Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-05

from Pagan governments that grand lesson
of generous forbearance to heroic foe.
When brazen trophy was crested by the
Thebans after they had Conquered Lace
GemOnia, complaint was made to the AM
phyctionic Council that "by that trophy The
remembrance of civil disccTd would be
made eternal" The decree rendered, was,
"Let it be abolished. It is not tit that any
record should remain Of discord between
Greek and Creek
L: is claimed for Andrew Johnson that
he is the great defender of the Constltu-
ton. Let US examine his claims 70 That
distinguished honor.
] am willing TO concede that when Mr.. John
| son repudiated the SGerman-JohnstOA treaty, in
| order to crafty his own inordinate ampltion 10
| obtain the power of reconstructing the southern
| States after ''My Policy, and that ne might
| humble and humiliate the Confederates by COM
Polling them TO sue for pardon at his hands, thar
some mode, however unconstitutional, had to be
| adopted TO bring the States back into the Onlon
| johnson then chose mode of reconstruction
| less Objectionable than that afterward adopted
| by the Radical Congress. Each struggled for the
| mastery. Congress triumphed, anu atIerward
| attempted his impeachment, he having deserted
| tile Republican party. The South sided with
johnson in his struggle against RadIcaIlsn, for
when that party turned upon him, our people
| that Andrew johnson with the powerful
| weapons of the Treasury an sword in his hands
| was, perhaps, their most available man for the
| Presidency. A generous and forglvlng people,
| many of our public men gave him the need OF
| praise, and rallied to his support. They rallied
| to his support as they now do to Horace Greeley;
not for the catalogue of political sins he had COM
| mitted, but for the great good he proposed. They
| were willing to receive MIR. johnson back into
our Political Church, from which he had back
Sided during the war, not on account of his helm
| Gus sins. but for his new professions of pOliti-
cal faith. Taking advantage OF the kind express
ions made in his favor at that period, he now tri-
| umphantly asks, What have L done since then to
merit condemnation?
| might content myself with remarlxing that it
| is your present disorganizing candidacy, with
| your attacks upon the Southern people-yOur
| invidicus attempts to stir up strife between the
soldiers and his Generals, together with your in
| famous assertion that "DunningtOn ought to
| have been hung, and Mrs. SurTatt pardoned."
| But will meet your question which you so
| boldly put VIII en- you ask what you have done
| since their quasi ratification of you. What was
| the condition of political affairs in Tennessee
| when in 1865 you say many of Tennessee's sons
| endorsed you in cOnvention-and who caused
| that condition of affairs? Sir, before you left
| Tennessee to ascend the Weep Presidential chair
| you inaugurated military despotism in Ten
nesSee and left BrOwnlow TO wear your mantle of
| Office as Governor. The classes of people by
you permitted the right of suffrage, were:
LIST. Original, unconditional union men;
| 2nd, The Federal soldiers of Tennessee; 3rd,
those who voted at the Brownlow or the Lin
groes were afterwaTd enfranchised by the afore-
said classes. Under your manipulation three
fOurths of the legal white voters of Tennessee
were distranchised and ineligible TO any State or
National Office of trust or emoiument. The
glorious sold volunteer State" had passed from
the hands of her Bell, her Hatton, her Gentry,
her Browns, and her immortal ZOlicOffeT, under
whose lead she was the brightest star in our
political ornament, into the power Of a Stokes,
a Maynard, and a BrOvplOw. She stood shOrn
of her dignity and sovereignty; stript of her
| herr urraT
halls of justice, for in a few instances sat en-
throned partisan judges, Brownow's and John
sons appointees; her legislative halls converted
into prison house Tor representatives who dared
exercise freemans privilege of refusing to
sanction the infamous acts of oppression, passed
by the Radical majority of the house, under the
bayOnet law-her Judges who issued the writ of
habeas Corpus, as in case of the incorruptible
Hon. Thos. n. Frazier, were impeacbed and
hurled from Office; her press, in many instances,
| muzzled, and no longer free; her noblest citi-
zens prescribed and under the ban of outawry.
And yet this land of the immortal Andrew
jackson was member of the UniOn-Of Union
whose Constitution guaranteed ''tO every State
Republican form of Government"
| Her s0n-Andrew JOhnson-whom in days
gone by she had delighted TO honor presided over
the United States with TIE oath of office fresh
on HIS lips u preserve, protect ADD defend the
Constitution, and yet he saw the sp rit OF liberty
crushed TO earth in his native State, oppressive
and unconstitutional legislation enacted by a
tJacObin mob, thrust into Office by the bayOnet;
her laws perverted; her hottest sons enslaved;
the purity of the ballot box trampled in the
Enire, and a tgrannical despOt presiding as Gov
srnOr, who had
"Put on the livery of Heaven
To serve the Devil in"
1t was the imperative duty of Andrew John
son, as President, to hsve aided the people in
casting Off the terrible BrOwnlOw yoke, but in
stead we find Andrew johnson endorsing Brown
| lows villainOus prOclamations and promising him
soldiers to carry out his infamous franchise
| law.
