The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1872-09-19
johnson and Cheatham.


course during the var and a plea fol
amnesty for himself. We have no OBJ
jections to his receiving amnesty fol
whatever errors he may have commit
ted in the past. We have no desire
now to rake up his past history anG
coufufo him with the record Of his own
Inconsistencies. But we do object
most decidedly, to any endorsement O.
his life by his election to Congress, t.
"mcko Rome howl" and to taunt the
men who fought him when he was Pres,
ident. The question to be decided in
this election is not whether the late
war was q wicked and causcless rebel
lion, nor whether if Mr., J,hnson's ad.
vice bad been followed, and the South
chad not been modly dragged into the
vortex of secession:"
CAL the ruin, and loss, desolation, and
hloodshed occasiOned by the war would
lave leen averted Our young men
would not have gone ont to be butch
cred and slaughtered, to be mutilatcd
and thrown into the grave Of death,
and ruin, and decay. They would not
now be seen going about here manned
and crippled, and wanting arms and
legs. There would have been no wild
ows no orphans, no sisters and broth
ers mourning the loss Of their relatives.
There would have been no blood shed,
and no devastation and impoverishment
of our land, All would have been peace,
and in that peace would our rights have
been amply secured to US, and the
Union would have been prosperous"
We have heard it in!imated, inaeed,
that Mr.. Johhson's advice vas not ten
deIed until it was too late to be of any
service, aud that, like too many other
fire tried Union men" Of the South,
he was too busy watching for indica-
tions Of the strongest side, in order to
turn the crisis to his own advantage
to have any time TO advise the dear
people what to do. 1t is possible that
had Mr.. johnson taken the stump in
Tennessee early in the contest, as Wig
orously against the secession leaders
as he is now fighting the convention
system, so far as this State is concerned
the ruin which he so vividly portrays
might have been ayerteu. II we had
not promised Mr.. johnson amnesty for
the past, we might be ungonerous enough
to intimate that he never discovered his
hatred Of the secession leaders until
they, like the conventions, which he
now der ounces, had ceased to have any
use for him.
Mr. johnson comes before the people
demanding amnesty and oblivion Of the
pust, and then most inconslstently pro-
ceeds to give Lis own version of the
history Of the past ior which he seeks
Justification, not amnesty.
A Brigadicr General himself during
the war, his sublime egotism oycriooks
the glariDG iLcon. isiency Of such lan-
guuge us this:
The war was politicians rebellion,
but the poor soldiers fight Bat you
never saw any Of these politicians Ia.
king IL poor soldiers to their DO ON.
That was no place for hilR. You can
light and win laurcls for US While in
the army. You may elevate Us to po-
sition, hut stand Oft. Yon are but the
drudgcs of lnywill. Now that the WI
is over you must continue to lie my
drudge"
We the Generals want Office, and
you must be TIE slaves upon whose
bucks l VIII step into the emoluments
Of Office. But il you want Office, it is L
high piece Of presumption, You must
not us, ire to any position above yOm
rank. It isGl for tie Generals. You
nor any civiiian 81 oil have none Of il"
Il is true tn Gen Johnaon's Mill
ter C, e,r WAS lot Gi tiuguished by
any Yer, gallant conduct Oh the teld
Of bttle, and that 10 hoTid sears re-
ceiyed in the imminent deadly breach"
distigure his manly form, hut NO pre-
sume he argues that since, to use his
oun language, "hecause q General has
shown some little qualifications foy war,
it does not follow that lie has qualifca-
tons for civil Office, It must certainly
follow that when General has shown
no qualifications for war he must be
eminently qualified TO represent Tie
State Of Tennessee in Congress.
1t is certainly true as IIr. johnson
says, that the prominent candidates Of
both parties North and South, were off.
GERS on one side or the other duling
the war, hut there is nothing strange
nor dangerous in this fact. The lrains
and the ambition Of the North and tn.
South, were III the field, fighting Tor
tie cause they believed to be right. The
same qualities which made men leaders
in peace made them officers in tie ar
mics, and when the war was over and
the armies were disbanded, they re-
manned leaders still, and were elevated
to office MS the fittest man that could
be found.
tits certainly no discrcdit to man
that he had the courage to fight for
his opinions, and the intellectual que
ifcations to be chosen as o leader. 1t
is putting q premium on cowtrdice to
disqualify any man for holding Office
merely because he volunteered among
the citizen soldiery of his country and
possessed the confidence of bis fellow
soldiers, to such degree as to have
been chosen to command thoIn.
In contrast with the violent aud soph-
istical uttcrarces Of this arch dcmaGocus,
it is a relief TO turn to the calm, modest
and manly address Of Gen B. i. Cheat
ham, n man Us immeasurably superior
to Mr.. johnson III all that constitutes
true manhood as night is to day; man
who has never perverted his talents be
II - l.