The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-09-28
THAT NOMINATION.

Some friend at Memphis, 1--WE presume he Is
friend from remark he makes,) sends us
the following extract from the "Past, Present,
and Future" work now undergoing publ
cation in that city-with a request that we
publish. In complying it is proper to say
that no one more than ourself disapproved OF
the manner in which our late candidate ap-
peared before the people Of Tennessee FOR the
first office within their gift-at the same time
he made gallant struggle, and the structures
that follow are perhaps justifabl4 asa warning
to Others who may feel disposed to force
themselves upon their eountrymen, unbidden
and unasked:
GESrRY's NoMIYArIoS.-The term 'nomina.
ton" has generally technical Specification;
as thus understood, it usually requires three
| Sag NIGHTS to nominate" candidates for the
Legislature. But with the American party,
the dictum OF one man is the fiat of fate, even
! should that man nominate" himself. Thus
| Nj. T. Gentry made himself the champion, the
standard bearer, the leader, the candidate,
and nominee" of the American party. He
placed himself, with the aid of his friends, in
such a position that the american party
could substitute no one for him, when it inn
pudently attempted to select forliself a lead
| er.
Under the circumstances, there never was
a greater farce than this selection, this choice
of Gentry by the American party. Gentry
himself so regarded it. He never did accept
this ridiculous, forced nomination. If he did
| | wish to record his letter Of acceptance ad-
dressed to the Grand Council at Nashville, on
q k.a, 81 ,E Ia.x -
is III Echo answers-Wherel 1t has never
seen the light.
| Gentry's unparalleled presumption is only
equalled by his unparalleled defeat, as de-
served, so far as he was concerned, as u was
undeserved b. the party whose imperial
crown, Napolton-lke, he seized upon.
Mr.. Gentry when accounting for his self.
nomination, informed us, in language of beau.
ty and eloqhence such as ever characterizes
his matchlefs oratory, that, "st the time he
was living N secluded retirement on his 'Sa-
bine Farm. raising onions and sheep, and as.
paragus, and calves, and simblins, and geese,
and dogfennel, ard oats, and all animate and
inanimate things generally placed in the Gar
den of Eden" lie quoted from Virgil
''Mee Mill boves errabant, in montibus siculis."
''IIe feltin the midst of this multiplicity OF
delightful evocations none of the allurements
of political ambition He said that ''it was
true that the citizens of old Rome went in a
body to sedice old Cincinnatus from the ru.
raj delight. of his tobacco fields and potato
patches" aid that ut was equally true that
! no such delutation of Americans waited on
him, but instead of this, he received every
day about peck of most seductive letters. y
"Sueh, said he, would have been the conduct
of the Romans towards Cincnnatus if their
L 4 l.
condition TINT every man had to carry his
; own letters 'If Cincinnatus was right, err
go Mr.. Gentry was right" Such was Mr..
Gentry's mlbst satisfactory account of his self
nomination.. | have given it ver6atim, pune
tuatin,, tit1atin ct dotiatim. have been al
vised to publish in nv book along side this
spe<c;h of Mr. Gentry, Mr.. Webster's 18th OF
MercHa speech, simply 10 convince posterity
that the latter Grafton s not the most perfect
specimen of American oratory ever produced
J, az was once supposed.
have but two reflections to record in ref.
erence to this triumphant yindication Of Mr..
Gentry's course.
If he had known in the depth of his "S.-
bine farm retirement that Pierce was Presi
dent, and Campbell, Postmaster General, he
never would have alluded most distantly to
the horrible post office system Of old Rome.
Secondly, since his rwhelming defeat,
Gentry must think of those, who so sorely az
flicted him with letters that he surely had
more fool CORES, ondents than any other ere
tired" man in Tennessee. Strange that Gen
try did not sooner discover the vulgarity and
stupidity Of these 'innumersble correspon-
dents" When they commenced boring him
with their letters without any solicitation,
(of course Gentry did not write to any Of
them, he WINS not draining Of desire to
leave his Sabine farm') it was Strange,
passing strange" thathe did not discover the
stupidity Of his correspondents prior to his de.
feat by Andrew johnson,
When the tidings of Gentry's self-nomina-
tau,h ., J VIC ifnu H. ia
of Heaven, the terrified newspapers, and then
Sans millions caught the glowing theme, and
Inane 'ne EARN, ar ana ocesp reso"nu WIN n -
praise in choral symphony to another demi.
god, who Cinoinnatus-ike, strobe in trium-
Ihnl spisndor rom Eden bowers Of niys,ah
| yifeing natriotism The fearful r.rponsIbilities
and bnrthens of his conntry's destiny. 1t is
lIaAA 1l.fe l-sk IN