Year: 1869

- sA~-


.3 THE FRANCHISE.


Illiberal and vindictlve Policy


OF Tennessee Radfcalism as


Viewed from u Re-


publican stand


point


The Knoxville correspondent of the
New York Times, Republican by
the way, and an cx-Fcderal officer,
thus truthfully shows up the proscrip-
tive character of Tennessee radical
ism, in the following letter:


The Times rarely ever errs in state
mcnts In reference to Tennessee mat
tiers; but in your editorial of the I'd,
on the "Removal of Disabilities
Hopeful Indication," you state Gov
ernor Brownlow is not averse to q
partial abatement of the disabilities
now resting upon large class of our
people. IfGovernor Brownlow is I'm
favor of abatement of these disabi1i-
ties in the least degree, am ignorant
of the fact. 1t Is not long sinceI tele-
graphed you the substance ofa strong
editorial over his non de plume
in the Whig, in which he urges the
Legislature of the State, then as
sembling, not to throw away the
fruits of their November victory by
by foolish display of magnanimity
toward meaning the disfran-
chised-whO have shown themselves
incapable of appreciating such mag
nanimity, and citing the experience
of the Union people of Louisiana and
Georgia as an evidence of the use the
late rebel class would make of the
franchise If it were extended to them.


Senator Fowler has recently openly
and plainly advocated the extension
of the franchise, and aside from him
| know of no man prominent i'm the
Radical party of the State who has
advocated any such policy. 1t may
well be questioned whether he can be
said to have much influence with his
party, for am sorry to say that the
spirit of intolerance and partisanism
is so intense here that since his vote
on the impeachment of the President
he has hardly been considered as one
of the party. One of the results of
the war has been to throw into prom
inence in our State the turbulent,
restless spirits Of our party, and there
is little of moderation, of liberality
or craftsmanship i'm our legislation or
party policy. l hoped that when the
election of General Grant was secured,
and the administration of our Ma
tional Government was fully in the
control of our great Union party, the
Radical party of Tennessee would
march into line and act i'm harmony
with the great Republican party of
the Union. But in this / plainly see
am to he disappointed. lido not eX-
aggerate my statements any when l
say that there Is less inclination on
the part of the leaders of the party to
enlarge the privileges of the franchise
than there was last winter. This feel
ing has been provoked by the unwise
action and policy of the disfranchised
rebels of Middle and West Tennessee,
who organized to demand and enforce
their claim under the guise of Ku-
klux Klans. But the grave mistake
made by our legislators is that they
enact their laws to crafty passions
provoked by such conduct, without





keeping steadily in view the cardinal
principles or our Government, or con-
sidering maturely the evils they ere
ate. IL Is doubtless true that there
are very many bad men now disfran-
chised, who may well consider them
selves fortunate In escaping with
such light punishment from their
grave crimes, and II Is also true they
have not acted in n manner to entitle
them TO the sympathy of any ONE
But all these things aside, the great
central fact starcs us in the face that
here In Tennessee over $4,000 men
who own a large proportion of the
state, and who are heavily taxed,
have no voice in their Government
There are in this city one hundred
men, who are worth probably a mill
ion dollars, who have no voice what
ever IN the contrN of the State or
municipal govcfiiQntnt. The general
prpposltiQps advadced 10y Andrew


0itfsd4 Nat treason be made odlous
&nd traitors take back seats in the re-
organization Of the Government,
were proper and worthy of consider
alton when uttered, but they have no
force or application, now, nearly four
years after the war Is ended, and are