Her sister State Kentucky proudly arose 10 the
majesty of the occasion when the bugles rang
a truce TO the mighty conflict passed, ami reite-
rated the immortal principles which had been
her sheet-anchor in sh9 glorious past, all gov
ernments must rest upon the consent of the gov
erned."
Tennessee, poor down trodden Tennessee
would in the majesty of her sovereign attributes
have riSen and rent in twain the manEcles tina,
tetteTed her fair limbs, and IN thunder-tones that
would have caused thrill OF terror TO strike the
hearts OF her traitOrOus aud unnatural sans like
baTbed steel, re-echoed the immortal principles
enUnciatsd in the Declaration of Independence
But alas, her power was gOne and she stood
! Si.be-like, her brow encircled by the glory OF
the immortal past, her form draped in the his
tOric beauty of her ancient renown, with heI
mighty soul bowed in humiliation in agony OF
prayer, as the human h5nds who had traltOrously
usurped her powers, heaped upon her Insults the
most odiOus and infamous, and ravished her in
dem0uiac glee of .ghtS the most sacred and in
viOlable. Oh, my cOuntrymen, was there no hand
on high to shield the brave?
Weappesed to the Chief Magistrate of Ame-
RIGA TO b. unto his own State Noses and to lead
her ''by pillar Of cloud by day and pillar OF
fire by night from out that worse than Egyp-
tan Rosdage. We appealed to And
/ rev johnson in whose hands the
deStaies OF the nation were entrusted, and
warned him that although he was Chief Magis-
tTate OF one Of the most powerful nations on the
globe that he stood like Sinai's burning brow
| Ov-rshadOwed by the protecting wing of Al
mi hty God, yet enClrcled by the mighty thun-
derS Of His eternal wrath. The gallant people
OF his own State, occupying politically posi-
ton inferior to her cOlOred people, appealed e
/ him if he were not a degenerate OF his illus
| tTiOus State, TO stretch forth his powerful arm,
strengthened by the mighty power of the nation,
to ''Snatch heras a burning brand from the fire. ,
They appealed to him that if his heart were
false 70 his official oath to the cons tutiOn, that
il his heart were callOus to the shrek of muir
! dersd liberty in his own State, and his ear deaf
| TO the cut-eaties OF the Democratic legiOns cI
America and his tongue dumb that OF an
! Egyptian mummy, 10 utter the taliSmanic word,
BE free" that would re-instate manacled Ten
nesSee to her former position Of grandeur, theI
g long adieu 70 her pride and glory, Tor the spir-
| it of liberty, her face yelled in sorrow, would
dwell weeping hermit DER the grave OF the la
mented "HeTO of the HERMITAGE" ami with
voice Of yirtuOus Indignation cry aloud, ''Srike
out the star that glitters in beauty to her name
but leave the stripe, ut emblem of her degrade
| toni"
How al President johnson answer these an.
pJil- ". d. s.a1E': Go read his letter endOr 8.
ing the proclaim t-lUH of BrOwn.OW, in which hl
|
| franchise act.
Now, then, I prOmis a to answer What An
drew johnson had done since he had the quasi
endorsement OF some Of or good men. 1t i
this:
When through the detection of Gov. Sentel
we elected a Conservative Legislature, a con
ventiOn OF the people was called TO make a new
cOnstituti on, so that we might -ry forever tina
bastard child OF political rape, begat Oy Andrew
johnson & Co. refer 70 the Radical cOnstitu
ton OF February, 1865, which paoed-the fran.
chise being a part thereof-the negroes ant
BrownlOw menas our political sUperiOrs, and Cd
pressed Tennessee as l have just described.
3 The convention of March, 1870, presented t
our people our present excellent constitution
, which proclaimed every man Of mature
, years i'll tennessee entitled 10 the
right of suffrage and of holding Office. 1t strucl
the shaCkles from the limbs of every C0ntederat
soldier and they were no longer branded as fe
ons IN Tennessee and unworthy the right OF sui
frage and holding Office.
Now then l charge that Mr.. johnson at Gala
! tin made a speech denOmcing the COuvento!
that first nominated JnO q. Brown for Cover.
nor, and h also delOUuced the Constitutional
! Convention OF 1910, and held that in ahrOgatng
the schedule of 1865 it restored the Ordinanc
! dissOlying the Union; and he voted against tn
{ new Constitution, Of course.
SrS, when we had the goOdfOrtUne to be abOu
TO be restored TO our political rights and the hig
, honor of citizenship, we find Andrew johnson
= in a public speech denOuncing the Convention
: | aud It's new and glorious Constitution. That wa
IN politics the objectionable sin, and it is tina
which ShOuld condemn Andrew ,Tnhpsor, Will