Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1856-10-22
WEDNESDAY, MORNING, OCT. ~. 1856
THE GREAT DEMONSTRATION.


The Democratic State Central Committee issued
a csll for "grand demonstration of the masses
at Nashville on the 2lst. This demoustr alton has
now been made The people were here from every
county in Middle Tennessee. They know what
this meeting was, and saw and felt its incidents
better than they can be described. 1t was in
cornparably the largest meeting ever held in Ten
nessee, and was undoubtedly the largest gathering
ever seen in the southern States. The know
nothing meeting here week before last was esti-
mated at thirty thousand by themselves. This
was an over.estimste of two or three to one. Our
meeting was quite three times as large as theirs,
and could not have fallen short of thirty thousand
in number.
We were so busily occupied during the whole
meeting, that we have had opportunity only for
an extremely limited sketch of the principal fes-
lures of this meeting for this paper. We must
give the outlines now, and fill up the details here
after.
MONDAY EVENING.
The city was full of people already. The Muir
freesboro cars had brought down during the day
fifteen hundred stout democrats and more than
double that number had arrived during the day
from the remote counties. The stand for speaking
had been erected at the corner Of Cherry and
Spring streets, on the corner opposite our office.
It WIS surmounted by beautiful arch, the design
of Mr. H. NJ AYKRoYD, which was brillintly llu-
minated with gas, and handsomely decorated with
flags and notices At this stand, eloquent speeches
were delivered by Hon. r. W. WALKER, of Ala
bEma, Governor MATHEWS, Of Mississippi, and
Honorable ANDREW EWING, of this city. During
the speech of Mr.. WALKER, it was found that but
small part of the dense mass OF people could ap-
prosch the stand enough to hear and the steps
of our Office were constituted q second stand, from
which short and animated speeches were made by
Messrs. WuIrTHoRNE, of Maury; WATERFORD,
of Robertson; EsrELI of Franklin; MURRAY, OF
White; and WAGNER, of Williamson. We at
tempt 70 sketch Of these speeches. They were
pointed and nspiriting, and reused the enthusiasm
of the great mass to the highest pitch.
Our democratic citizens throughout the city dis
PLAYED great taste in decorating their houses aud
in the hundred of flags with notices which were
suspended over the streets. We intended de-
tailed description of this particular feature OF the
day. The impossibity Of doing this to-day is
the less to be regretted so large portion OF the
people of Middle Tennessee saw for themselves.
Our sign in gas burners, running across the whole
front of our building, "Ths Union" was adjudged
handsome feature in the general display, and we
had constant occasion to feel proud of the hearty
enthusiasm with which it, and the illusions to our
labors, were greeted.
TUESDAY.
On Tuesday morning, the city was alive with
people from an early hour. They came in car
risges on horseback on foot, and by railroad. The
procession commenced moving al 10 o'clock under
direction of Gen. HARDING. Most of the car
riages were decorated with appropriate emblems
and devices, and carried notices A favorite en-
blem was the bucks horns of which large num-
Der were carried and worn in the procession. A
grave looking o1rl, mourning over the death of
Sam, attracted much notice and laughter. The
military, from this and the adjoining counties, were
out in full force and made fine display. There
were about eight hundred in uniforms in the line
The ladies', however, did most to render the pro-
cession brilliant and beautiful. A car, magnif-
Gently decorated and ornsmented, contained thirty
three young ladies', beautifully dressed, and with
appropriate banners, representing the different
States and Territories Another car contained the
same number of beautiful young girls. At another
point in the procession thrty-one ladies, on horse
back, dressed uniform, wearing badges with the
names Of the States, and each accompanied with
oeSalier attracted great admiration.
We write, however, Just as the procession has
passed us and with time fer but the briefest sketch,
as our country paper goes to press at O'Clock,
Tuesday, and we hsve not, therefore, time for de-
tailed description. 1t must, therefore, suffice to
say, that accurate estimates made by coed judges
as the procession reached the ground placed the
number in line at over five thousand, and the crowd
already assembled on the grounds as the process
sion reached there was hardly sensbly increased
BY its addition. Gen. HARDING, who was the Chief
Marshal at the Democratic Meeting in 1914, thinks
the crowd on the ground on the two occasions
about the same But the general estimate differs
from this, and places the crowd yesterday as de-
cidedly the largest. The procession was more
than four time larger than the know nothing pro-
cession week before last and in the beauty and
elegance Of its details it is acknowledged to have
exceeded any thing ever before seen in the South.
The speaking and barbecue were in a beautiful
grove on the west border ofthe city the property OF
SAN. WATKINS, Esq. Gov. JONES spoke first from
principal stand, but another stand was erected at
smother point in the grounds as it became evident
that only small portion of the people present
could get within reach Of the Governors voice.
Our sketch leaves Gov. JONES delivering one of the
most eloquent speeches of his life. This sketch
will be further extended in our next, covering not
only the speeches, but many of the incidents of
the day for which we have not space for even the
most hurried glance to-day.
On the whole, we can soberly say, that no meet
ing equslng this in numbers, enthusiasm, and
msgni6cence of display, was ever held in the