Position of Tennessee.
A letter dated Morristown, Tenn., July 6th, gives us the subjoined account of the position at present occupied by our sister State, and expresses correctly the determination of her people to resist all attempts at subjugation by foes without and traitors within her borders:The Volunteer State by an overwhelming majority has become a member of the Southern Confederacy. Her gallant sons, who never knew fear, have exercised the right of determining their own destiny, awed neither by large armies nor the threats of many hostile States. Tennessee to-day occupies a more exalted position than ever before. Her people have shown themselves to be a free people, and her sons freedom's gallant champions. We have already many thousand soldiers prepared for action, and will be able to raise as many more as necessity may require.
Though East Tennessee, by her vote of the 8th of June, seemed not to have received enough of old Abe's blessings to make her willing to leave his bosom, yet the secret of it was, her people cared nothing at all for old Abe; but certain leaders, in whom they had been accustomed to place great confidence, having become favorites of the old gentleman — some of them on account of the loaves and fishes, and others by reason of a fellow feeling — took it upon themselves to abuse that confidence, and to estrange the people of East Tennessee from their brethren of the other division of the State, and to hand them over, as they had promised to do, to the Lincoln Government.
In pursuance of their designs, they canvassed East Tennessee with a zeal till then unknown in political warfare, as a general thing refusing Southern-rights men a hearing upon the same stump with themselves, and often having appointments upon the same day, and in the same neighborhood where they (the Southern-rights men,) spoke for the purpose of preventing the Union men from hearing but one side of the question. Having by these means, procured a large majority in East Tennessee for the Union, they set to work to transfer it to Lincoln. The delegates of a Convention, which was held at Knoxville before the election, were called to meet at Greenville on the 17th of June. These delegates were not elected by the people, but those of them who were sent at all, were appointed by little, irresponsible town and country meetings.--Neither were the counties equally represented. Eight of them had but one delegate each; three of them only two delegates each; several more four and five delegates each, while Green, Andy Johnson's county, had fifty-four delegates; Knox, Brownlow's county, twenty-eight, and Washington, Nelson's county, forty delegates. Many of these delegates were of the small, meddlesome kind of politicians, who know nothing of State affairs, and who follow favorites, let them advocate whatever doctrine they may. These are the men and this the Convention that has decided for rebellion in East Tennessee, and it is a part of the same crew who are heading Union companies, and exciting their fellow-citizens to rebellion. They will be put down. A majority of East Tennessee will not sustain them. Besides, our worthy Governor is ready to crush down a rebellion as soon as it shows its head.
Lincoln may send arms here to Union mon, but we will do as we have already done, appropriate them to our own use. He may start an army here, as he has promised to do, but it will never get further than Cumberland Gap. We are prepared to meet any force he can send against us. He may send us the mails through the Gap, but never the males.
J. N. S.
