Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-05-15
The Cid WaT-HOrse Of East Ten
nessee on the Action of the
Recent Negro Convention
at Nashville.
What the White Men Have Done
for the Black-The Black
Mans Base Ingratitude.
The Negroes, in Reaching Out
After an Abstraction, May
7l Lose Rather than Gain
in the Contest.
From the Knoxville Chronicle


feature of it has contributed more to this
result than the savage and childish as
saults by several members of the con-
vention upon myself.
That such proceedings should charac-
terize convention of coloTed men in
Tennessee would naturally occasion sur
prise among Republicans in Tennessee
and throughout the Union. When the
misguided men composing this conven-
tion and the unprincipled demagogues
melting them to action denOunce me as
the enemy Of the c0lOred race, they for
get that this rigmarole will only excite
sympathy in the minds of those who are
really desirous of bettering the condition
of the African race, and derision among
those who think him incapable of i'm
provement beyond the point that pro-
duces such document as the resolution
aud printed proceedings of the conven-
ton.
The accusation that had betrayed the
rights and interests of the cOlored race
is too extravagsnt TO be believed by
really intelligent men of any race or
party. And yet a few words as to the
past may be pertinent for the infOrma-
tiOn Of the ttaiHteUigent members of this
convention, and as q rebuke TO the intel
igent, but ungrateful, members of it
who voted for the resolution of censure
upon me. When the secessionists of
the south went to war for an abstraction
the fright" to take slaves into terrific
ries, where the laws of God and nature
made slavery Improbable, as the colOred
convention propose to wage war upon
the white race for an abstraction, in
compelling the co-educatiOn of the races,
.AaA h. -. Es-1.
Among the first to favor making sol
diers of the cOlored man. by which to
assert his emancipation, / gave what
ever influence / had to maintain the
national sentiment of the north and to
arouse the dormant patriotism of the
south. Passing over the events that
resulted in my Punishment from my
home and State, l will say that with
the Federal occupation Of the State, /
began the agitation of the freedom of the
cOlOTed people, and ceased only when
the shackles had fallen from every slave
in the land. A declaration of freedom
to the former slaves Of the State neces-
STATED other incidental rights of prac-
teal character, such as the right "tO
sue and be sued" and to testify as wit
nesses in the courts of the State.
WHAT WHITE REPUBLICANS DID FOR
THEM.
Next the right of the coloTed man to
sit on juries, vote and hold Office was
urged 10 a successful conclusion. These
measures brought down upon my admin
istrstion as governor of Tennessee, the
earnest opposition Of large majority of
the whole people Of the State. The Op-
position not only of large majority of
those who had participated in the rebel
lion, but the opposition, equally earnest,
of thousands of East Tennessee Union
soldiers who had always been my friends.
Unawed by personal threats, and the
frowns of lifelong friends and support
ers, went forward until my admins
tration placed the colored man where he
had an equal chance and fair start "
in the race OF life, with none to molest
or make him afraid at the peril Of a
visit by the hated militia
For the information of the ignorant
members of the convention, and as q re-
minder to the conscieuces Of the more
intelligent enes, | will say that my adj
ministrstion enfranchised them in Ten
nessee before their northern friends had
given them the ballot in the other south
ern- States which were reconstructed by
congressional enactment. Standing up
on such 8 record, feel that L can speak
as one with authority; that 1 have
right to be heard, and that | will be
heard, and my admonitiORs respected as
well by intelligent and honest colored
men as by members of congress at Wash
ingtOn. And / will here remark that
have evidence that the Arguments have
heretofore, through the press, presented
on this subject, have created decided
impression upon various members Of
congress.
I would remind the colored people
that the acts above referred TO were done
by me and the legislature of white men
associated with me, because we believed
them Necessary to their protection aud
the security of their freedom. 1t was
not done because when elected COVER
nor, in 1865, was pledged 10 that poll
cy, or because l owed my election to
the colored people, or because I ever ex-
pected in the future to look TO them for
office. When elected governor in 1865, |
the colored people were not voters, aud |
upon the legislature Of lDlite men, under |
my administration, ratifying the four |
teenth amendment, congress admitted 1
the congressman elect from the State /
without requiring that Tennessee should /
have negro suffrage. 1t was several /
years after that before the suffrage was /
guaranteed them by the fifteenth 1
amendment to the constitution.
at the gubernstOrial and legislative
election In 1867, preceding my election
SIS a senator, my popular majority was
ifty.two thousand, while the colOred
vote did not exceed twenty-five thou
sand, thus showing that the result de-
pended in no way whatever on the col
cred population, except as my white
supporters were made considerably
smaller by reason Of the opposition 10
the suffrage Of the colored man.
II is a well known fact that several
thousand white men and ex-Union sol
diers in East Tennessee voted for my
because Of my friendship
for the colored race and advocacy of
their political mot sOcial) equality, who
would otherwise have voted for me.
/ would have been elected in 1867 had |
there not been a cOlOred man in the |
State. Nevertheless, 1 have never |
ceased TO have kindly and grateful |
feeling for his appreciation of my ser !
vices 70 his race, as manifested in their /
ballots for me.
ABOUT THE ELECTION FOR SENATOR. |
Nor was /, in any respect, dependent /
upon the support Of the colored people |
when elected to the senate There was /
not q single colOred man in the legigla- |
ture. There were but four Democrats 1
out Of one hundred and nine members,
and il there had not been a colored man
in the State there would not have been
exceeding a dozen Democrats elected to
the legislature, because Of the policy of
Acknowledgement, if nothing else. was
elected by twenty-five majority. 1 had
the support of the four Democrats then
in the legislature, and If there had been
twenty, would, perhaps, have received
as many of them as Stokes, Maynard or
any Republican aspirant.
1--we gone somewhat tediouslly into
detail because Of the falsehood published
TO the world by th!s convention that
Tor 10 The eoIored voters. ] was elected
bv the votes of the loyal s0lite men Of
Ia state. and by the disfraHchisement