Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-05-04

asserted. ard the contracts, he said, we're no.
awarded, according TO the proposals., to the Lowest
bidder He would cite q single instance, that Of
Msrrick & Sons, Of Philadelphia, TO whom were
awarded the contract Of furnishing machinery for
certain slOops, notwithstanding there was respon-
sible bid several thousand dollars lower than theirs
His competitor charged that the appropriations
were carried by opposition votes. Rhe had not read
The record wrong, from 1855 10 the present time, no
large appropriation had been made that majority
Of Democrats did not vote for it. As an instance
of the extraTsgancs Of that party, he referred to
the furnishing Of the House Of Representatives, and
mentioned the cost Of sundry articles among which
were mirrors and wash stands. When he went to
college he washed his face in the branch and used
towel in common with four others.
| When Gen. HARRISON died Congress gave to his
widow $4,000, the balance of his years salary, and
he remembered with wat burst Of indignation the
Democracy denounced this extravagant waste Of the
peoples money. Now they thought nothing Of paying
$3.50 for looking glass; $50 for set Of chairs,
SO for French sofa, and $50 for wash stand,
Why, said he, if you would give many man in East
Tennessee the money paid for that looking glass; he
would make fortune with it.
! But be had said that the Democrats had so nearly
baakrupted the government, that it could not pay
forty dollars, and he would nov furnish the proof
Of it. MAJ in his town, good Democrat, (he
was sorry to see 50 many Of them about there, but
"a heap" Of them we're going TO vote for him, and
he thought they were the pret,est men he ever saw y
had contract on little mail route up there. He
had been sued for eight dollars, the stay had ex-
Pired, and they we're about to levy upon all he had,
when lie beth ought him Of forty dollars due him
from the Post Osiee Department He got his Gre
ditor wait until be could send to Washington fer
the money, but he didn't get it. He received let
ter from Mr. ZEvELY, Third Assistant Postmaster
General, telling him he Department had no money
and could not pay; but if be wished to transfer his
claim, the Department would send him the proper
form. Here was poor man about to be sacrificed,
and the government could not pay him forty dol
lars, bat told aim to go to the shaver who would
buy his claim; but he would probably have to subs
nit to shave OF twenty-five per cent before he
could get the money to save his properly. The
practices Of the Democratic party, said Colonel
NETHERLAEB, have brought the Union to the verge
Of ruin.
Col. NETHERLAND said. that Hon. CAVE JoHSsos,
the President of the Bank of Tennessee, and good
Democrat, seeing the ruin that would be brought
upon the Democr tic party by the Government re-
fusDg to pay IT'S debs, had proposed to take $4,000
from the Bank Of Tennessee, and to get $50 000
more each from the Planters and Union Banks,
with which to pay the Government debts. It was
simply "hush money" to be given to the mail con-
tractors, 10 keep them from grumblng. 1t was q
Z .,l-
mate business to give to mail contractors, in order
to save the Democratic party.
His competitor had figured great deal to sbew
that the State net Fairly disriced By the Legis
lature of 1851, andh4d arraigued him for that IN
fairness because he Wss on the committee and help
ed fix and arrange the districts as they are. All he
could make of his competitors argument was that
the State had not been disrieted to suit the Demo-
cratic party, For himself, he could cay that he
didnt mean to satisfy that party.
There Col EErHERLAsD announced that his time
had expired
GOV. HARRIs' REJoIxDER.
Col. EETHERLAyD had closed his remarks by say
ing that in the appOrOnmentO Of State neither party
should accuse the other of being too much control
ed by partisan motives. Gov. HARRIS commenced
has rejoiuder by Saying that he had net pretended
to say what motives Influenced Col NETHERLAND in
his very unjust ard unequal spportonment of tine
State It was certainly true that under that appor-
tionment man in one district of the State Of Ten
nessee had more political power than in others.
For instance in the sixth Senatorial District 3643
voters elected SeBator while in the third District
T. 937 voters Wererequirsd, under Gel. NETHERLANDS
spportionmeDt, to elect a Senator. It was certain
that as Col n. laid off the State, it required more
than twice many voters in the third District TO
choose one member of The State Senate, than it did
in the sixth District. It was certain that, according
to this apportiOnment, voter had twice as much
political power in one District as he had in another
He left Col NETHERLAND to explain this inequality
and this injustice
His competitor had attempted to justify grave
act of injustice to the people Of Tennessee by which
a portion Of them had been deprived of their fair
and equal proportion Of power, by saying that nei
Their party had a light to complain of the other for
OBJ aiming an advantage in apportioning the Dis
tricts. Gov. Harris thought that ell parties had
q right to complain of such wrong and injustice as
this. A great principle had been violated, great
wrong had been inflicted upon the freemen of Ten.
nessee, every one Of whom is entitled TO an equal
voice in controlling the government; aud no mere
partisan feeling, no motive Ct party advantage
would justify the act by which that principle
had been infracted and that great wrong had been
perpe,rated. He did not think that party policy |
would excuse the infringement of q fundamental
right of the people
Col NETHERLAED in his opening speech referred |
to the fact that the Post Office Appropriation /
bill had been defeated in the last Congress- and said
that mail contractor, poor man in East Tonnes
gee, on applying TO the Department for $40 which
was due from the government to him, for mail SER
vice, had received reply (which Col. N ready in
forming him that Congress had roade no appropri.
ations from which he could be paid.
Gov HARRIS IN reply to this, said that Col NEru-
ERLAND well knew that the Post Office bill had been
defeated by the fsctious conduct of the Opposition
in Congress. Mr.. Grow, an Opposition member
from Pennsylvania, almost the last day of the
session, had raised an objection to the Senate
amendments to the Post Ofios bill which produced
The defeat of the measure But, said Gov. Harris.
had Col NETHERLANDS policy in the legislature pre-
7ailed-if the majority of that body had voted as
col. NETHERLASD voted, Egainst exempting the
property of the poor man from execution, the off,