Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-10-24
TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
EVENING SESSION.

hNENlab bGSSlONs
THURSDAY, Oct. %.
On motion by Mr. AENDRICK Mr. Bently wa
| added to the Standing Committee on Banks ant
Banking.
.. S. SENATORIAL ELECTION.
The House resumed the consideration of the Sen
ate resolution to 60 into the election of United
States Senator next Tuesday, the 9th inst.
Mr. DAVIDSON, Mr. Speaker 1t must be know
to you sir, and to gentlemen both sides of the
House, that since the meeting of this General As
sently have endeavored to occupy as brief por.
non OF the public time possible. 1 have intro.
duced neither bill nor resolution. have been
rather an observer and looker-on in Vienna than
one disposed to take up the time Of the public and
would have been silent to-day but for the fact that
1t has appeared to me that gentlemen on the other
side # the House, from motives of personal kind
ness, doubt, have seen fit TO give their remarks
an application either to gentleman who was born
IN the county Of Lincoln and now represents the
county of Maury, to some one born elsewhere,
and now representing the county of Lincoln. 1t
seems that in some shape or form remarks from va
riOus sources have taken this direction The gen.
teman from Knox, mir White) 1 think it was, gave
out that the gentleman from the county of Lincoln
well knew that one of the causes of Democratic sue
cess in Tennessee not the discussion of prnci-
pies much as the discussion of the whisky Ques-
ton and the tipping law, especially in the dark,
benighted and unenlghtened regions. | do MT
know whether he intended TO include the people of
my section or not; whether the insinuaion was in
nded to be thrown out that the people whom | rep
resent were of darker minds slower apprehension
than IN other portions of the State But one thing
| do know, and that is, that the people of the
counties OF Giles, Lincoln and Marshall, although
they may reside in darkness and may be without en-
ightennent in some sense, still they love the light
better than darkness And that is not all; know
men living In the kingdom of Lincoln, it is some
lines sneeringly said, of as clear heads-I do
not say 1t In any vain boasting way-as Offset to
the HeHe tekeE OF the gentleman from Smith or the
law latin of the gentleman from Davdson-but there
are men in the county of Lincoln who consider them
selves as high on the scale of intelligence, civza-
tion, or what not, any that may sparkle in the
county of Smith or in the county of Knox, or any
where else.
l. has been asked whose skirts we were holding
on to! | ansWer-No bodys. There is not gen.
teman here that has occupied his time in pronounc
ing eulogies upon Andrew johnson, because, as a
man, he did not need that fulsome compliments
should be passed upon him in this House or any
where else. There he stands in all his fulness; and
when we elected Johnson, we felt satisfied that he
had already acquired position more exalted than
any one we could bestow. But we Lot met here
for compliments; we have not met here for the pur-
pose Of discussing the merits of John Bell or his
past career. Such questions can affect but very
small extent the grand question whether it is right
proper, eXpedient for to elect another U. s.
Senator in the present conjuncture of affairs.
1t has been said, sneeringly that are all after
office But now it seems to me that it comes with q
very bad grace from these gentlemen here to talk
about the Democratic party being after offce-be-
ing party for spoils-When they know, every one
Of them, that the first and foremost and leading
principle of their order is to keep all men from Of
hce who do not belong 10 their sworn fraternity
We are after office When the gentleman knows the
least member OF his order knows that he dare not
vote for me nor for any living man to occupy any
official position unless he were OF his own sworn and
holy brotherhood. After office and the spoils of Of
fee, when you, sir know as well as do that every
thing they do is for the accomplishment of selfish
and partIzan ends and not for the advancement of
the public good. Their organization is but strug-
gle Tor the spoils of otice-a mere strife TO turn
Democrats out of Office and put themselves in. And
if it had not been for the love of power and place
and the consequent effort to destroy the Democratic
party and exalt themselves, there would not have
been such thug as q know nothing party now.
But then it has been said somebody is directing
us and controlling u.s. and that somebody has us in
his grasp; that We come up here instructed TO vote
for Andrew johnson. sir, was of the first men
who came out for him, in M region. 1t the spon
taneous offering of my bosom. | am one of those on
this side who ready to assert that we do not
upon the dictation of Andrew johnson anybody
else. But there are in this House who not long
since could not have gone up freely and voted for
the men they wanted 1t used TO be the case in the
days of Jefferson and the fathers of the Republic
that any free born could walk up to the ballot
box and vote for whom he pleased. But there are
on the other side of the House. who two or three
years ago could not have walked up and voted any
other way than according to the bidding of Know
Nothing Council Who, then should il be said is in
grasp? The charge comes with very
bad grace from those who acknowledge such
allegiance as this. As for me | never have been in
allegiance to any council, Know Nothing, or Nation
al or any other name-I acknowledge none except
my allegiance to the constitution of the country of
my adoption.
Gentlemen say, Americans shall rule America
Well J am in favor of that doctrine; and if America
has been ruled by any other than Americans do
not know 1t. England has tried IL, and France and
Mexico have tried the rule of foreigners; though they
have not been In the councils of the Know Nothings
Of Tennessee am sure. l suppose | am the only
foreign born member in this General Assembly, and
from all the indications here Amerieanism has ruled
he country-that Amercanism sir, which you and
1herish-the Amerlcanism OF open day light, of q
free and unrestricted ballot box But there is an
that shall never rule America and which
have pronounced TO be dead l mean the Ameri-
,anism of the Know Nothing councils which never
mas ruled, never can and never shall rule in this
country.
1t has been said that we are discordant and divid
ID among ourselves and they talk about king
CAUCUS" amongst u.s. and say that king caucus is
bad as King Council But sir does 1t not come with
BAD grace for them to talk to about king Caucus
when they themselves know that when the last Sena
orisl election took place in this Hail. and they cast
heir votes for Neil 5. Brown, they did so by the d
'ectiOn OF caucus-thatth,y themselves determined
privately beforehand that ,ney all should vote for
he Hon Neil Brown! Did it just happen so! Or
vas it not upon their side just the expression
n caucus we had? But, then, the expression of
he majority in caucus iscertsuy quite asegitimste
V If 1t were made anywhere else.
have no disposition, MIR Speaker, to talk about |
F..