Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-01
". b. STOKES.
HIS Speech NJ the CapitoI Last Night
An Hundred Thousand "MeIish {, II
Needs BE.
Immense Gathering Of all Creeds and
La .s stE.l CoIOTN aE


The Representative Hall was perfect
crowded last night by people of all hue
and p@ities to hear the speech of W.
Stokes, General and M. C. The hall prope
was filled with the Simon-pure RAIDS, Will
pretty considerable sprinkling of I'll
crowd were Democrats, who went NOR
from curiosity than anything else. Tn,
galleries we're damned by negroes. Gene
raj Stokes came upon the stand without al
introduction and spoke substantially as fol,
lows: .'-s
Ladies and gentlemen come befor.
you tonight. my elloW-countrymen, not to
deliver an eloquent speech, not to exhibit
my oratorical powers, but / come before
you as your friend. Ispeak thus and in.
tend that it shall apply TO every class, tc
every shade, hue and color, to every man
of every political contrast. | have Invested
myself Of all prejudices. 81.
/ come here to speak TO you in the name
Of the people, God being my helper.
will endeaYor to e0nline myself TO facts
Of truth and TO sound reason. / am no
here to heap epithets upon any man 0 r
any set of men,. | am not here to call any
party hard names. am here to preach
peace. ] am not here to advocate war. 1
enter my solemn protest against any more
war. 1t Will not be out of place for me TO
go back few years. Seven years ago |
passed through this city on my way from
Washington. L was calledupon to address
the people. l remained over and adj
dressed them. j made certain predictions
and prophecies on that night, every one Of
which has come true. / was then sur.
rounded by certain circumstances and
things. L come before you tonight seven
years afterWard, surrounded with similar
circumstances, and almost in the same pre-
dicament. shall make prophecies tonight
as did then. | shall warn the people to
flee from the danger, that is threatened. /
am.aPprised of the fact ofpreiudices that ex-
lists in this city, hut that shall make no diff
ferencewith me, for shall treat them wi tn
courtesy and with respect. We have as
sembled here tonight under extraordinary
circumstances. We are surrounded here
tonight by the members of the General
Assembly of the State of Tennessee, called
together for certain purpose, and to do !
particular work. | am In hopes, and be- |
lieVe that the members are wide awake, and
will be found capable, able and willing to |
discharge their duty to themselves and to |
their country. shall not attempt to tickle |
you tonight / want to deal in facts. / |
want, if possible, to convince you of certain |
truths. l feel the pressure and the weight |
that is upon me, while / feel all that l /
shall not shiTk responsibility. The conn
try is now agitated from one end to the
another. | find your State all in turmoil
and confusion. Why is this so? 1t ought
not to be so, and we are told that
you are almost upon the verge of another
war. don't think you will have another
war Why need We have another war d?
What do we go to war about? do not
intend to arouse your passions, but / want
TO talk to you truthfully. Those men who
go around making speeches, inllaming the
public mind, are not the men to march |
either in the ranks or at the head of a COM
mand. / want those who were in the Rebel
army, il any are here, to listen to me now.
/ have no ill-feeling toward you, and | will
not make war upon you nor anybody else.
Now, what is all this about? / will tell
you. The whole question is this: We are
on top; laughter, they are under. Teby
want US to lose our hold so that they may |
wallOp us under, and they could get on top.
[ Loud cheering am going to talk about
the horrors of the war. What are they
going 10 have war in Tennessee for2
They say this Radical party is ty-
that we are usurpers; that
punishment has been inflicted upon a
portion of their citizens. And they say
hat some of their leading Generals and
men declared that they intended to have
heir rights declared, 10 speech, seven
years ago, that "n you separate and divide
his government, that war would come upon
hem; if you bring on the war, you will
get most iugloriousIy whipped" wound
up by saying that had rather have a gov
eminent without property, than property
without government. | remember il, aud
here are gentlemen in the assembly here
tonight, whoiremember what, There were
Kisses in the crowd and cries that "Stokes
had sold out TO Lincoln" ] said then and
say il tonight ] stick TO it, that war did
come, and l need not say who was victo-
-ious. The negroes were freed, the slaves
we're put in possession of all their rights,
political and civil. | warn the people
here tonight, of all shades, hues and par
les. Some things were developed by
he war, and one in particular,
hat when the Southern army laid down
heir arms, at that moment and at that
lime il proved the fact, that il both armies
we're consolidated and united they would |
Ne the most powerful army ever history re-
,orded 1t showed her strength, at least, to
oreign powers and to all the world.
The speaker then spoke in compliment
airy terms of Grant and Colfax, and then
urned to things nearer home. | do not
Know whether | ought to notice Col. Col
yar's speech. 1t is inhammatory. They |
.harge that we are upon the verge of an
,ther war, and yet that man comes into
his State and repeats the same thing that
vas repeated over and over again in '61.
lie is making these infiammatory speeches
o fire the public mind. j am proud
0 say tonight, being informed by the Con-
eryative party of this city that this man
Ioes not utter the sentiments Of the true
respectable portion Of the community.
This man has said that the Governors
Message declared war. / deny the asser-
ion; / boldly and openly deny it, for ]
rave read the message on converting the |
legislature, and there is no war in it. |
What ne has mentioned in his message you
lare not deny its truthfulness. Here
7ou have an organized band prowling
through your country in masks. Every
patriotic man ought to oppose it and enter
lis protest against any such an organize
ion say to the Legislature, do not enact
! law with war in il. If / were member
" the Legislature would give the Gov
srnor ample power to call out from five 10
en thousand militia if it was NECESSARY.
lust as sure as you open a war you will re-
,ent il.
We have Sherman, Grant, Meade and
,thers in the Federal army. Now where is
vour army2 We had militia last year and
We had no war OF the races. They harp on
be war Of races. Now Mr.. Colyar, A
yoice, Col Colyar,l how came him to be
Jol. Colyar, Let us play fair, when we
we're in authority we said TO you, lay down
-our arms, don'tyou go to war; there is not
ne Union man in Congress who does not
lesire that every man in the South should
,e disfranchised forever. Let me tell you
low 10 be enfranchised. Do like Judge
iaut and other men have; to-day they
ave written letter in reply 20 Edwin II.