Year: 1864

ests of the so-called Confederate States;
HGt aciU cordially oppose all d,7nistices or ne
gottations for peace acith rebels IN arms,
until the Constitution Of the United States
and all la,os aud procIdmations made
in pursuance thereof shall be establish
ed orer all ae people Of erery State and
TERRITORY embraced acithin The National
linton, and that [ will heartily aid and as
sist the loyal people in aohateuer measures
may be adopted for the attainment of those
ends; and further, that ! take this oath free
ly and without mental reservation. SO help
ME God"


A citizen, qualified to vote, and whose
loyalty can not be "disproved by other tes-
timony," is to be required to swear that he
"will henceforth support the Constitution of
the United States, and defend it against all
enemies" This obligation we are willing
to renew daily. But this isnot yet deemeda a
sufficient test of loyalty. He is required to
make oath and subscribe to mass of vain
repetitions concerning his activity as
friend of the Union and the enemy of its
enemies-concerning his desires, his hopes
and fears-and that he finds it in his heart
to rejoice over the scenes of blood, and of
wounds, of anguish and death, wherein his
friends, his kindred, bis loved ones are
slain, or manned, or made prisoners of war
whereby the land of his birth or adoption
is made desolate, and lamentation and
mourning are spread over the whole nation.
While all the civilized world stands aghast
in contemplation of the unequalled horrors
of our tremendous strife, the citizen of
Tennessee is called upon by her Military
Governor, under your authority, to swear
that in these things he finds occasion to re-
jotce! AS it this were still not enough, the
citizen is further required to swear to the
indefinite prolongation of this war as fol-
lows: "That will cordially oppose all ar
mistices or negotiations for peace aciM rebels
in arms, until the Constitution of the United
States, and all laws and proclamatiOns made
in pursuance thereof, shall be established
over all the people of every State and Ter
ritory embraced within the National
Union;" until lin brief the war shall be at
an end. Now, we freely avow to your eX-
cellency, and to the world, that we earnest
| ly desire the return OF peace and good will
to our now unhappy country-that we
seek neither pleasure, profit nOr honor in
the perpetuatiOn of war-that we should
feel bound as Christians, as patriots and
civilized men-that we are bound by the
oaths we have taken-tO countenance and
encourage any negotiations which may be
entered into by the proper authorities with
the intent to restore peace and union under
the Constitution we have sworn to support
and defend. We should be traitors to our
country, false to our oaths-false, indeed,
to he primary clause of the oath we are
discussing, to oppose such negotiations
We can not consent to swear at the ballot
box war of determination against our
countrymen and kindred, or to prolong by
our opposition, for a single day after it can
be brought to an honorable and lawful con-
clusion, contest the most sangui1ary and
hot
You will not have forgotten, that in the
month of July last, you issued the follow
ing proclamation:


| "ExEcuTIvE MANSION,


"WAsHINGToN, July Is, lS64.S


'.To mhona it may Concern


ANY proposition which embraces the
restoration of peace, the integrity of the
whole Union, and the abandonment of
slavery, and which comes by and with an
authority that can control the armies
now at war against the United States, will
be received and considered by the Execu-
tive Government of the United States, and
will be met by liberal terms on other sub
stantial and collateral points; and the
bearer or bearers thereof shall have safe
conduct both ways.


'ABRAHAM LINCOLN"


This is certainly proposition to treat
with rebels in arms-with their chiefs. Are
we now to understand by this proclamation
of one acting under your authority, and
himself candidate with you for the Sec
ond office, that even the above proposition
is withdrawn-that you will henceforth
have no negotiations upon any terms, but
unrelenting war to the bitter end? Or are
we to understand that while you hold this
proposition open, or yourself free to act as
yourjudgment may dictate, we, the citizens
of Tennessee, shall Slcedr to OPPOSE your ne
gotiations? In the next breath, the voter
who has already been thus far qualified, is
required to swear that he will 'heartily aid
and assist the loyal people in ,chateUer meas
ures may be adopted for the attainment of
these ends" Adopted by whom? The oath
does not say. We cannot tell what meas
ures may be adopted. We cannot comment
upon the absurdity of the. obligation here
imposed, without danger of departing from
that respectful propriety oflanguage which
we desire to preserve in addressing the
Chief Magistrate of the American people.
But this is the clause of an oath which the
candidate for the Vice Presidency requires
at the lips of the loyal and qualified vo-
ters of Tennessee, before these citizens
shall be allowed to vote for or against you
and himself at the coming election
j For these reasons, and others, which for
the sake Of brevity we omit, we solmenly
protest against the interference of the Mil
itary Governor with the freedom of the
elective franchise in Tennessee. We deny
his authority and yours, to alter, amend, or
annul, any law of Tennessee. We demand
that Tennessee be allowed to appoint her
electors as expressly provided by the Fed
eral Constitution, which you have sworn to
support, protect and defend, in the man
ner which the Legislature thereof has pre-
scribed. And to that end we respectfully
demand of you, as the principal under
that the same shall be revoked. We ask that
drawn so far as to allow to the loyal men of
Tennessee full and free election. BY the
| loyal men of Tennessee wemean those who
have not participated in the rebellion, or
given it aid and comfort or who may have
have been offered them under your author
ity.


On the Sth day of December, 1863, you,
as President, issued proclamation, declar-
| ing that "full pardon is hereby granted"
''with the restoration of all rights of prop
erty," &c. to each of our citizens having
| the existing rebellion with certain excep-
tions), "upon the condition that every such
person shall take and subscribe an oath,
oath inviOlate." And it is further provided
in the proclamation aforesaid, that in the
contingency of the reorganization Of a
other States named, the persons having
ko1yn 10 kofgt on