Year: 1867




| herewith submit for your careful con-
sderation a petition TO the President and
Congress of the United States, together
with communication from friend, we'll
known TO some of you as a Jealous advocate
of the Union, by his efforts to prevent ser
cession before the war; and by his success
ful efforts in East Tennessee during the
war to hold in check and counteract the
malicious schemes Of the "Rnorrille clique"
whose object was to destroy every promi>
nent Union man in East Tennessee; and by
his untiring efforts since the war to "pour
oil upon the troubled waters" and restore
the Union upon a more enduring basis, ex-
clnding as far as possible every element Of
discord


| will not presume TO dictate to you what
action You should take upon this question,
but under the extraordinary circumstances
now surrounding us, and in view of the
new light which recent developments have
shed upon the subject, it appears to me that
nothing can possibly be lost by the proposed
appeal, and much may be gained Human
reason is defective at best and there is
reason for apprehending that Congress
might not have had the full advantage of
calm and dispassionate consideration of all
the facts which ought to be duly weighed
in the final determination of the great cues
ton Of 1Hitersdt suffrage All human insti
tutions are defective, and operate unequally.
Government is but a choice of evils"


Our wisest statesmen are prone to fall in
to error, after the most deliberate investi-
cation. All experience teaches that sud J.
denstransitions are dangerous, and always
to be avoided, if possible. The facts and
arguments herewith presented, are, in my
judgement, entitled to our most serious
consideration, and If ascertained to be
founded in truth and reason, and sup
ported by history and experience, it would be
npatriotic--yea it wouid be in the highest
degree criminal in us TO disregard them,
for no better reason than the cowardly
shrinking from the discharge of a sacred
dutv, because some malicious fool might
charge us with political Inconsistency.


In Tennessee, we have been driven by
the current Of events, to disfranchise a
large portion of the white race, and to en-
franchise the African race. Whether any
other course was open to us that would
have been attended with better results, it
will always be impossible for us to ascer-
tain Our duty to day, is just az it was
last year and every other year-to do each
| day what we find to be right. When we
| disfranchised our fellow-citizens of Ten
nessee, they were in open rebellion against
the government and for the same reason
| that we disfranchised them we enfran-
| chised the African race. We then thought
| that both measures were absolutely necessary.


"The logic of events" has changed the
argument. We now have good reason u
hope that thousands of our people who
were led into rebellion, many of them
| against their Judgment, would faithfully
| discharge their duties as citizens, and thus
slperseds the necessity of imposing their
wonted duties upon a race which the Crea
| tor has distinguished from ours by physi
| cal marks too plain to be misunderstood
| and Of character which forbids the idea o.
social afiiliation between the two races
and which, from the foundation of our po'
| litical institutions down TO this evil day
had forbid the idea of political equality.


In Tennessee, in the day of our calam-
| ity," in the midst ofconfusion and anarchy
we fell back upon frSt principles, aud organ
| lied the present government of Tennessee
| and 10 avoid what we then feared was q
| greater evil. we conferred upon the African
race the right to vote But we did not give
him the right to make and administer ON
| laws. We vet withheld from him the right
10 sit by our side in the halls of legislation
We vet deny him political equality. Th'
step we have taken in that direction. wa,
forced upon us by what was then regarded
as the overwhelming power of the Republi
can partv, resolved upon the adoption o
the principle of universal suffrage. Tim
has developed a new phase of the situation,
and we now behold unmistakable demon
strations in the Republican party agains
universal suffrage. 1t is now certain tina
our Western and Northern brethren viii
never submit to negro equality aQd
would be gross slander upon them to sa
that they would, By The poUer Of The sieoro
force upon Tennessee, or upon any othe
State Of the Union, measure TO which the
will never submit themselves.


In addition to the reason assigned in tn


petition, would suggest another which


think ought not 10 he overlooked. IL
we're possible TO reorganize the Southern
States upon the plan now in process of exc
| cution, without producing a wsr of race,
there is good reason to apprehend that til
Southern States, Africanized a. they woul


be. would hold the balance of power, an


unite 10 repUdidting our financial and rev6
nue. systems, and thus not only precipiiat


a financial crisis, but bring disgrace on tn
country replsdiating the public faith. The
/ have been tampered with By bad men VII


have induced them TO believe that III


property Of the Southern States viii b


divided amongst them-and they viii neve
consent to be taxed to pay debt whic
thev are taught to believe that they are nc
bound to pay, for the reason that they ha
! nothing to do in making it.


, Another reason OF great weight, is tha
: the appeal suggested offers the only groun
+ Of hope that none Of old the party organic;
= tions will be reinstated. They have ha
p their day and have done their work, and
= would be great mistake 10 revive then
r. It is our privilege and our duty 10 bur


forever all our old party names an


badges, and their renewal woul


only tend TO increase the bitterne


Of the spirit Of strife which it


our duty TO allay as much as possibl


In view Of all the facts and circumstanc,


bearing on the subject, and with the fu
. conviction that the proposed appeal capn,


In any event be productive Of evil, La'
| ..c,a1 tha uatftion nvaplf and would