Year: 1866




A pretty kettle of fish indeed, says New
York paper was that which met at Knox
vile on Thursday, Sd inst, for the purpose
of considering the advisability of setting up
a seperate State Government for East Ten
/ hessee. These political brigands, doubtless
under old Brownlow's instigation, feeling
themselves at disadvantage in the State,
propose seriously to secede therefrom, and
TO set up new concern which shall have
Knoxville for its capital and BrownIow for
its head. The arrant impudence of this pro
gramme is scarcely relieved by its more flag
rant features. The individual who presided
at the convention, one Judge Samuel
Rodgers, with view, probably, of ingrati-
ating himself with the opponents of State
Sovereignty, said that it was not a secession
movement, and then adds, rather illogically,
if they should secede cit will be from the
rebel to join the Union people"


The little scheme seems to have been for
a long time in contemplation The plan was
eoncoeted during what the learned Judge
calls the dark hour of the rebellion, and
has been held in abeyance since that time,
and is now brought out a little hositatingly
it is true, into the light, and invested with
the sacred odor of Unionism, in order to
make it palatable to the dominant powers.


So far as we can judge of the proceedings
there was but one individual present in the
" convention" who seemed to have CLEAN
Of common sense. not to mention common
decency, about him This lucky individual
by name of James, while asserting to the
main plan, had serious scruples about the
true position of the State at large What
he wanted to know you know" was wheth-
er Tennessee was a State or not Upon
this head we learn the following:


Resolutions approving the address of the
committee, and advising a pOstponement of
the question until Congress decides whether
Tennessee Il a State or not, were offered by
Mr.. James, a delegate from Hamilton"


The cool effrontery of James in putting
this damper upon the harmonious proceed
ings of the convention was promptly re-
buked by having his resolution almost
unanimously voted down" The gIeam of
reason displayed by James was, naturally
enough, most Objectionable to this band of
territorial spoliatOrs and kidnappers who
did not care a fig (however loyal" they
might be) for head center Stevens and his
followers; and hence his untimely and in
trusive resolution met its summary fate.
Stevens & Co. might do very well to decide
upon the admission Of southern representa-
tives upon the floor of Congress- but Ste
vens & Co. were not the proper judges to ar
bitrate in the little separate-State-Gover
ment plan That was reserved for the dig
nifed and lofty minded Brownlow and his
egotistical partisans.


The incorrigble and bloodthirsty knave
who now disgraces the Gubernatorial chair
f. of Tennessee sees, in the near future, the
expiration Of his term of Office, and it is hei
doubtless, who is at the bottom of all this
impudent and reasonable talk of splitting
| Tennessee into halves. In order to insure
himself another term as Governor this
defer of all law-this King Stork who daily
feasts his eyes on the spectacle of murdered
and prosecuted Southern men-wishes to
/ slice off from the State that vulgar fraction
thereof that is in sympathy with him, SO
that he may continue his reign for little
while longer, even if over that fraction.


Brownlow knows very well that at the
next election the people of Tennessee viii
kick him from their path as they would any
vile and obscene thing, and for that reason
he has set his underlings to work to agitate
the question Of the partition of Tennessee
The " convention, at the close of its session
instructed its president to appoint com
mittee of three to bring the question before
the legislature. 1t now remains to be seer
whether that body viii bring this little banC
of revolutionists to their senses, or will ad
vance the theft and outrage that they con
template The division of one American
Sovereign State, as in the case Of Virginia
without the consent of its citizens, is sufi-
cient for this century. 1t will, perhaps, no
be safe to repeat it.