The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-08-02
HoUK AS A "BULLpozeR.'
He Writes a threatening Let
ter to Col. BroWnioW.
BrownIow's Reply.

dared TO oppose Il. L. H0uk's reelection
to Congress from the Second Congress
sonal District of Tennessee, he (llouk)
wrote Brownlow letter closing with Il e
following language: 81 will see If |
cant bring some official pressure to
bear in order to send you home to work
for Il living" Brownlow, who holds a
lucrative office in Washington, made
vigorous reply, as follows:
To Lconidas Caesar Houk, Esq, mem
Der of Congress, &c:
Il X Il You threaten to exercise
your influence as member of Congress
from my State to have me removed
from Office because prefer the nomina-
ton of VIM. Rule as your successor. If
| were under any obligations to you for
the place | hold, or if you were worthy
the position you hold, there might be
some excuse for your unmanly threat
You may be surprised atmy audacity
in replying at all to your letter, espec-
tally as for some inscrutable reason you
have for the last nine months largely
controlled the distribution of Federal
patronage throughout Tennessee, as
well as the appointment ofTenncsseeans
in the department here. But your note
seems to require an answer, and, mas
much as you are for the present n pub
lie character, | feel that | should waive
all sense of delicacy in condesccnding to
notice it or its author, and thus reply in
Il public manner.
1t has been your habit to crack your
small whip over the heads Of Republi-
cans whose selfrcspect would not per-
NIT them to endorse your unclean repu-
tation or devious course in politics.
Men like myself who had the extremely
bad taste TO prefer the late Mr.. Horace
Maynard or his successor, Mr. j. NJ.
Thornburg, to represent them in Con
gress, have shared your puny spite and
malevolencc.
You allegc as my offence that | had
expressed the opinion that because the
party is seriously divided as between
Mr.. Rule and yourself some "official
pressure" should be brought to bear to
retire you both in the interest of harmo.
ny and party success and to nominate
instead third man. 1t is true | did
say in conversation in the presence of
your subservient tools and worthy spies
that | preferred the nomination of Mr..
Rule to yourself and that if you both
ran and the Democrats made nomina-
ton the district might be lost to the Re-
pu3licans. But never SAID | would
try to bring any "pressure" to bear to
retire you and Rule. | could not pay
the tribute to your party fealty which
would be implied by the statement that
YOU would or could promote the party's
interest at the expense Of your own. |
remember that after you had been fairly
beaten in n convention to which you
submitted your claims by the late Hon.
Horace Maynard, you ran independents
/ ly, in violation of your pledge to the
country, and that subsequently after
you had been fairly beaten for the nom
ination by Mr.. Thornburg, gallant
and true man, under like pledges, you
did all you could to defeat the nominee.
And who is this Mr.. Rule whom | in
common with host of Republicans in
the I'd District have the eilrontery to
prefer to yourself? Like yourself he is
n native East Tennesseean, (though, for
the credit Of that section, | would be
glad to say you were not,) and while
yet Il boy enlisted in the Union army
and served his country with such cour
age and efficiency that he received the
commentator of his superior officers
and well deserved promotion. Il Il Il
His character for morality, truthfulncss
and personal integrity and for faithful
and patriotic devotion to his country
and his party is rs far superior to the
unsavory remnant Of yours as the great
and the good are superior to the little
and the mean. But who are you in
contrast with your rival satvr to
Hyperion. In the exercise of his rights
as citizen he contests with YOU the
nomination Of his party for Congress,
and has you 50 badly frightened that
the officials of the revenue service and
other Federal officials of your section
are riding from county to county inso-
lently debating to the people the re-
nomination of their little boss, Lconidas
Caesar Houk.
And the Tenncssceans in office in
Washington have within month had
levied upon them an assessment to help
bear the expenses of your campaign.
Not your campaign at the polls to beat
a Democrat, but your campaign to de-
feat Republican for the nomination
In the exercise of my personal rights
and liberty as a citizen, have, at a dis
lance of 500 miles from the district
in conversation, expressed preference
for another than yourself as the nomi-
nee of my party for Congress. And
yet, after an army of ofiiceholders, by
your orders, have been riding for weeks
over twelve big counties, larger in ex-
tent of territory than the combined area
OF several States of the Union, working
in your interest, you have the brazen
eflrontcry to threaten me with removal
from office because | dare express my
opinion. Now, in the "name of all the
gods at once" may l not exclam:
On what meat doth this, our Cesar feed
That he has grown 30 great?
Rut 7 do not Co. =,