The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1851-05-30
PUBLIC SPEAKING.

According to appointment, the candidates
for Congress. Coils. Anderson and Church
we'll. addressed q portion of the people OF
McMinn county at the Court house IN
Athens on Monday last. There was not
very large number Of persons present, 0w'
ing we presume TO the fact that at this sea .
son of the year the working classes ar"
constantly engaged in attending to tho cu'-
tivation of their farms. The debate was
opened by Col. Anderson. He commenced
by speaking in reference to the compromise
measures passed by the last Congress, md
Of tho duty of all good and patriotic cIth
zens to sustain them. that peace and qule'
might be restored to the country, and our
glorious Union endure forever. He spoke
of the difficulties attending the passage Of
these measures through the House of Rep.
resenatlvcs, where northern abolltlonsts
and southern ultraisls seemed to vie with
en- oh other in their efforts to bring about
state of things thnt~wou'd result in the dis
memb,rmcn, of the Union and the des,ruc-
,ion of oil that is good in our institutions.
He also spoke of the pleasure with which
he received intelligence of the meetings
held in dilleren, parts Of the country, ire.
spective Of party, approving Of the mea'
sures; and particularly the meeting held in
McMinn county. where wings and demo.
Gratis, the lenders nnd the rank and file,
came up together rs n hand of patriotic
brothers, to lift up their humble voices IN
support of the Efforts that were being made
to save the country from The dangers which
threatened it. COL Anderson said it was
contcnded that by the compromise the south
had surrendered every thing-with nll due
respect for the opinions of others he thought
differently. and TINT the south had lost lit
tic or nothing. and urged the duty of oil
good citizens to stand BY the compromise
as the sheet anchor Of our safety and our
refuge from the evils Of secession and dis
union. lie also blinded briefly to his efforts
to get appropriation Of $4,000 for re-
moving distractions from the Tennessee
river, which fnled, The bill in which it was
embodied having, we believe, been lost in
the Senate. lie also explained how it was
that tho bill making land warrants nssigna-
Bile failed 70 become n Inv. But we have
not time TO follow him through all his re-
marks, is sufficient to shy that they were
to the purpose md entirely satisfactory.
When he had concluded Col. Churchwell
took the stand, and nf'era brief exordum,
went on to say That in reference to the COM
promise he and his competitor differed but
linle-his competitor thought that by those
measures the south had lost but little,
while he though. she had surrended almost
every thing worth con,endng for. This is
the ground we believe taken by the seces>
eionists Of the South, and the aholitionists
take The same ground in rcgarito the North. J
But we must do Col. Churchwell the justice
to state thai, he said he was in favor of su'-
tainlng the compromise measures. and that
too Notwithstanding he believed their pas
sage had inflicted a grievous wrong upon
the South. In regard to his competitors
efforts 10 obtain an appropriation for the
Tennessee river, he had no fault to find with
him, except that he didn't ask for enough
"if had been there" said The COL, IL
would have asked for 100000" No doub,
he would-but the difficulty we npprehcnd
would have been in getting it. He next
launched forth on the farfamed Galphil
claim. and said his competitor had lodged
the vote on that question. When this SUBJ
ject was broached. democtacy grinned hor-
ribly ghas.ly smile-;hey were doubtless
thinking Of the good old times when their
party was in power, and the government
beans were ladled out with the most lavish
hand. A word here about the Galphin bu.
siness. as it has formed the staple of argu.
ment with some Of our friends for some
time past. The claim has been pressed for
n number of years-was brought before the
House Of Representatives in 1886. when
Mr.. Polk was Speaker, and REACTED. Ia
ls47. an net was passed by Democratic
Congress authorizing and requiring the Sc
cre,ary Of the Treasury to examine and nd.
just the claim and pay the amour, that
might be found duo. Mr.. Polk signed the
net, and Robert J. Walker, his Secretary OF
the Treasury paid the principal, and in ref
erence to the interest he said ",he facts be.
ing Off peculiar character. the claim for in
terest remains an open one" He also said
"that if he entertained serious doubt upon
a question of law and demanded the opinion
of the Attorney General he would abide BY
hs decision" After President Taylor's ad-
minislration commenced the question of in
,erest was referred to Reverdy johnson, At.
torney General, and decided TO be Just, and
was paid by Mr.. Meredith, the Secretary tf
the Treasury.
The subject was brought up il tho House
of Representatives at the first session Of the
last Congress for tho purpose Of ma king
political capital and casting censure upon
Mr.. Crawford and the lamenled Taylor's
administration. The subject, for a time,
formed the staple Of The leading articles in