The New York herald., 1866-09-04
GENERAL DAVIS 1ILLsuS ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
The Radicals Seek Lion, but Catch n

GENERAL DAVIS TlLls0H ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
The Radicals Seek "a Lion, but Catch a
Tartar.
Tho radicals of Knox county, Me- lately held con-
venton and having been entertained by of the
orators with the common clapirap of the party al
present regarding the barbarsm Of the Southern people
invited General Tlson, Of the Freedmens Bureau, tc
address them The Boston Post contains the following
account of his speech
General Davis Tlson in town. General Tillson is
well known throughout the land the able Commits
soner of the Freedens Bureau in the State Of Geor
He served with great dist notion through the war, and
helt Independent commands in Eastern Tennessee and
other States of the Union He Is gentleman. patriot
this a good opportunity to bolster up their
falling fortunes by exhibiting this distinguished man
IN the attitude Of defender Of Congressional PARTISAN
ship and denouncer Of the President They extended
TO him an invitation to address the convention which
tho General accepted. How terrible was their disap.
pointment How grlevous their sorrowl They found
him patriot instead of partisan, true lover Of his
country preferrng solely its interests and laborng to
promote peace and harmony throughout its whole ex
tent aud among all its varied people
The General said he not there TO make political
speech he had been entirely engrosed with his du
ties in the army and the Bureau during the past five
years that he had paid attention to political matters
he had devoted himself wholly to doing his duty and
trying to alleviate the suerings of the people Of the
South make the Bureau instrument of good for
both the whites and the blacks At the close of the war
there none in Georga disposed to give the negro
rights the relations and duties of the races TO each
other we're not understood.
With the low ignorant whites the facts substan-
tally the now but the Of the intelligent peo
pie of the State had entirely changed in that respect and
to-day laws stood upon their statute books Of their
voluntary adoption giving negroes equal civil rights with
the whites and in their higher without excep.
ton and in their inferior courts with very few excep
tions negroes now receive the same treatment the same
impartial administration Of the law as meted out to
the whites The rights Of testfypg and suing in the
same courts to protection Of person and properly and
telgent men of the South now appreciate the benefits
arising from this state Of Affairs Tho General dcpre
Gated political excitement and strife At the North; he
stely at the South. and were always dis
advantageous 10 the negro. He was very severe
upon that class who go South from pretended motives Of
philanthropy, but in reality to cheat and plumber the
poor blacks OF their hard earned wages They
always meddiesome, without Judgment or discretion,
and continually exciting the negroes. Their con1uct
tended directly to provocaon Of war between the
In managing the affairs Of the Bureau 1t only
Judgment Theories must yield. Theoretical men can
not succeed Practical common sense men are wanted
In speaking Of the outrages OF which accounts are con-
stanty published In the Northern papers, he stated tho
II true many were committed and in some instances
the perpetrators were concealed that punishment
could be meted out In the inter
est was felt 10 punishment follow the offence at
one s Of 10 a TO
very small In comparison with the number OF the
population, ana many of those reported were fonnd
to have foundation in fact TO be greatly exagger
ated, So Of the reports printed in Northern papers
Many OF them absolutely false, the others often
exaggerated But the difficulty was, the Northern peo
pie only the facts reported msstated they gener
ally we're and considered that treatment of the negroes
TO be tho rule, whereas II was only the exception.
TfiE SOUTHERN PEoPLs
In speaking Of tie disposition or the people the Gene
raj said that the intelligent men felt that they had sub
mitted their differences the highest tribunal known
among mcn-that Of arms; that they had been thor
oughlv whipped how thoroughly should never know
suffered too much for that that they believed ali ther
future hopes 81 national and personal prosperity lay In
the maintenance OF the general government and that
while In their hearts they did not love the mt
OF the Northern people better than before they had
still determined to be goot lawabid ny citizens and he
had doubt that to-day they for all practical pur
poses as loyal 70 the government as any men North.
Persons from the North are perfectly safe among them
provided only that - nsy ,s sonaaos themselves with the
While speaking OF the President in answer TO an in
terrogatory Of Of the members as TO Elbows Andyg
without distinctly stating whether or not he was his car
supporter he said he believed in his heart the Pre-
sident Intended TO do what was right He paid high
compliment TO the intense loyalty Of the men OF East
| Tennessee, and said he thought majority OF them
would be found TO be supporters Of the President s
The General paid high compliment to the ability and
integrity Of General Howard and said that in the
aeement Of the Bureau the President, Howard and
RADICAL DISCOMFORT
The speech, which In conversational style, was
quite lengthy aud exceedingly interesting. cannot Of
course undertake report any but few the promi-
fcaurcs OF 1t, aud that impereoty but the senti
ments are think, correct II fell like a wet blanket
upon our friends who had just listened intensely
speech just suited to them from Deputy Collector
simonton, Of Camden. Not mark Of applause not a
cheer could these Union loving people bestw upon their
gallant fellow citizen All silence OF the grave,
only broken when brother in mournful tone pro.
posed some in'errogatory 10 cic III possible some
| more favorable information.
Sprague OF the Democrat and Fer Pess. partcu.
larry ugu1rous, and attempted TO the General
by citing Of cruelty and barbarty narrated 10
him by Southern resident; hut the General told
hn he knew OF the instances to be false entirely,
and had doubt the others might be greatly exagger
alcd In any event they were very exceptional
\ MEL AScBoLy
At the close OF the speech the convention separated in
NJ cnce None of the customary enthusiasm cheers.
Ile calm candid speech OF tho General exhibiting what
they could not doubt the true state OF affairs in the
80 ith had for tho taken their political capital
ont OF their heads, aud with II all their pluck They
| la not yet recovered.