Year: 1868




anything to merit perpetual enslavement.
They asked this restoration, not from
some foreign potentate, not from some
semi barbarous conqueror; but from
their own fellow.citizens; from natives
Of the same beloved country; from civ
ilized and Christian men; from men born
to the same liberties with themselves, and
bound alike TO appreciate their posses
sion-and enjoyment, and profoundly to
sympathize with those who had been, by
the rude chances of war, deprived of that
possession and enjoyment Give us back
our franchises, and we guarantee the
quiet of the people; their orderly sub
mission to the laws; the suppression Of
all violence the reign Of quiet, content
ment and universal brotherhood and
prosperity. Oh let US, pray you, have
peace; let us have social kindness; let
us have no more organizations, secret or
open, banded together for purposes Of
injustice, or violence and bloodshed
We ask Of you, our own fellow-citizens,
only what all wise and magnanimous
conquerors have granted alike in ancient
and modern times, only what wise and
magnanimous statesmanship would itself
voluntarily bestow, what, it seems to us,
no enlightened friend of civil freedom,
such as our country have heretofore
boasted of possessing, could reasonably
deny. We know there is no possibility
Of the work of re-enfranchsemen being
Immediately consummated; but we ask
you to lose no time in taking the ini-
tiatory step. Adopt the-wiso and practi.
cal plan of Judge Lea. which, we under
stand, has been this evening respectfully
submitted by Governor Brownlow to the
State Senate, and which will in few
moments be presented to you, and we
shall be content. That plan proposes to
convert the present Legislature into
conventional body, by the votes
of the sovereign people of the State
next November, by which body
that portion of our citizens now in a
disfranchised condition may be restored
to their civil righA. This scheme has
been, in my judgment, most judiciously
conceived, and if adopted will at once
quiet public excitement, and be the be-
ginning of glorious peace. The gentle
man who proposes it is a man of strong
and capacious intellect, and has honor
ably discharged the duties of high judi
cial Office under the present government.
The distinguished gentleman who pre-
sents our memorial is the very Supreme
Court Judge who some time ago deliv-
cred the judicial decision affirming the
validity of the franchise law, the repeal
of which he now nobly uRitos with US in
demanding. Our memorial is subscribed
by many of the most jealous Republi-
cans in the States. Oh, gentlemen, l
earnestly beseech you, as friend to
peace, as an upholder of justice, as
lover of my couutry's repose and happi-
ness, seize at once the glorious opportu-
nifty of securing the happiness of your
native land aud your'own immortal fame.
Mr.. Hamilton-One word, Governor.
You have said in your memorial what you
want US to do. now want you to say
whether we are not to have peace until
your disfranchisement is removed?
Gov. Foote-Certainly; we are for
peace now, peace hereafter, peace all the
time. We are at present in crippled
and feeble state. We have no legal pow
er in our hands. We have no armies at
our command. But all that our forlorn
and deplorable condition will allow US to
do to maintain the peace and save the
law from violation, we promise in the
presence of God and man, our country
and the world, the passing generation,
aud of oil posterity to do


Mr. Hamilton-You have not answered
my question, whether we are to have
peace before or after the franchise is ex-
tended


Gov. Foote-I cannot regard the trou-
blous condition OF the country as by any
means, or at least in any considerable
degree, attributable to any party feeling,
or the result of party concert The peo-
pie, it is true, are distressed and dis
quieted at their present sufferings; but
the disorderly and violent movements
complained Of are, am sure, nearly all
of them to be ascribed to other causes.


Mr.. Hamilton-I would like to ask you
another question. How does it happen
that ninety-nine out of one hundred of the
outrages complained of are inflicted on
Union men or on niger"


Governor Foote-l do not know how
this is precisely. l have not anslyzed
the various cases of alleged outrage.
The latest one of which ! have heard, is
the one reported as occurring in Shelby
county few days since, when two al
legged horse thieves are said to have
been hung by men in masks. / certainly
do not approve what is said to have been
done on that occasion. never sane
toned the exercise of what is called
lynch law, in my life. But l have yet
to learn that the two supposed horse
thieves referred to were Union men, and
hung on account of their Union senti-
ments. / will remark further, that in the
multiplied cases of rape which have re-
Gently called forth popular vengeance,
am glad that even the Republican editors
have not undertaken to charge these vio-
lences TO party animosity, and that none
of them have vindicated the acts Of out
rage which provoked the punishmen; in-
hicted.


Mr.. Hacker-I ask you are the.people
of Tennessee doing you any injusticeY


Governor Foote-l answer: The peo-
pie of Tennessee have never done me in
Justice But deem it, notwithstanding,
grossly unjust, illiberal aud unwise for
the party in power TO disfranchise me
and eighty thousand other citizens on
account of our connection with the late
war. | have never yet sanctioned the
punishment of any man for opinions
sake; and to deprive majority Of the
white citizens of Tennessee permanently
of the right Of suffrage, hold not only
to be unjust, but the grossest tyranny.
Nor can / believe that those who now
listen to me will do this dreadful thing


Mr.. Observation-Disclosures Fooie, of
Mississippi, has entirely failed to give us
any satisfactory guarantee for perma-
nent peace. he has managed to scare
up only two or three rapes and one case