Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-02-09
Mr.. Etlelidga and the Democracy.

Mr.. Ethridge OF Tennessee, made one of tho
most mirth provoking speeches of the session,
on Tuesday Of last week. lie was referring to
tie fact that the dsunion Democracy supported
an old Wing and Know Nothing, Smith of
North Carolina, for Speaker and afterwards at
tempted to unite the Southern Wing and Know
Nothing strength upon Douglas Democrat,
Mr.. McClernand of Illinois. In commenting
upon this change of action, Mr., Ethridge made
some damaging hits at Douglas, and his de-
mocracy in particular. A correspondent gives
detailed account of the closing scene from
which we extractthe following:
Immediately after the roll-call this morning,
John Sherman, of Ohio, took his natural place
on the floor as the Republican leader. He call
ed the previous question on a motion for a UivG
UOce vote, and at once displayed tactics which,
if they could have been used in his own behalf,
might have elected hun.
Joshua Hill of Georgia-one of the South
American leaders, then rises to oppOsethe NOM
ination. lie makes the best excuse he can for
not fulfilling the agreement made on Smith, but
the sense of the House is against him, and even
his large popularity cannot redeem the effort.
He is followed Immediately by that silver
tongued and subtle mischief maker Emerson
Etheridge, who better than any other American
on the floor knows how to make the worse APP
pear the better SIDE Etheridge, previously de
scribed, announces that " having made up his
mind to vote for Democrat, he is ready to
take the neanest of the crew." lie then
branches off into vigorous and bitter support
of the Popular Sovereignty mon-praising
Judge Douglas for consistency and McClernand
as an " unconquerablC rebel from the North
west" Having made this wound sufficiently
raw, he next proceeds to tear off the cicatrice
from the Slave Code wound, and finally rips up
an grand style that halfhealed old ulcer about
"'Sf0rcible disuniOn in case VIM II. Seward,
Salmon P. Chase, or Charles Sumner, should
be elected President" In fact he presents
amongst his reasons for sustainsng McClernand
every possible consideration which should in
duce extreme Southern men to vote against him!
1t is master piece of mischief-ferce, vehe-
ment and full Of lurid humor. Every feather
of rhetoric guides q poisoned arrow, and with
every laugh raised at his wit vote falls off
from the candidate whom he pretends to be
supporting.
Cochrane and Hill reply on various points,
but are unable to interrupt or turn aside this
luminous, mad torrent of political vitriol.-
Etheridge persists in praising " those noble
Northwestern Democrats, who drew their
swords and threw away the scabbards in the Ill
inois campaigp"-a hit which EFFORTS many and
bitter groans from Thomas B. FlorOnee, and
makes every Administration member writhe.-
:" Yes" shouts Emerson exultantly, / repeat
that the the poor, miserable blood Of thepoor-
est and most miserable postmaster throbbed and
thrilled with seeretand irrepressible enthusiasm
while witnessing that heroic single hand-to-
hand encounter, in which Judge Douglas, fight
ing for life and principle, met, conquered and
abolished the whole combined influences of par
ty and patronage during the Last campaign in
Illinois" Then-having thus sown all the
seeds of discord, guanoed them, and heated the
atmosphere so that they might ripen with sud-
den and deadly growth-Mr Etheridge conclud-
ed with admirable gravity by casting his vote
for the candidate VINO alight possibly have been
elected burt for this TRADE