New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-30
THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL IN TEN
NESSEE.

NESSEE.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF THE STATE FAIRLY
DEsTRoYED-NUMERoU DEsERTIoNs FROM THE
RANKs-THE PEOPLE FIRM IN THEIR OPPOSITION
TO THE BILLr-ITs PASSAGE THE DESTRUCTION OF
THE COMMON-sCHooL SYSTEM.
[FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTBUSEl
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Sept. 25.-From present
indications, the Democratic party will make larger
gain Of Congressman in this State ut tho ensuing
November election than In any other State OF the Union
The present stands Republicans to
three Democrats After November 1t is likely to be nine
Democrats to one Republican This IS very large gain
in State sending but ten Congressman, and the reader
will be curious to know the for 30 great change
so decided revolution In public sentiment. It'll OIL
account OF the Civil Rights BILL more than all other
combined Until the Senate passed that measure
Tennessee contained white Republicans than any
other Southern State This the natural result OF
the decided Union stand taken by the people OF East
Tennessee 1861 section Of State that put 10000 union
soldiers into the Federal army From the day that inc
war ended until the Senate passed the Civil Rights
BILL the Republican party continued to increase Ill
strength in Tennessee. At the last general cleo
ton, and that OF 1872, they elected seven
out of ten Congressman and came within about 1900
votes of eectng their candidate for Governor To be
sure there was split the Democratic party that year.
but this does not account entirely for the increase III
strength among the Republicans. 1t was caused by the
influx Of old Wings into the Republican party CLASS
who have never been quite satisfied with their quarters
in the Democratic ranks.
But the Civil Rights bill has changed all this ike
fash and almost annihilated the Republican party In
ths State The whites who into the party In 1872
have left IL hurry, and taken many thousands Win
them The Civil Rights bill has been clear gain 10 the
Democratic party OF Tennessee OF from $4,000 to 10000
votes. Take Knox County, for example, the home OF
Senator Brownlow. In 1s72 Brown, Democratic cand-
date for Governor, received 170S votes and Freeman
Republican, 1865 votes very nearly two to one In
that county there but coored voters all told even
IL every should vote, that We know that nearly
5000 white voted the Republican ticket In 1874 Yet
such has been the havoc wrought in tho Republican
ranks by the Civil Rights BILL that in August last at the
county election, the Democrats carried the day by
nearly 1000 majority
L This is but sample OF the sudden change wrought
among the white voters all the State by the pass
age OF the Civil Rights bill by the Senate and the con-
seqrent agitation OF that subject. Even those OF tue
whites who still remain faithful to the Republican party
are almost unanimous in their opposition to the CVh
Rights bill as 1t passed the Senate. do not believe
there is one white Republican out OF seyenyave who
fayors it; nay do not believe there Is one In nun
dred. No man be elected to any office In this state
who advocates it, The only Republican who apparently
has any prospect Of being elected to Congress from TINS
State is r. r. Butler OF the Ist District He Is as Dit
terly opposed the Civil Rights bill as any Democrat
in the State or he In his strong Republican DIS
trct could be elected 1t Is conceded that he VIII
he elected but u no other district is there probability
of Republican success. There is possibility OF 1t In
the lid District but in the others there Is not even
SO slight a chance. The vote OF the negroes Is
not affected by the Civil Rights bill one way or the
other. They continue 10 vote tho Republican ticket as
usual but they far in the minority that it is only
by the strength OF the white Republicans that the party
can be said to exist In only two counties In the State,
Fayette and Hayward, the negroes In the majority,
and in one these their mai ory Of voters Is less than
fifty In the list Congressional District, composed OF
eleven Counties there are but 1875 c0l0red voters III
the lid District there are nut 25t ia inc seventss zen
counties composing the lid District there are Du 1850
In IVth District, 407 There are fourteen counties
in the state containing less than 100 coore1 voters eacn
will readily that without large white element IN
anS siz Il has had more Of that element
than the party 10 any Southern ate and would have
Government had not the Civil Rights Dill dashed IL 10
MANY in the North do not understand why the Civil
Rights bill should have this effect They do not compre
bend Southern prejudces The antpathy to the negro
Mt least anything like social equalityis great
among Southern white Republicans as among Demo
Gratis The attempt to legisate negroes into sleeping
sened here by party as the other There Is only
this difference: the Democrats make political capital
out OF while course the Republicans do not and
not. The bill been the stock in trade OF the Demo
Gratis since the Senate passed IT, and will continue to be
during the present campaign Their speakers and
writers have i've times more TO say about t than about
all the other political issues put together.
Now when you reflect that is the poorer classes
that majority of the white Republicans found, ana
that this class has intense anpathy 70 the negro,
unless he keeps niggers place., you will understand
the OF such appeals are made by speakers and
newspapers and why 1t is that the Civil Rights bill has
cast party here upon the rocks OF destruction 1t is
plain to upon the field that tho white people OF
Tennessee will not submit TO mixed schools and that II
the bill becomes law in its present shape, the common
school system, In such good working order, must
fall to the earth dead. As 1t is there are separate
schools for both maintained from common fund,
OF which, OF course, the white Taxpayers pay the
greater part but should the Civil Rights bill pass the
Legislature will Immediately destroy the whole system,
aud there will be schools for either This Is
here and has the sanction OF far the greater
part OF the white Republicans, headed by Senator
Brownlow. hear many Southern men say that they
would let their children grow up In the backness OF
ignorance before they would allow them to go to school
with negroes 1t Is this deep-rooed prejudice. this
prejudice Of 200 years growth which has become bone
OF the and flesh OF the esh that has destroyed the
Republican party In this State.