Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-05-19
THE MEETING LAST NIGHT.
A Joint Discussion Between
Etheridge and Stokes.
A Large Assembly at the
GreenlaW.

- " dAhAtaN N3PANtANr 2 q - AAACC VI
ladies being present, seated in the par
quet. The second tier was well flied,
The vast concourse must have numbered
nigh TO three thousand.
Prof. Withers' band was in attend
aDce, and RECALLED he assembly with
choice and appropriate airs.
GEN W. B. STOKES SPEECH.
Gen. Stokes appeared on the stage
about half-past eight, supported by
several pillows of the radical party.
Mr.. Cameron announced that he was
sorry he mad to report Mr.. Etheridge
with a high fever, but he was glad to say
that, If possible, he would be present and
grace the occasion with his presence, II
not with a speech.
II. Z. Hudson. Esq, deprecated the
sickness OF Mr.. Etheridge, and eraved a
close ear TO the argument Of Gen. Stokes,
whom he introduced, and was received
with applause, which was not general.
Gen. Stokes began his reBsrks
by saying he was prOudt to
see GO many present he would not de-
tain the audience long in consequence of
the sickness Of his friend, Mr.. Etheridge.
He promised to be respectful ; would use
no hard names; merely would he ask
the attention desired by every American
citizen; he was sorry for some side re-
marks he had heard Mr.. Etheridge, he
said, had spoken yesterday three hours
and a hall, I only two hours he had
understood that Etheridge was to speak
first, he was to close Etheridge had
spoken five hours his language might
be coarse; he did not claim learning he
had had to work out his life from three
years of age he had studied no profess
sion be was a farmer by trade
and titled the soil, except when
his people saw fit to put him in a differ
1 ent position. He did not desire to say a
word disrespectful to Etheridge if he
did he would take it back. He was
struck with surprise that Etheridge had
taken this advantage of him. He re-
ferred to the DUNCAN letter. l wrote it
under peculiar circumstances and when
he asked mel it was correct, 1 answered
No. / wa asked to explain. l said in
my letter that Lincoln had violated the
constitution. l did it because able
jUrists had so said; but l found
they had been misguided. He said he
would cease to do wrong when be WAS
satisfied he was wrong. Mr.. EtheTidge
said it was not c0Dtradicted in the pre-
sence Of forty men. ] said by the issues
made We are compelled to take sides, for
one side or the other. l shall take my
stand with the federal government.
(Applause.) On the 18th Of May / an
nOunced appointments, and spoke in
Tennessee against the separation; he
had met many prominent gentlemen
and discussed the q<IestiOn; he spoke
against separation, and l had my rebel
friends and rebel soldiers around me /
was not mOlested, and then / contradicted
the Duncan letter. My friend T.. says
he did not stay, but left and went to
Washington. He charged that l spoke to
a company Of rebel soldiers, and urged
them TO 90 to Virginia that is another
mistake he made. At the time these
troops were being organized to stand be-
tween the breakwater, they were in
Tennessee and when they had taken
the position of Kentucky, they did not
20 to Virginia, but to Camp Trousdale.
/ would like TO know this fact
in 1868, when Lincoln was
moving heaven and earth to
increase the federal force, Mr.. Lincoln
issued his emancipation proclamation.
