Year: 1867

/ mld0Ie tennessee.


The Executive Committee of this divis.
sion of the State, has prepared an address
| to the people from which we make the fol-
| 4 z~#


'.We would arouse you to one more ef-
fort-the first effort which you have had
the opportunity to make-to regain your
/ lost liberties. Under the first franchise law
which the Radical minority passed, they
were beaten, though the Radical party car
ried at that time not5a 1.-THE of the infamy
on their shoulders whiohi now bears them
down. They passed another but under
it found their success, but partial and un-
reliable, arguing certain defeat in the flu
ture. A third infamy was enacted, by
which they hoped to succeed. Is their
success certain under their new law p
Why should you think there is no chance
This new law is but an experimeut-an un-
! tried experiment. Fearing themselves
| that it would not succeed, the Radicals
passed another and fourth act of infamy,
more bare faced than any which had pre-
ceded it. The Legislature assumed to
perform the judicial function of declaring
void the registration of the single county
of Davidson-''the registration heretofore
had, under the Franchise law passed june
3, 1861 so shat the work might be done
again by an appointee of Brownlow. An
other section Of the bill extends the ''pro-
visions of this act to any other county in
the State" ETC., at the discretion of the
| Governor This act of infamy confers no
power on the Governor to set aside any
registration anywhere but such as had been
had before the passage Of the act and un-
der the law of May 81, 1866 but no con-
sideration of conscience or of law will de-
ter the incumbent of the State Capitol from
doing an unlawful thing. The power is
seemingly placed in his hands to enforce
his naked will as law, but we are not dis
couraged for all this. BrownloW cannot,
with all this machinery of tyranny in his
hands, hold and keep in meek subsection
the will of a million of free people, If
you will arouse 10 the contest, and go forth
to shake yourselves, the chords which
bind your limbs will be parted asunder
'"as a thread of two is broken when it
toucheth the fire. You can win this con-
test If you will arouse to work. Our peo-
pie have long been used to be free, and
when they awake from the slumber into
which their wearied enerG les have fallen,
the camor of their indignation will be like
the voice of so many waters. The danger
is, -eititizens, that you win too long
delay your action, and then our vengeance
will not stop short of unlawful excess
For less tyranny than this we see have
kings lost their heads. But we would have
your energies tempered with moderation
We feel no fear from the vaunting threats
of military or militia coercion daily thrown
out by pitiful poltroons, who judge your na-
ture by their own cowardly instincts The
government of the nation is not going to
Interfere 70. restrain the lawful efforts OF
our people to regain their freedom. The
people of Tennessee, for the sake Of peace
have now placed themselves upon the
!
universal equality before the law. The
public opinion Of the nations would Eot
tolerate an outside Interference, to secure
the continuance in power of q pitiful and
hateful minority which daFes not 60 before
the people of the State on terms like these


AS to Brownlow himself and his militia
they dare not confront determined peo-
pie. They did, indeed, begin a career OI
robbery and outrage IN one of our most
peaceful counties, which eliminated IN 8
cruel and cold d-blooded murder. But when
they presently beheld the gathering wrath
of people "east down but not destroy
ed" they skunk away into covering qni-
etude. Governor BroWnlOW cannot RAISE
his eight thousand militia. There are not
so many outlaws in the State at his ser
vice. He and bis Legislature and other
officials have 50 bankrupted the State Treas
ury, that he has no money to pay OF pro-