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

strong electlOneeFlnS trump caro- OF eacn one
of them, IN the North, that not another slave
State can be, or will be, admitted into the
Union. These things, Gov. Harris dared not |
avow; but he did not and cannot deny. /
After Gov. HARRIS bad occupied something /
more than his hour and half, Col. Neither |
land proceeded. for the same length of time |
to reply. He would. he said. before replying |
to what might be considered the more materi- |
al part of the Governors harrangue. brush |
away some of the trash and dust, and filth. |
consisting of some of the usual clap-trap of
the demagoguel with which his Excellency
had sought to blind the eyes of the audience |
and cucumber the discussion. This duty was
performed with a bold and strong hand, and,
at the same time, with degree of graceful
good humor, which served to introduce him
most favorably to his hearears. And this ia
vorable impression made in the beginning, we
were happy to observe. continued throughout
as was manifested alike by the pleased e1-
preston to be seen upon every face, by the
most respectful attention, and by frequent
and most hearty out-bursts of applause
Col Netherland first took up, and disposed
of Gov. Harris's remarks on the Slavery
question. by showing land that, too, upon
the highest Democratic authOrity-such as
their National Conventions, &C., that the
whole question had long since been settled
and was no longer a living issue. as between
political parties; and further, that all agita-
tation upon the subject whether in or out of
Congress, especially such as the Democratic
| candidates are now trying to excite in the
South, was not only in bad faith, on their
part, as violating the solemn and reiterated
pledges to be found in their platforms, but
| for the lowest aud basest electiOneering pur-
poses with the special view of making side
| issue which they know to be immaterial. in
| order to divert attention from the fearfully
extravagant and grossly corrupt practices of
| their party, which is now in power, as 1t has
| been for nearly eight years past. AS furnish
| ing a practical test, uneTringly true in
| its indications, to prove that the leaders of
| the Democratic party in the South are not
| sincere in the fears they express, and the agi-
! tation they would excite upon the slavery
| question. Col. Netherland referred to the fact,
| that as the high price of any kind of proper
| ty and the desire to invest money in it. is
| the brst evidence of the public conviction of
the safety and security of its tenue; so, as ne
| gro property has been rising in price for Il
number of years past, and is now higher than
| it has been before at any period of our hsto-
| ry with still an upward tendency, the infer
| ence is irresistible and conclusive that there
| is nothing in the politics of the country so
| far as the policy or influenced any party, IN
| anv part Of the Union. is concerned, which
| Threatens the institutions of tlavery with
danger, or warrants any uneasiness or agita-
| ton of the public mind in regard TO 1t. This
| is an argument to which there is no answer
| a conclusion from which there is no escape.
He next took up Gov. Harris's bank policy,
! and showed, in a manner at once clear and
| conclusive, that, if the Governor meant any
| thing at all by the equivOcal and Delphic-
| ike oracles he had given out upon this sub
| iect, and was really sincere Gas he had no
| reason to doubt, he was an ultra Destructive,
| So far as the best interests of the State were
| concerned. as involved in her commercial, and
| other leading business transactions. Taking
| Andy Johnson as the great leader of the Dem
| Ocralic party in the State, aud assuming, as
| he was warranted. in doing. that Gov Harris
was one of Andy's lieutenants, thinking un-
! der his dictation. and obedient to his orders,
| he was bound to conclude that the Governor
| was an exclusively hard money man, and OPP
| posed to all banks. This he called upon the
| Governor to deny if he could or dared; but
| las Il sheep is silent before her shearers, so
| he opened not his mouth Col. Netherland
| now proceeded TO examine Gov. Harris upon
the subject OF the Citizens Bank Of Memphis to
which we have before referred, and If this was
| not the severest, the Governor seemed to feel
| it as the most acutely painful thrust he had
| received during the whole conflict. And well
| he might so feel it, as doubtless did his friends
| for him; for take it all in all, We have rarely
| seen any gentleman in Il more awkward, not
| to say painful, dilemma. Doubtless, II was
|
| so much pain upon his competitor; but the
course of that competitor left him no alier-
| native 1t was in unavoidable vindicatiOn
| of himself against the charges of Gov. Harris,
| that Col Netherland was forced to bring the
thing to light. 1t came about in this wise.
As part of his system OF warfare upon the
| Banks, and upon those who advocated them,
or voted for one of their characters, the Gov
ernOr had charged, in various parts of the
]
| Netherland had voted for the charter of this
| Citizens Bank which Bank. as the Governor
| alleged, had turned out to be a grand S1c'Rdte
| and inflicted great losses upon the pc ople
&c. To this the Colonel replied that he had
| voted for that charter believing 1t to be
! good one, and that its ownership and manage
ment was going as they did go. into the
hands of certain goods Democratic fri nds of
Gov. Harris, at Memphis, but that if it had
been managed dishonesty, and had turned
out to be Il slciIldie he much regretted the
fact. But said the Colonel, further. to the
Governor, although you denOunce the man
agement of that Bank, so roundly away out
here in the interior, wish to see what you
| will do about it when you get down among
the Polk Democracy, at Memphis. AID come
to face the Walkers-the owners of the bank.
| wish to gee if you will denounce ii as a
swindle down there, as you do up here.
| And sure enough, as we have already men
toned. when the Governor came to deal with
the same subject here, face to face with the
| owners and managers of that bank, and
where as he had alleged, the great swindle
had been nerpetrated, the delicacy aud ten
derness with which he dealt with 1t was truly
wonderful, and most editying to behold. To
this matter and the particular aspect OF 1t,
verifying, as it did his anticpations, Col.
| Netherland could not avoid calling attention.
| He set forth the facts and circumstances just
| as they occurred, and held them up to Gov.
Harris as a mirror. in which he might see him
self as Others saw him.
Whereupon, kind reader, what do you sup
pose Gov Harris did, Why, be did neither
| more nor less than back right out from it, by
saving that Col. Netherland must certainly
be mistaken, as be had never charged fraud
| upon that Bank nor characterized its manage
| ment as a swindle. But Col. Netherland was
| not 10 be put of or his declaration set aside,
| by any such backing out or denial. He re-
| heated and reiterated his declaration that
| Gov Harris had said so, and said so on sever
| al occasions at different places, which places
and occasions h" specified Indeed as must
be obvious to all, the very point of the Gov
ernor's charge against Col Netherland, in
this connection consisted in this very allega-
ton that the Bank had proved swindle.
But. not only j. the fact established, as stated
by Col. Netherland, upon his own positive
declaration, sustained by the natural circum-
stances of the case; but il Is still further sus-
tanned by Gov. Harris's own friends, and
made public through his organ in this city.
Thus. in the AuaLInche of the 9th inst, cor
respondent, friendly to Gov. Harris, and
adopted as reliable by his organ, writing from
Galiatin. aud giving an account of the dis
cussion between the candidates for Cover
nor at that place, makes the following state
ment:
"He (Gov. Harris) showed that Col. Meth
erland had voted for the Citizens Bank with
out attempting to guard aud protect its note