Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-22
STOKES AND ETHERIDGE.
Their Second Meeting at Memphis
4 COURTEOUS DEBATE, But A Pc
LEMIC MASSACRE.
The Result Of Free speech Crushing
Radical Defeat.

Messrs. Etheridge and Stokes, whose po-
lemic rencontre at Memphis on Friday, 18th
inst, We gave yesterday, met again in that
city, at the Greenlaw Opera House, to con
| tinue the discussion before one of the most
intelligent and solid audiences ever assem-
BLEED in Memphis to hear a political debate
On this occasion Col. Stokes opened. Mr..
Etheridge was at his room, suffering from
a high fever; but left his bed and went to
the plaee Of speaking, arriving sometime
after Stokes had commenced speaking. We
append a condensed synopsis, as derived
from the AUalanche, selecting the points in
volving the true issues made.
COL. Stokes SPEECH.
Mr.. Stokes was pleased TO see such a
large assemblage; he asked patient atten-
ton and be promised not to speak long.
Mr.. EtheTidge was doubtless exhausted,
and he himself was not in a very good fix.
He asked the right of speech due to an
American citizen. He referred to side re-
marks CD made during the day Saturday. J
but said he considered it his right to speak.
! He said he did not expect Mr. Etheridge
| to. make a second speech on Friday. and.
as there was no opportunity then to reply,
| he asked it now. He was not learned-lost
his father when three years old-and had
made himself. Mr.. +. had made some
sarcastic remarks about his ignorance, but
| Mr.. f. well knew that he (the speaker was
not a lawyer, was only farmer, who had
been elevated to Office by his people. He
would do no wrong TO Mr.. f. in his
absence. If he did so, he would take il back
chesrfully. He wanted 10 get himself right.
| Mr.. r. had alluded % the Duncan letter
! wrote it on the 10th Of May, and on the
9Th of June, 1861, the vote affecting the
future Of the State was taken. | said the
letter was false. | was not allowed to ex-
plain. | heard able lawyers say it was un-
constitutional for Mr.. Lincoln to call out
seyenty-iive thousand men. | thought 30.
Mr.. f. and able lawyers say il ia not so, and
| was perhaps wrong. Inever continue in a
wrong if know it. / wrote the letter on
May 9Th, and then on the llth the news
came of the final action, and | said, in
presence of forty persons, that | took nv
stand with the Federal government.
Mr.. s. detailed the numerous persons
who had co-operated with him on the Union
side He detailed his services on the
stump, when surrounded by Rebel soldiers,
his reputation of the Duncan letter, which
was used in the canvass then when the vote
was taken for separation, and when Eth
eridge was chased inside the lines.
East Tennessee was the great breakwater
between the North and South. The troops
! first raised were State troops, and after
wards turned over to the Confederates. |
never advised any TO go 10 Virginia.
When Lincoln had issued his proclama-
ton, Mr.. Etheridge turned his back on the
UniOn-and il went to the country that
Lincoln was wrong. This was giving aid
and comfort, / think, and great deal Of il.
Mr.. +. was elected Secretary of the
House by the Republican party; and after
the proclamation Of emancipation, he left
the Republican party and denounced Lin
coin.
He denounces as the meanest Of men
those who defended him when he was in
ease and safety at Washington. He abuses
the party that saved the nation. This I
regret. We should meet as American cit
liens and friends. Epithets and abuse are
no part Of argument. They don't meet the
issue.
He said there were thirty or forty mem
bers Of the Tennessee Legislature who
didn't receive a vote. If had said 80,
Mr.. Etheridge would have said it was a
lie. don't say so. / know that there
was no man who did not get votes. l
voted for them all. My friends, twenty
thousand of them, voted for Hall, McNair,
and the rest Of them. He may say that in
some counties no votes were given. In
those counties no election could be held.
He read the decision of the big Generals
who decided his case at the court martial.
| hope the papers will publish the names
of the officers Of that court when | get
them in a few days. ] expect to sustain
sill ! said in a few days. | was told what
| said about jurisdiction by a Captain now
in Maury county. was not so far ont of |
the track. The court did dismiss the case
for want of Jurisdiction.
He comes in and says Stokes can't tell |
what demurrer is. He knew | was not a |
lawyer, was not educated, was a farmer by |
trade. can't help being educated like my |
friend. | can't help being smart. [Cheers. |
| mean | can't be smart. have tried for |
fifteen years TO be smart, but had to make |
a living. No man can help his ignorance. |
This crowd didn't come to hear me, they |
came to hear him speak. Cheers | am |
obliged TO you for the chance of making a |
fool Of myself Self-conceit is a good thing. |
wish had as much of it as nv friend |
Etheridge. He made a powerful speech, |
so far as length is concerned. He spoke |
five hours. | spoke two, and then it took |
him two hours 10 squirm out Of what this |
old fool had said [Cheers amt going |
to tell what a demurrer is. lCheers He |
might say, or You might say it was not |
right, and where would be them [Cheersl |
IL he or any other one writes it down / will |
commit il TO memory and say il to the next |
fellow that asks me.
did support johnson after he vetoed the |
amendments to the freedmen's bill. | |
thought that not needed. | came to Nash |
vile when johnson was organizing the |
present State government. The committee |
didn't ask me TO speak. The President |
vetoed the freedmen's bill on the 22d of |
February, and at night made what was |
called by Union men a good speech. / |
went 10 Connecticut and spoke, and the |
people elected Hawley. The President |
had said il was a lie that he had switched
off from the Republican party. When | |
found he had done 40 let him go, and my |
friend Etheridge took him up. He indor- |
ses him in his platform, He wrote letter
| wish had il, TO ask him if he wrote the |
truth about johnson and Lincoln in it. |
There are letters beside the Duncan letter |
Mr. Etheridge denounced the Freedmens |
Bureau a. worthless. Il didn't feed the |
poor whites. When established. was il not |
10 feed the whites and blacks According |
10 Towards report, two-thirds whites and |
one~third blacks were fed by il. 1t fed |
the poor whose husbands or other relations
were in one or the other army. This was
in Congress to feed poor wo-
men and children. If elected, will he ad-
wise in his message that Congress blot out
the Freedmen's Bureau and civil rights
bill?
lie says his platform is for giving equal
rights; will he il elected recommend
giving blacks the right to SIT on juries and
hold Office?
i voted for the military reconstruction
bill and DR.. LefWich against it. ! hope
the States viii be organized and Congress
men elected under it next September.
am in favor Of blacks holding office if
they do well in office, but Mr.. Z. is late in
Offering IL Where in the whole struggle
OF organizing the State has he uttered one