This circular was distributed before the Tennessee gubernatorial election of 1868 in order to explain why the Conservative Party of Tennessee and their candidate, Emerson Etheridge, should be neither elected nor believed. It quotes the seven planks of that party's platform and elaborates upon section three, about restoring the franchise to former rebels, and section four, claiming that former enslavers are the best hope for the Black citizens of Tennessee. It then says why taxes are necessary to pay for the debts incurred by the Conservatives and the militias hired to protect Union men from Rebels. It closes by likening the election to a battle with the same issues as the recent War.