Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-05-31
For the Chronicle.
ETHERIDGE AND STOKES.

On yesterday, Thursday, the 23d, had,
in common with large audience, both white
and black, the rare pleasure of listening to a
speaker of the foremost ability, and at the
same time the not rare disgust Of being COM
pelleo to endure for hours, the same infiic-
tion that Balaam once suHerd only for mo-
ment. ! need not add that allude to the
discussion between Emerson Etheridge, the
CONSERVATIVE candidate for Governor, and
"Billy Stokes" the hero of "Calf-killer," and
the writer Of the "Duncan letter. and the
man whose expenses Mr. e. had agreed to
contribute to, If he would accompany him,
Mr.. E.) through the canvass.
nrLLy's SPEECH"
The '..writer of the Duncan letter" opened
the discussion, and spoke, according to ar
rangement, two hours. These were the long
est two hours ever remember to have spent
in my life, not even excepting the occasion.
when l had to wait that length of time in an
anteroom, to know the result of my first ex-
perience In the parental line. am sure this
tardy fight of time was not due to any i'm
patience with ''Billy's" sentiments, for am
always much better pleased to hear an able
statement of antagonistic, opinions than an
acquiescence with my own. 1t is not my
purpose to give the details of the speeches OF
either Mr.. Etheridge or "Billy," and if did,
I | could not certainly seize upon any notice
able points made by "Billy" throughout his
two hours of interminable twadlle. l ven
ture to say that no one Of the few Radicals
who heard him can now point out any one
salient in the mole track he made over the
extent of ground he burrowed in. And /
think this is fair question to ask them, be-
cause can compliment both the black and
white Radicals, by saying that have met
with no one of them as yet who has not as
much sense, and generally 40 much educa-
ton as "Billy." The only feature of his
speech deserving notice was bis avowal of a
purpose to support confscation measures if
the Conservatives persisted in their efforts to
rescue themselves from the odious despotism
of Brownlow. Throughout the long two
hours, that made many believe he was sec
ond Joshua, that had commanded the sun to
stand STILL the large audience heard with
profound decorum and respect, the advocacy
of policy and a party that would fasten
upon them the meanest and most detestable
bondage. and if triumphant, would at last
result in war of races, whose horrors would
eclipse the bloodiest scenes, the pale stars
have yet looked down upon.
| MR.. ErHERIDeRs SPEECH.
When Mr.. Etheridge rose to reply, the
large crowd swayed to and fro with COM
mon impulse-the impulse of men who felt
that they were the victims of deep and
damning outrage, and who yearned to hear
this horrid wrong eloquently exposed and
denounced, and to learn how hell reaching
and Heaven-smeling usurpation could be
overthrown. This impulse was intensified
by the reputation of Mr.. Etheridge, as the
orator and debater without peer in the
State which had preceded him. Mr.. E., appreci-
ating the cause of this profound but quiet ex-
citement, in few manly and tasteful words,
begged the audience TO hear calmly what he
had to say, and to refrain from any manifes-
tations of applause. This injunction was
obeyed throughout his address, as only men
terribly in earnest can obey, request that
forbids their hearts to find a natural vent
When Mr.. L. first arose, venture to say that
every man in the audience, who had a Thin
Bile full of brains, was struck with the differ
ence in persoiaele between him and the Rad
ical speaker. Even the unlettered and
Biownlow deluded colored men present seem
ed to appreciate the immeasurable gulf that
flowed between the two men, who there stood
before them as the respective champions of
Conservatism and Radicalism. They might
indeed be considered, by thoughtful men, as
appropriate representatives of the antagonis-
tic principles they had come there to advo-
cate, in both their intellectual and physical
make up" The principles that Mr.. Ethe-
ridge came to enforce with all the inexhaust-
ible force of highly trained and naturally
powerful brain, was 'equal aud exact justice
to all men," The.I will not call 1t prn-
ciple, for it is not so, either philosophically
or technically--but the position Mr.. "Billyn
chanpioned, was the right Of Beings made
after the image Of their Creator, to use a
poor ignorant race, bewildered by the sudden
gin both of freedom and of sole political
power to elevate themselves at the expense
of their duped supporters, and worse still
OF their own white race-to offices, that gave
them more money and more notoriety than
theirl nziness and idiocy could have secured
without miracle. Right well did" Billy" rep
resent the incarnation of all that was most
significant in the latter position. A loose
and shambling figure, that looked as II It
could "wire in and wire out head and face
whereon every demon had set his seal, to give
assurance Of man that could-well, that
could, to say the worst thing-tell the color.
ed man 10 keep the white man enslaved, and
support party whose suecess involves the
ruin Of his own best interests and Republi-
can liberty, and who, for a little pelf and
power is willing to put the oolored man oyer
his own race. f''r
Mr.. Etheridge's lneaments and bsaring
were well BETTING the man who came for
| ward a. the standard hearer Of Hennnl rights