722 



TENNESSEE. 



other counties of Middle and West Tennessee, as I 

 am advised by reliable men. 



I therefore call upon you to furnish a company of 

 troops for the counties of Lincoln and Marshall joint- 

 ly ; one for the county of Obion, one for the county 

 of Dyer, and one for the county of Gibson. Without 

 troops in these counties, the civil laws cannot be en- 

 forced, nor loyal men allowed to exercise their rights 

 and liberties. If you have the troops, I also desire 

 that a company be sent to Fayette County. 



I have the honor to be, etc., 

 W. G. BEOWNLOW, Governor of Tennessee. 



HEADQ'KS DEP'T OP THE CUMBERLAND, ] 

 LOUISVILLE, KY., June 18,1868. j 

 To Ms Excellency W. Gr. Brownlow, Governor of 



Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. : 



SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 

 of your letter of the 15th inst., containing a copy of 

 a dispatch from the Hon. S. M. Arnell to you, and 

 your request for troops to be sent to certain counties 

 in Tennessee. You say that, without troops in these 

 counties, the civil law cannot be enforced, nor loyal 

 men allowed to exercise their rights and liberties. I 

 have the honor to say in reply that the military can 

 only be used to aid and sustain the civil authorities 

 in the discharge of their duties. 



The State of Tennessee being in the full exercise 

 of all the civil functions of a State, the military au- 

 thority of the United States cannot legally interfere, 

 except in aid and support of the civil authority. For - 

 these purposes, troops have been sent to various lo- 

 calities at your request. These details, together with 

 the present demand for troops to assist the United 

 States officers in collecting the revenue, have so ex- 

 hausted the force at my command as to prevent the 

 complying with your request to send companies to 

 the counties named. Very respectfully, your obedi- 

 ent servant, GEOEGE H. THOMAS, 

 Major-General U. S. A., commanding. 



General Thomas afterward gave it as his 

 opinion that certain laws passed by the last 

 Legislature gave the sheriffs of counties, and 

 the Governor of the State, ample powers to 

 cope with these disorders. The Governor, 

 however, was of a different opinion, and inti- 

 mated an intention to call an extra session of 

 the Legislature to provide for the emergency. 

 This he soon after did by proclamation, direct- 

 ing the members to meet at the capitol, on the 

 27th of July, at which time he would explain 

 fully the objects which he had in view in call- 

 ing them together. 



The Legislature assembled accordingly in 

 extraordinary' session on the appointed day, 

 and the Governor submitted a message in 

 which he recounted in general terms the dep- 

 redations of the Ku-klux Klan, and called on 

 the members to speak and vote in the halls of 

 legislation as they themselves and their con- 

 stituents had spoken in private letters and 

 petitions calling for the militia to protect them 

 in their persons and property. Two other 

 objects which he recommended to the atten- 

 tion of the two Houses were, the finances of the 

 State and the condition of the Penitentiary. 

 "With regard to the removal of political disabil- 

 ities, he used the following language : "I have 

 been appealed to by prominent men of both po- 

 litical parties, to urge upon you the propriety of 

 removing political disabilities formerly imposed 

 upon a large class of rebels. The conduct of 

 that class of people has been, and it still is, 



such that I do not feel justified in making this 

 recommendation. They have a military or- 

 ganization in this State, whose avowed object 

 is to trample the laws under foot and force the 

 party in power to enfranchise themselves and 

 their sympathizers. I cannot stultify myself 

 by yielding to this request, accompanied with 

 threats of violence. If members of the Gen- 

 eral Assembly are alarmed for their personal 

 safety, and feel disposed to sue for peace upon 

 the terms proposed by an armed mob, they 

 will, of course, take a different view of the 

 subject. Any recommendation of this kind, if 

 made at all, should be at a regular and not at 

 a called session of your body. And whether 

 such recommendation and corresponding ac- 

 tion thereupon shall be deemed wise at your 

 adjourned meeting in November next, can be 

 then more safely determined, by strictly ob- 

 serving the conduct of these unreconstructed 

 Ku-klux rebels and their sympathizing support- 

 ers, between this time and that." 



While the Legislature was in session, and 

 before it had taken final action on any of the 

 subjects under its consideration, a Republican 

 Convention was held, at which the sentiments 

 of the party on these topics were expressed in 

 the following resolutions : 



Resolved, That we thoroughly sustain and honor 

 the administration of the Governor of Tennessee, the 

 gallant, fearless, and incorruptible hero, Hon. Wil- 

 liam G. Brownlow, and we especially approve 'his 

 calling the present extra session of the General As- 

 sembly for the twofold purpose of maintaining in- 

 violate the credit of the State, and protecting defence- 

 less loyal men from the wanton violence of Ku-klux 

 banditti and others, aided and encouraged by wealthy 

 and influential rebels. 



Resolved, That so long as loyalty is a virtue, and 

 treason a crime, unrepentant rebels should occupy 

 back seats; and, therefore, we are opposed to en- 

 franchising those of Tennessee until their own con- 

 duct shall give ample guarantee that it can safely be 

 done. 



Resolved, That the sectional proscription which 

 would seek to abridge the rights of the citizen of one 

 State because he was born in another is contrary to 

 the genius of our institutions, and also to the Consti- 

 tution of the United States. 



Resolved, That the Republican Union party of Ten- 

 nessee are desirous to administer the State govern- 

 ment as economically, and with as light taxation, as 

 can possibly be done ; nevertheless, we are deter- 

 mined to protect our citizens in all their rights, and 

 see that the laws are faithfully executed, cost what 

 it may; and we respectfully ask the Legislature 

 now in session to pass an efficient military bill that 

 will enable the Governor to meet any emergency, 

 trusting, however, that no emergency will arise to 

 call into the field a single company. 



Resolved, That, while the enemies of the State Gov- 

 ernment are making every effort to destroy the credit 

 of our State, we are determined to sustain the same, 

 believing that the loyal citizens never will permit 

 the proud State of Tennessee to be disgraced and 

 dishonored by repudiation, but will provide ample 

 means to meet promptly all the indebtedness of the 

 State. And we call upon the Legislature now in 

 session to pass all needful laws to insure the prompt 

 liquidation of the indebtedness of the State that is 

 now or may hereafter become due. 



Resolved, That, when necessity may require the 

 presence of the State militia within any given county, 

 it is the judgment of this convention that, if found 



