Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-05-24


more credulous and unwary for little while.
but wouid be resolved into their original ele
ments and share the fate of all attempts at
deception, soon as the people conld have
an opportunity of seeing and hearing for
themselves, we have been content to let those
precious reports and comments pass by. with
out concern or serious notice. We have not
been disappointed. On the contrary, our
expectations have been fully-even more than
justified. Let our opponents now hear, as
bast they may, the recoii Of the blunderbuss
from which, with temerity as blind as it was
INSCRIPTIONS, they have discharged those
missiles of vain Boosting. John Netherland
and lsham G. Harris, the opposing candidates
for Governor, have now met, face TO face, and
before the people of Memphis and its vicinity,
have shown what manner of men they are in
respect to the several questions at issue, and
upon which the greater fitness Of the one or
the other to be Governor of this State Is to
be determined by the people. Let the peo-
pie decide between them.
To those who heard the discussion on
yesterday, it is unnecessary to give any ae-
count of it; but for those who were not
present, and yet have an interest in what took
place, a brief sketch of the leading points may
not be unacceptable.
According to appointment the meeting took
place at l O'Clock The house was filed almost
least twelve hundred persons present-prOha-
by more Quite a number OF ladies were In
attendance, and this, as always, added much
interest to the scene.
Gov. HARRIS led off in a smooth and well
delivered speech, for an hour and half OF
his peculiar manner, it is needless to say any
thing more than that he was like bimself,'
for by reason of his having been so often be-
fore the public as an Office-seeker, that is too
Il 10 10
it Ineligible. But, though his general
manner was the same, there was that in his
look. his tone of voice, the spirit in which he
labOrcd and seemed heavy laden" i'll the
matter of his discourse, and especially in his
disposal of that matter, which could not fail
to impress all who saw and heard him with
the idea that great change had come over
him-that he was indeed an altered man, at
least in one important respect, from what he
was when before the people for the same
office, two years ago Then, as will be re-
membercd by all who heard him, he was not
only bold and Outspoken, but cheerful and
buovant in spirit, aud decidedly aggressive in
the plan of his campaign, and, thereby, able
to infuse much of his own confidence and
this was "a part of his system" which was,
perhaps. the main element of his strength.
and contributed more than any other to his
success But the reverse of this is the case
oqqressire, he is evidently timid, depressed,
and altogether on the defensive; from the
first 10 the last word of his speech, manifest
ing a consciousness of the unsOundness and
uncertainty of his footing, and being driven
to the urgent necessity of warding off, by all
1.-THE cunning arts of fence" certain anticipa-
ted blows which he had not real strength to
stand up against, if they should hit him fair.
And so. too, with his friends, or such of them
a. t1.p 1ya0r hat = -
his home, the manifestations of applause were
so ..few and faIs between" that the impress
sion was irresistible that if he had many
followers among the hearers they were not
in the mood to make it known. 1t was not
until we witness, this state of things. that
we fully appreciated that extraordinary
leader of our neighbOrs of the AyaIdHehe,
which appeared some week or so since, III
which, in a spirit so evidently anxious, and
in a style so trauscendantly hifuiutiR, they de-
precated the idea that "the Demtcracy is on
the defensive.'
We can now understand. upon the doctrine
that coming events cast their shadows be-
fore" what a "big scare" was upon the Gov
ernor, and admire, to the full, how faithfully
the organ did body forth the unhappy state
and condition of the high source from which
its supply of wind (upon which Col. Neither
land cOmplimented it so highly, yesterday
is derived. Yes, Gov. Harris is on tie deftn-
size as the chosen leader of party. here in
Tennessee, is arraigned upon charges, grave
in their character, and terrible in their i'm
port, and, in the clear strong light of the
evidence in support of them, cannot he sue
cessfully met before an honest and patriotic
people He is on The defeRsire-drveu TO the
wall and there with facts. like so many spears
Col. Nethcrland has pinned him, and there he
will hold him fast.
The matter of the Governors speech was
no less unhappy for himself, than its spirit
In substance. it presented but two points
First. his views of State policy as to the
Banks of the Stnte; and second, his claims OF
Constitutional nationality for the Democratic
party, upon the Slavery question
In respect to the first, on the Bank question
he undertook to define his position, and de-
fend his policy. His position. however, with
all his defining, was lar from being clear and
satisfactory to any one; for he dealt only in
vague and general terms, which might mean
one thing or another. just as the eXigencies OF
a tricky POLITICIAN might make polite in one
place or another; and his policy. so far as il
was Ineligible at all, was utterly repugnant
and indefensible to the Judgment Of every in
telligent, practical man of business. He
would not declare himself, directly and abs0-
lutely, against all banks. and in favor of an
exclusively hard money currency, because that
might iniure him with the commercial com
munity in whose midst he then was; nor
would he declare directly against an eX-
clusively hard money currency, for fear of that
hard autocrat of his party, Andy johnson,
and his agrarian followers. But. so tar as his
views could be made out at all, he tried "a
"split the difference" by favoring the charter
of a number of banks upon conditions which
he, and every man of common sense, well
knows would render the whole system i'm
practicable, and drive every dollar of bank
ing capital from the State. So, although he
had neither the candor nor the courage to de-
clare in so many words what he really was
and seemed LAS deaf as post or rs dumb as
an oyster" when questioned over and over
again upon this point, his competitor truly
characterized him as an exclusively hard
money man, and dared him 10 deny il.
In defense of himself, he seemed to think
Il necessary 10 assail all the Banks in the
State. and To charge the most of them. 10y
implication at least, with conduct, in thf
management of their affairs, which. if pcrpe
trated by individual men, would exclude them
from decent society, IL not consign them e
the penitentiury but amid all this fierce
warfare upon the Banks, il could not fail tC
attract the attention of Memphis audience
aud owing to certain circumstances to be- men
toned presenlly, To ssem most extraordinary
TO many that his whole manner changed, rs
by the touch OF some magic wand, when be
came TO deal with the Cstselss' Bank Of .hsss-
tAis. Among the other Banks, be was a very
Caliban ia his gambols. and clattercd through
their aristocratie parlors. aud kicked their
rich furniture about. with all the heavy grace
of a rough-shod Conestoga wagon horse; bat
when be entered the precincts Of this Citisoas
Bank aforesaid, he was observed 10 eneass
his feet in the thinest and softest pair oi
pumps, and amble IS lightly over that ground
as II be had been dancing among eggs. Why
was this We shall see presently.
The claim be set up for the Democratic
party. that n was national in its organization
constitutional In its uolicv uDou the slavery