Mr.. Eetheridge turned his battery, spoke
against Lincoln, was stabbing him, and
it went to the country. lat this point
Etbsridge appeared, when the house
broke Into the widest applause. When
the uproar had ceased Mr.. Stokes con-
.lhlaEG. hlu Edlu AlaA HACu MI LNLNT D
ridge was defeated for clerk Of the house
REPRESENTATIVES, then he turned against
herepublican party. He calls the radicals
the meanest man on earth those who
guarded him as he slept IN his dOWny
pillow. He regretted to see this abuse
were not arguments. He de-
.lared that there were thirty or forty
members Of the legislature that did not
a vote if l had said that, Eth
sridge would say, "yOu lie." l know
he fact that there was not q member of
legislature, who did not receive
l know my people twenty
thousand of them voted that state
ticket. Mr.. EtheTidge read the decision
the court. Al were big generals who
and tried the case. My friend asked
Why We did not print the record at
Washington. l made the statement
hat a captain of the court be set up on
rial, and the SQUIRT decided they had no
Jurisdiction over the case. He never did
how YOU where the court dismissed the
.ase. Well, ne comes in and says Stokes I
tell what 8 demurrer Is. Ether |
dye knew perfectly well that l was {
lot a lawyer, yet he will throw out Z
0 the crowd that though l was
LAWYER | did not know what
demurrer is, whereas now l am not q F.,
he says l supported johnson |
.fter his veto of the bureau bill-Jhat | :
EFT Washington at his instance, came to :
Nashville l wa requested by Johnson |
here was going to be a split in the party; :
came to Nashville; a committee found :
hat [ was still in the old landmarks, {
nd never invited me to speak / made Q
nv speech on the 22d Of February :
went back in March went 70 Con l
and made speeches for the :
7niOn; the result was burnley was /.
l did defend Andrew Johnson. !
said to him, ''you are charged with go =
lg over to the democratic party :" he |
lid, "it is not so - l then went to Con- !.
ress and defended Andrew johnson D.
BON after that he made his leap and re- T
udiated the very man who guarded him /
[ Nashville; there I let him 60, and !,
lere Etheridge took him up. / wish I /
ad q letter he wrote to Andrew John =
On / will ask him to state whether he =
the truth in that letter with Z
to Lincoln and johnson. d
Re denounced the freedmenls buresu as 7
'OrthIess-a nuisance it did not feed, *
e said, the poor white people. Now, he d
IS a little mistaken; for it was not .
lere for the purpose Of feeding whites !,
nd Towards report shows that two n
lirds white and one-half black were fed =
ON the freedmen's bureau. / wish MIN =
!, tell you whether he will, If elected :
DvernOr, advise them to request congress Il
!, blot out the bureau n civil rights ;,
III ? He alluded to the Niger holding of II
1ices; he says his platform prefers !.
!, give the negroes office; u
lngress has already, in its reconstruc- y
act. given those rights 10 the negro. g
don't think it would ruin anybody if u
were to hold offices; better for a -
,lored man to do the work ami DO it -
ght, than for q white man to do il u
rong. But EtheTidge is a little too late a
the day. Let him show you where -
all this struggle he ever said me soli- II
Nv word in favor Of it. Then, I say, =
ter all this work is done, 1 ask him y
i'll he recommend to the legislature ~
wine out these laws; If he don't do it, u
ien this legislature has done its duty. ~
e says that we radicals say that il the 81
don't vote right we will take the =
ght to vote from them. ! have always Il
Id them to 20 to the polls and vote AS u
eemen, and don't let any body modest =,
1u. l have the right to give my reason u
by they should vote the radical ticket, ~ ~
I'd Etheridge Uice versa. My opinion :,
that they know their friends and will y
tNE Tie AaAAALaA AAkhGAs A. 6dN6 GhEll IL
,nservative voted to enfranchise the -;
.gger and the white man. Now, sir, if ~
lu are for universal suffrage why did VI
lu did not vote for it when the legisla- Is
d-isfranchised the whites2 1t is said -
sold niggers. l belonged to the ruling e
irty so did Etheridge. 1 have been ~
He'd an abOlitiOnist, and so has Ethe- u
dye; he denies ever being an aboli- -
Onist; l admit I sold niggers, when 1 ~
,uld not help myself. l had to pay my u.
Jnest debts he icy sold them, be- "
use he would perpetuate slavery. He ~
as opposed to the emancipation, be- -
use it would prolong the war. What did ~
"a care If you were not in it? (Appluse.) VI
e alluded to what occurred in the st. ~
.oud at Nashville; to Campbell, who T.
ught bravely in Mexico. When the "
came that Gen. Forrest had taken Is
urfreesboro, Campbell proposed to put ~
ms In the hands OF every man. News ~
me that Forrest was coming. Where N
ere you, Campbell ? He went to Lou "