Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-04-19


beat aud bully me and the loyal major
ity OF the Legislature associated with
me into acquiesence in that miserable
political abortion known as "My policy. y
The sequel, however, proved that he
was barking up the wrong tree" and
when he issued orders to me he was not
dealing with Perry of South Carolina,
or one Of the Provisional Governors of
the cotton States, who held his commits
sion, and felt that they owed their posi-
ton to him. was nominated and
elected by the loyal people Of the State,
and in defiance of the known opposition
of Andrew johnson. In a convention
Of five hundred and thirty or forty dele.
gates, was nominated by acclamation,
and that too after Andrew Johnson had
been laboring for weeks to prevent it.
! In this large number Of delegates there
were perhaps fifteen or twenty who
would have supported some person
known to be slavishly subservient to the
purposes of Andrew Johnson, had their
doing so enabled them to hope for sue
cess. johnson opposed me because he
desired to hold at the same time the
Offices of Vice President and Governor
OF Tennessee, From his previous knowl-
edge of my character he apprehended
difficulty in running the State govern
ment Of Tennessee while held the office
of Governor In his speech in the SEN
ate he said " Governor Brownlow be.
came refractory" This is the secret of
his opposition to me-. He wanted a
Governor who would not be " refractory"
to the policy" of Andrew johnson.
But against his energetic protest | was
nominated, because there was never q
time before his betrayal Of the Republi-
can party that / did not have larger
share Of the confidence of the loyal peo.
pie of the State than this unscrupulous
politician. ...f...lr l.., Il,
| Recurring to President Johnsons at
tempt to influence the action Of the
Legislature on the proposed fourteenth
amendment, | will say that several days
before the meeting Of the Legislature
Johnson ascertained that majority OF
the body would vote for the amendment.
To carry out his lawless purpose to de-
feat the amendment his emissaries came
from Washington to Tennessee, and
wrote from the Capitol to their friends
in this State that the President desired
that the Legislature be broken up rather
than the amendment be ratified" 1t
became understood at Nashville that
members who would "bolt" and aid in
the revolutionary scheme conceived and
inaugurated by President johnson to
defeat the amendment would be re-
warded by Federal appointments.
And it is a singular coincidence that
many Of these seditionists were subse
quently rewarded by the President with
Federal appointments. Letters from
the bosom friends of the President at
Washington came TO members of the
Legislature and those supposed to have
influence with them as thickly as autumn
leaves in brisk gale, advising the break.
ing up OF the Legislature in order to de-
feat the amendment. One of the
bolters received letter from the Hon.
Edmund Cooper, President Johnson 8
private Secretary, advising him to alb.
sent himself from his seat in the Legis.
lature that the amendment to the Con.
stitution might be defeated at all
hazards
The Nashville Press and Times OF
July Is, 1866, contained this extract
from the Cincinnati Gazette's Washing
ton correspondent: Last night Mr.
Cooper, the Presidents private seere
tary, declared to company of gentle.
men that if the President could possibly
prevent the assembling of quorum il
the Tennessee Legislature he would
surely do it,
, To 20 into all the details OF Andrew
Johnson's lawless interference in tn,
, local affairs of Tennessee and his cor
rupt mode of seducing members of tn,
General Assembly from their dutv
would require more space than | dar,
: ask in your paper. Suffice it to say that
after struggle Of several weeks, th,
: amendment was ratified. At all time
there was quorum in the Senate, whicl
, passed the amendment by the decisiv
vote of fourteen TO six. There was
much larger majority for it in the Hous
. than in the Senate, and there would hav
} been quorum in the House on the da,
} called them to assemble, had it no
3 been for the corrupt appliances resorte,
+ to by the President and his emissaries Il
! defeat it. Finding the "Johnsonites' de
termined to persist in their little re
7 bellion the majority Of the members o
: the House OF Representatives., thougl
Y less than a quorum, passed resolution
0 to arrest certain contumacious member
: fol, contempt of the House in openly de
= tying its authority and freely swearing
n ipthe corridors of the Capitol and Of
i the floor of the House, while refusing &
: answer to roll call, that they woul,
/ break up the. legislature that th
{ President was with them, and the,
y were bound to succeed" That th
d House had right thus to- preserve it
existence and punish for contempt j
+ not doubted by any lawyer, but Andrev
+ johnson is wholly incapable of seeint
d the legal bearings of any question wher,
$ hiss interests are involved, or in whicl
b his violent passions have been aroused
!, While he talks more about the Constitu
Q ton than any man in the Senate, h
| rnnvvo l,ftla about - onu nnoY, ~