Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-15

WneF6 LIS mSCAOcS dAC HfO4fSNs
or in which his violent passions
have been aroused. While he
talks more about the Constitution than
any nan in the Senate, he knows as
little about it as any man in that body,
and far less than the majority of its
members. 1t was IN accordance with
this resolution of the Legislature that
[ called upon Lieut.-Gen Grant,
through Gen. Geo. b. Thomas, to fur
nish a small detail Of soldiers to assist
William Heydt, the Sergeant-at-Arms,
in executing the laws by enforcing the
order of the majority Of the House. L
could have summoned a posse of the
of the State, as subsequently 1
vas compelled to do, rather than be
defeated by the petty tyrant of the
White House; but l preferred Federal
troops because they were not so OBJ
noxious to the disloyal population as
the State militia, and my desire was to
avoid the effusion Of blood. 1 called
upon Gen. Grant instead of JOhnso1,
because johnson was the Catiline Of
the lawless conspiracy.
George H. Thomas vas not a lawyer,
but he was a man of strong common
sense and an unselfsh patriot. He was
not a politician seeking political ends,
ike johnson, and he ardently desired
to give the military assistance the Leg
islature called for, through me, because
he saw it was a contest between the
constituted authorities and a
faction backed up by thousands
Of the rebel followers of Forrest and
who, under the inspiration Of
Andrew johnson, were threatening to
deluge the Capitol in blood. When
johnson shows IN his speech that
George 81. Thomas sustained the Leg
~islature and myself, he brings upon the
witness stand a man whose character
weighs more In the estimation of the
American people thanfOrty such dema-
as a. J. That johnson refused
the aid which Thomas desiredto furnish
is no evidence that there was any
parallel in the Louisiana and Ten
nessee cases, or, as he hypocritically
pretends, because of any scruples or
doubts as to his right to give the mill
tary aid called for, but he necessarily
made the refusal dictated to Gen.
Grant because he was the cOnspIratOr
who originated and sustained the law
lessness. Finally, on the 18th Of July,
after fighting the President and his
"bOlters" in the Legislature, and his
thousands of Rebel guerrillas and
bushwhackers on the outside, We got a
quorum Of Sc members of the House,
and ratified the amendment, greatly to
the chagrin of Andrew Johnson. In
proportion as Andrew johnson was de-
pressed l was elated, for l felt it to be
the frat nail driven In the coffin Of
"M9 Policy" l gave expression u
my Joy in the following kilograms:
NASHVILLE. Tenn, July 10, p O'Clock NJ
Hon. Edwin VI. stanton, Secretary OF War,
Washington, ID. C.-My compliments TO the
President. We have carried the Constitutional
Amendment in the House. Vote - to II, two of
his tools refusing 10 vote.
W. G.. BEOwNLOw,
Governor Of Tennessee.
To John W. Forney, who had Just
been characterized IN a public speech
from the portico Of the White House
by the President as a dead duck" l
sent this dispatch:
The amendment ratified. Ny compliments 70
the dead dog OF the White House.
To johnson I make no apology for
this telegram, but it is due TO myself
that the public should know l was gov
erned by a desire to improve A. Us
manners N sending this rough dis
patch. I was disguised and mortified,
as a T-ennesseean, to witness the want
Of dignity in the President dis.
played in the coarse attacks he made
on various public men from the
White House, and l thought if he
were treated in the style Of vitupera-
ton in which he INDUCED 1t would re-
call him to a sense Of the propTiety due
his exalted station. johnson has never
forgiven me, and he never viii, for this
triumph over him. and he avails him
self Of his seat In the Senate, where l
have no voice, to represent me falsely
as contemning the Constitution and
laws while l was Governor, when the
fact is I did nothing not strictly within
the limits Of official duty and which
was not authorized by the Constitution
Of my State. But IN doing this
hurled defiance at and gained a sigma
victory over a lawless Presidential con.
spiratOr. This Is my offense. In the
Legislature we ratified the amendment
by the decisive vote Of 81 to IS, and
there were Just two members present
contrary to their wishes, who were
brought to the bar Of the House fol
contempt and violation of its rules
From this it viii be seen that the
charge of Senator johnson that l, as
Governor. was endeavOring to control
the Legislature" and hat there wa;
ga difference of opinion between the
Governor and the Legislature, " ''a con
test between two civil departments OF
the Government Of the State Of Tennes
see," is wholly without foundation. TIT
vote above given clearly demonstrates
that an overwhelming majority of tn,
Assembly were IN perfect accord witt
me in favoring the amendment. L
| was not l who endeavOTed to 'cOntrO
the Legislature, " but it was Presiden
johnson who did this thing. Why, t,
such an extent did johnson encOUrag,
the traitors and seditionists Of tn.
| State that a weak-minded, petty Judg.
! Of a petty criminal court issued Al
Injunction. against the S~eTgeant-at
Arms Of She Legislature, restraining
him, while acting under orders Of tn,
| House, from holding IN custody a mem
| Der arrested for contempt and violation
! of its rules. On the Legislature disre
| garding the injunction Of this petit
| Judge and contemplate tool of unre
| pentant rebels, a rebel Sheriff, undo.
the orders Of the Judge, and backed b.
a rebel mob, overpOwered the Sergeant
alarms, andforcibly made an entranc
into the State House, taking the recU
| SAINT members from the custody Of III
officers Of the Legislature, almost pre-
~cipltating a bloody riot. Subsequent
the Legislature most r~ighteously pun
ished the Judge by impeachment an
removal from office.
When l contemplate the lawless, sc
ditious and revolutionary conduct
Andrew johnson in his endeayOTs
bully and bride, with Federal Office
the Legislature Of "the s0vereig State
of Tennessee and his censure of Pres
dent Grant for not strictly Observin
the policy Of 'non-interference' IN tE
local affairs Of the States, l can rect
to only one parallel" IN all my obse