Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-03-10
The .Grand Array, in Council.

ItNss good fortune TO be present at the re-
cent meeting of the Opposition in Maury. We need
not say that we amused since it is impossible
to attend such a meeting and witness the efforts of
decayiDg politicians struggling for life, without dis
covering therein fund of amusement This meet
ing, however, deserves serious notice at our hands
1t was organized by calling 10 the chair Gen. G. W.
GORDON, clever, talented gentlemen, for whom in
the social walks Of life, entertain the highest
spect. 1t was appropriate however, that Gen.
GORDON, the inveterse political foe of JAMES K
Polk, and the enemy for long series of years of
the democracy OF Maury county, who had Waged
bitter, uneeasRg upon them and their princi-
Pies, should be called upon to preside q meet
ing of the Opposition. 1t was, under the circum-
stances "a nomination fit to be made" Il was "a
cy and funny to the gravity, with which this
hOary sinner, (puliucaly,) opened The meeting and
preached against the alleged vices of the day. The
scene brought wildly to mind the story Of Captain
SIMON SUGGs at the camp meeting calling on his
brethren to 'ants up" and we are sure had the
Captain been present. he would have gin in" TO the
General Altogether the speech of the General was
remarkable one. The General was sOrely troubled
with the misrule of the powers that bs-that is to
bAyy DAHt udu uO IA Inv Pte' AZ SA4S'SN1
deeply grieved at the cOrruptiOns of the dominant
party-fOrgetting the defalcatOns of BURrOS Co.
He lamented the extragsgsnce Of the General Gov
erDment,-not remembering that BELL & Co., voted
for those measures which give method to the charge.
He was Mortified that the Kansas and Nebraska
bill was pronounced a cheat by it's friends and sup
pOrters as he ssid-not thinking that his party OPP
posed the repeal of the Missouri restriction. which
had consecrated the whole of the territory North Of
36O 3OI to abolitionism and anti>slsvery. And to
make confusion worse cOnfOunded, in his idea, it
was proposed to make hard money, the currency of
the peOple-a currency, which, if adopted, Gays he,
the agents Of the government will have to be in
creased and hence also our expenses, because the
present employees cannot count the gold and silver
received and paid out in the collection and dis
bursement Ofthe revenue"
For the sake of the General, we mention, that he
has been 'C in Georgia." for several years, and it
is not be presumed that he is aware of the fact
that in 1886 the Independent Treasury was estab-
Iished-nOr that he knows that it was Know No
thing Legislature that elected BURTON and LUT- |
THRILL, nor that by the Kansas and Nebraska act,
the South obtained new trial upon the question of
slavery in these Territories, being excluded by
Odious restriction or that JOHN BILL Co. by vote
and speech are responsible for the extrsvagant |
measures that have swelCd the expenses of the !
government. Our friends memory does him iDjus-
tiee since in calling the attention CT the people of
Maury to the fact that be had been g candidate be-
fore them years ago for seat in the Legislature he
reminded them Of the prophecies he then made,
aud that lime had vindicated the corrsc of the
principles he then advocated. The General forgot
that his former principles and party, pro-
pOunced 'efet." in 1855, and that upon its eOrrup
lions and ruins Know>NOthngism claims to have
arisen. So important political fact in the history
of the county, should not have escaped the atteu-
tiOn of General GORDON. He must have known it,
and we cannot account for his declarations except
upon defect of memory
But the exhcrtatiOn of the General was touching.
He called upon the patriotic men of all parties, TO
rally with u.s., the OTPOsiiiOH, against the present
rulers who, said he do not sgres upon any single
point some being for specific duties and others for
ad valorem-sOme for sqUstter sovereignty, others
against it-sOme for hard money, others for paper
money, and on. This was a terribly thrilling
point. The General, more candid than the body Of
his rarity did not content himself with saying
that whichever way you are, gentlemen, we are op-
posed 10 you but added: Fellow citizens l admit
TO you and glory in the admission, that upon mi
nor details of policy, there are differences Of opin
ion amongst u.s. the opposition, but still Ws all stdHd
upon the broad platform Of patriOt'sm." We admit
that this beats the mill-dam platform, all hollow.
1t was sxpleit-it was satisfaetOry-tOthe General,
and he gut
The only thing valuable, We learned from this
meeting was the ayOWed purpose of the Know No
thing party, to make the re>chsrter Of the Union
and Planters Banks question in the coming can.
Vass. We had supposed that this question would
come up individually but not that it would become
part Of the creed of the Opposition. II State
WigWsm shall be as explicit we shall have some
thing tangible from the OPpOsitiOn-Ws note it now