Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-26

ioiAh fOuI appidh7SI Hupt you
will not manifest it. Fellow citizens,
there is nothing strange in all this Civil
wars have always proved the opportunity
Of tyrants, who, like the jackal feed
upon the mangled remains Of the dead and
dying. Our civil war was no exception to
others. Ii was like all similar contests,
and excited similar passions. During the
carnage Of blood for four years, every cita
del Of the constitution was invaded,
every guaranty of personal liberty was
broken, by the passions which civil
war engendered Al last the mex
orable laws of war prevailed cour-
age and ample resources we're successful.
At the close OF the war good men every
where rejoieed 10 know that the combattants
had ceased to fight and you and / and all
lovers Of civil liberty thought that We
might be able 10 save something from the
wreck Of onr liberties. But, sirs, had it
been 50, all past experience would have
gone for naught. You know that in times
Of civil war the air is always foul, aud
lOathsome insects are not more nat
urally hatched in a putrid carcass than
are engendered in the atmosphere of
civil war, those loathsome creeping things
which cannot exist day ia times Of
prosperous industry and peace. D. IL
any wonder, then, fellow-citizens, that this
scum, which on such occasions rises 10 the
surface, should have rallied its forces for
one more. grand foray on the public liber-
ties? But they will appear for but a brief
hour on the public stage, and their names
will soon be forgotten. We all prefer, when
goaded by tyrants, the splendid monster of
massive brain and manly part; but 10 be
spurred by driyeling imbecility; to have
legislative edicts and imperial DEGREES pro-
mulgated in bad English 10 endure the
meanest Of all insolence-that which hides
behind bayonets and skulks within en-
trenched camps-I A voice: "Go ahead,
Etheridge," +" and loud applause and to he
thankful for all this is perhaps little more
than Northern Radicals have asked of us,
or any human being in the world, unless it
be that which conceal5 the foul stomach Of
a Tennessee or Missouri Radical.
Fellow-citizens, shall not to-day indulge
in many remarks in regard to the general
state of the country. ! propose to ask you
now to take out your disinfeCtants and go
with me through what is generally known
ia Tennessee As BrOwnlowism. ! know il is
a nauseous job, and you will be As much
astonished az a young student Of medi-
cine when he enters hospital
where the wounded and dying have lain
for twenty days without attendance. But,
gentlemen, Lspeak not in the language of
passion. What is your condition shall
refer to IT briefly, not perhaps 10 complain
of it, but as reason why You should
have motives for encouraging peace
among our people, and LAYING deep and
broad the foundations Of your own happi-
ness and material prosperity. Why, look
at the political situation. Ten States
have been blotted from the map of the
world by an edict of the Federal Congress
sweeping aud unrelenting as the torch
of Omar. You have seen Virginia and
other States, some Of whom are a hundred
years older than the Federal government,
blotted from the map of the world, and
to-day the property of every black and
white man in each of these ten States ia in
the hands of one man. Every white
and black man aud woman and child in
these States is controlled by one man, and
this in a country the constitution of which
says that the writ of habeas corpus shall not
be suspended in times Of peace, which says
that martial law shall not be proclaimed
except IA cases of invasion or rebellion.
What IA your pecuniary condition?
Why, -iTs, to-day, ia round numbers, to
say nothing Of State and municipal debts,
the Federal government owes $500 900 coo,
| use the expression ("pound sterling J
that / may contrast our peCuniary condi-
ton with that of other countries
am not complaining of this, for it is
fact, and the Conservatives of Ten
nessee have met it like men by using their
energies to pay the debt England you
know. at the peace of 1915, owed in round
numbers, 1902, 900 600, and now she owes
G79S 900, ,0O0. She pays but three per
| cent. interest upon her debt, while We pay
six per cent England in the last fifty
wears has reduced her debt only GlO,OO0,-
600, and it il well known that Eng
land is the greatest manufacturing
country in the world. Holland
owes GSj,0OO,000, Russia G279 900 0OO
France c4OO 100000, Spain Gl4j, 600 600,
aud Turkey but G5l 100000. From these
| figures it will be seen that Holland, Russia,
France, Spain and Turkey combined, do
not owe a. great debt as the United States
of America. But, sirs, these governments
are not made up of States like ours. The
debt of the State of Tennessee is between
$50, 10000 aud S3O,OOOOOO | do not have
| reference 90 the railroad and muni-
cipal debts Nou ask nae why
refer TO these things ! answer, be
cause Il IL Your duty 10 stimulate IN
| dustry, and 20 bring about that state Of
things that will produce harmony among
our people, and once more develop the
great resources Of our State. But, fellow
citizens, this YOU can never do IN this
chaotic state of the country, until you re-
| organize society upon philosophic princi-
pies. Why, sir1 We are to-day discussing
! a question founded upon an axiom As old
| as common sense, to-wit that government
| is Justly founded upon the consent of the
governed. But our adversarles are re
| yersing the order of things, and are
| trying 10 make the pyramid Of government
| stand upun its apex Instead of its base.
! Yes. about one hundred thousand voters
| must repose their hopes upon such narrow
minded men rs VIM. Stokes and Brownlow
! WHY, sirs, in view of this appalling iudebt-
ness, you should be economical aud peace
! nl. During the last year, from four to six
! hundred millions dollarswas Appropriate il,
! euualize bounties one hundred millions fol
| internal improvement and yet not a dollai
| was asgiven TO repair the levees in the South
You appropriated, | DO not know how many
millions for the army and navy, and Won
| mud appropriate these until they are re
duced 10 peace basis. But these grea
armies are kept up to-day in the teeth OF
that great fundamental proposition, that
standing armies in times OF peace are dan
gerous 10 public liberty.
but pass rapidly from these things,
merely throw out these suggestions tol
your consideration, and come now 70 III,
condition Of Affairs ia the State Of Iennes
see am not candidate for Federal OF
zee. am merely allowed for a few days
perhaps until August, % present my
name 20 a few men throughout the state
For. sirs, | assert to-day that there
il not spot of free earth from
! the mountains IN East Tennessee to tn
! Mississippi in West Tennessee. There !
| NOT within the limits Of this broad State
single man who dares TO rise and say tina
he is freeman II he docs / will sho,
him that he holds all his rights and prlvi
lccCs, first. at the will of Nlceroy
and next at the will of maste
whose very existence depends on IA
fact that you men are slaves. Now, / prl
pO4e 60 discuss this matter. aud the gre3
postulate, the great proposition on which
stand is that | propose 60 give every whit
man Ia this STATE equal rights and priv
leEes before the law with every Radical an
every black man. l. that asking too much
: INoics--Noli | demand it IN the nam
+ ! Of liberty / would be tyrant ii I WeG
D | 20 demand more, and | would be a slav