being more
liberal, as the conventions had instructed
them TO be, they turned completely around,
and DISTINGUISHED not only 100000 brave
Tennesseeans" who had been in the Con-
federate armies, but all who would not
join them in inaugurating a war of hate
and vengeance in this State! .--.
We have thus ventured to deny the above
untounded charges against ex-President
johnson. We do so not only on our own
recollection, but because the facts stated
are n = rs of HISTORY" of which "Confed-
era ,:ier" can scquaint himself fully by