Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-25
WASHINGTON.
An Important Letter From
Acknowledgement Brewster.
He Proposes to Protect the Right
of Suffrage.

WASHINGTON, D. c., March %
The Secretary of War to- day is
sued instructions that fifty additiona
hospital tents be forwarded from
Philadelphia to Vicksburg, Missis-
sippi, Tor the benefit of the sufferers
from the food.
The Senate in executive session
confirmed Enos j. Pennypacker, Of
North Carolina, collector of customs
for the district of Wilmington, North
Carolina.
The greater part of to-days exec
utive session was consumed In con-
test over The nomination of Thomas
| N. Cooper, as Internal Revenue Col
lector for the Sixth District OF
North Carolina. His confirmation
was ernest y opposed by the two
North Carolloa Senators on the
ground that the appointment is OBJ
noxious to them and to the
majority of the people of the
State. The vote on the question of
confirmation resulted, yeas, %
nays, %; but motion TO
reconsider the rejection was im>
mediately entered, and all efforts
to lay this motion on the table
were successfully resisted by resort
to hlllbusteling tactics, and the
Senate adjourned without final &C :
tion. The vote was strictly party
one, except that of Senator Davis. Of
Illinois, who united with the Demo
Gratis in voting against Cooper's con-
frmation, and Cameron, of Penn
sylvania, and Logan did not vote
with the Republicans, but were un-
derstood TO bs paired with each
other, although in what manner was
not stated.
WASHINGTON, March pa long
letter from A torney General Brews-
ter to Dallas Saunders, Assistant
United States District Attorney at
Charleston, is published, with Mr..
Saunders reply. The first para
graph commends Saunders for the
part he has so far taken in cases on
which he was sent from Philadel>
phia. The remaining portion is as
follows:
"By the by, I was upon the point
of writing you letter this very day
upon a subject that concerns me
very much, and l desire you to con-
vey what l now write to Mr.. Melton,
and read every word do write. If
were Lot about to write to you, /
would write to Mr.. Melton himself.
An investigation has been recently
had here in Washington, in a con-
test between Smalls and TIlIman, in
the House. 1 send you now, firth,
with, by this mail, printed copy of
the proceedings and testimony and |
the argument that was sent to me
only yesterday. I desire your atten-
ton to it and Mr.. Melton's atten
ton to it, and I expressly res
quest you to say to Mr.. Melton
that it is my determination to have
these matters thoroughly investiga-
ted and closely pursued. The right |
OF suffrage must be protected, no
matter who suffers. / wish Mr.. Mel
ton to be told by you that / expect |
that he will prosecute, forthwith, the
most important persons who have
been concerned in these attempts to |
defeat honest elections by fraudulent
or forclble meaus say the highest
aud most responsible people are
th' Sc whom desire to he first pros-
ecuted and first pursued. There
will be no example if merely
insignificant persons are taken
hold of. Those who stand high |
in the community and have thus
ventured to violate the law and en-.
courage others to do it, are the very
persons to be prosecuted, and if con
victed, punished in a signal way.
Then things will begin to change and |
the natives will be encouraged to |
vote according to their convictions,
and those who do vote will feel sat : |
ished that their votes have been duly
counted, and surrender to an honest
result. l am very much in earnest |
about this for l have heard what | |
cannot cred, that it is earnerstly
said In South Carolina, that the only |
persons who will be prosecuted will /
be a few insignificant and obscene
ersons. Such prosecution I will
not consider as being those
that justice requires to be
instituted and pursued. The Grim,
NAL courtshouse should not be used
only for the punishment of the OBJ
scure; it must not be the poor mans
courthouse. All who violate the
law, and especially fundamental law,
such as the right of suffrage. must
be made to feel the terrors of that
law. The abuse oe the right of |
suffrage, such as is charged to have
been perpetrated in South Carolina,
is practical treason against the dig
nifty of the people and the funda>
mental principle of their power,
and it must be s'gnally
punished. At this point L
have paused and re-read my
letter. 1 was about to send it off to
you, and as l read 1t over, l saw that
through it ran pretty sharp tone of
reprobation of this supposed at
tempt to pursue the poor and OBJ
scure and to permit the prosperous
and important to escape the prose>
cution that they merited-the pros,
ecution for offenses they were
charged with having committed.
see nothing in my letter that ought
to be modified, for I am deeply in
earnest about all this. You are a
Democrat and very properly sympa>
thizs with your party, and talk to
you with little more vigor because
YOU are a Democrat, and also
because we enjoy such close per