Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-06-10
BARTLETT REPLIES TO BROwNLow
He Insists that Ills Lecture was Mis-
represented

IDlIOHS OHRONlCLE. | must con.
fess to some surprise that a man occu.
plying the dignified position of United
States Senator should stoop to notice a
pretended report of lecture of mine
which l had, in your journal, de
nounced as false
1t had not been my purpose to say
anything in your paper about my dis
course, but it seems best now to let the
public know what | said.
Following the example of Senator
Brownlow, might tell my friends at
a distance who he is; but let person
alitiss pass unnoticed.
am told that it is somewhat remark
able that the Hon. Senator has treated
me with SO much comparative respect.
] thank him for any commentator of
myself and this institution.
| wish there had been in his "card -
no low filings about negro iCOrShjDorS
and H1iScCgCndtiOa. Were | disposed,
| could retort most severely. | have
but little respect for any one who is
disposed to call any friend of Gods
poor, white or black, by any ignomin-
! ious names. If trying to educate a
halfdozen colored boys, some of whom,
after all, are of fairer complexion than
some called whites, entities one to be
designated a negro oOOrShiper, what
should be said of man who claims to
have done more for the blacks than
any other person? Because | placed
some caustic remarks 10y way of retail
! iation, upon the above points, but !
| did not wish to do anything which
might seem to be low and undignified
| because another had done it. | am
told that the colored people owe Sena-
| tor Brownlow n debt of gratitude for
good service in their behalf, and / trust
they Will not forget any kindness
shown them by any one; but how
ridiculous and mean to call him a
| negro tOOrShiper because of his good
deeds for them? Christianity requires
us to do all in our power to elevate the
! ignorant and degraded, and in my
! opinion nothing is more contemplate
in any man TO try to stigmatiZe a per-
son who follows his Divine Master 10y
raising up the lowly. At this point |
am led TO doubt whether y man of SC
much excellence in his private charac
ter as | am told Senator BrownloW
possesses and in his very feeble health
ever dictated the paragraphs about ne
gro 1COrshipCrs and rniScegenatiOn con
tanned in his "card. " am informed thai
there is another very satisfactory ac
count to be given with regard to such
passages, so that my feelings incline
me 20 excuse the Senator for such ex
pressiOns, AT any rate, | shall Civ,
them no further reconsideration now, anC
hope never to be obliged to do it in tn,
future. Controversies upon mere per
sonalities are unbecoming in gen
i tlemen and Christians, except i'm ex.
IRENE cases.
Promising this much, let me proceed
to state what | did say, and as l do thi
Senator b. will see what little grounC
he had for noticing my lecture.
| did not speak without previous
thought and arrangement of topics.
had before me notes which are still il
my possession, so that have something
more than mere memory to guide me
] stated at the outset that my ain
was to take a Christian view of gu
relations to our fellow-men, and that
entertained no eXtravagaut and un
reasonable positions on any of the dis
puted questions about races. Ny sub
ject was not "Civil Rights Bill" {
had not seen it at the time of my dis
course) nor was it the "Co-e education
of the Races; ~ nor again, as one woul,
suppose from the lies that have beel
circulated, was it " Senator Brownlow'
Letter to the Colored People," but
was social equality. | said this refer
, primarily TO society as an aggregat
body-that before the laws of the Ian
|, all are equal that a civil magistrate
though colored man, is raised abov
whites who are not civil officers tina
it was unnecessary to dwell upon thi
view of social relations, as there is n
disagreement. | passed to consider
secondly, what | understood the pee
pie to mean by "Social Equality" The
meant the intimacies of friendship, al
estimation of appearances and wort
and character which would lead to
practical recognition of the person a
an equal. This view of the subject
pronounced the UerieSt " humbuq
: that any one had practiced upon him
self; that such a state of societ
never had been, never would be an
never could be that whites are nc
: equal among themselves and neve
p would be-that the same may he sal
vi any ItCt lDdl '' DOCtQL E4UUtitV ~
? Social H,tm6ug." At this point,
told the audience we might stop an
never say anything more about Socia
Equality
proceeded, however, to conside
= what determined social relations. /
is not civil law-not our relations t
f the Church-not Christianity-not an
. cestry-not social position-not wealt
not race-nOt education. As knew
, 1t was common impression that tn
r cO-educatiOn of the races would max
them socially equal. dwelt at lengt
upon this point. / said, l had neve
advocated the promiscuous education
of the races only in exceptional cases
that there was no use in mixing tn
two where the number was sufficien
for separate schools for, in my opinion
they would do better by themselves.
= | proceeded to consider various rea
sons which some might assign as argu
! ments against the co-education Of th
races. If ancestry, or personal appear
: ancC, or filthiness, or ignorance, or
] a I.I "a