Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-09

I
refused to allow Sergeant Bates to plant on
the dome Of the Capitol, but which has
been proudly borne in our procession to-
night by a brave ex-Confederate soldier.
lFellow-citizens, while thatfag was in the
smoke Of battle / never feared for it, because
| knew it had never been dishonored, and
that it was defended by stout arms and
brave hearts; and was right, for it came
out of battle with not stripe displaced
not a star erased. Since the close of the
war, however, / have trembled for its
safety; for, under the baneful influence of
Radical rule have seen ten of its bright
est stars grow dim, while its folds have
been made to cover acts Of tyranny and OPP
preston that would have disgraced the
reign of the late Theodore of Abyssynia;
and / naturally feared that the victims
of this oppression would learn to hate
the flag. But, thank God, ] am re-
assured. The magnanimity of a brave
soldier il unconquerable by tyranny.
The ex-C onfederatesoldierto might marches
freely under this starry banner, ready to
die in its defense if necessary, and in No
vember next he will aid this great Demo-
cratic party to restore light and lustre to
the ten pale stars in its azure field, until
the whole glorious constellation shall look
down with unriyalled brilliancy and splen-
dor on a people disenthralled, happy and
united.
As in 1861, the conservative ex-Federal
soldier entered the army to preserve the
Union, the Constitution and the laws, SO to-
day he engages in peaceful campaign
against foe who seeks to destroy both the
Union and the Constitution under the cry
of freedom and equality" srrt 60
This soldier is plain, blunt man, who
has a faculty Of seeing things just as they
are: and he cannot see either equality or
freedom in laws which trample under foot
both liberty and Justice; which deny rep
resentation to the taxpayers of ten great
States. and confer it on class who, what
ever else can be said in their favor, cannot,
certainly. be credited with bearing any
portion of the burdens of taxation. He
cannot see the justice of having been COM
PEELED to receive legal tenders for his ser
vices services which he rendered at the
daily risk of his life-while the successful
contractor who furnished him with shoddy
clothes, bad shoes or worse provisions; In
a word, who cheated him and the govern
ment alike, and who by this cheating was
enabled to purchase bonds with ill-gotten
greenbacks, is paid these bonds in gold.
| And Just here, permit me to make re-
mark which bears forcibly on this bond
question: When the yOlunteer-the true
| soldier-entered the army in 1861, the law
expressly stated that he should re-
| cieve his pay IN coin. Government
made a legal contract with him on
| these terms--a contract binding on the
nation as well as the soldier. Yet in
| few months Congress passed law directing
that he be paid in paper. The Radical
| press made no howl about breaches of faith
/ and forfeiture of national honor then. Oh
| no. it was only an act of reputation with
/ tie soldier, and he being absent in the
/ front, was not at home TO defend himself.
J Now, mark the contrast between the patriot
and the bondholder. When the soldier
was thus cruelty wronged he never muir
INJURED never relaxed his efforts, for he
knew that his services were essential to the
nations safety. But the bondhOlder, be-
tween whom and the government there Is
no express contract TO pay in coin the
bonds which he bought with greenbacks,
Whines over the prospect Of being paid IN
legal tenders and is Clamorous for gold,
| though he we'll knows that to satisfy this
unjust demand will bankrupt and destroy
both government and country. The RadI-
cal party presents its claims to the con-
seryatiye ex-Federal soldier az the party
| of Justice and freedom. He examines their
works 10 see if their claims are well
founded. He looks for the freedom Of the
press, and he sees papers suppressed 10y
military authority for an honest expression
of opinion. He seeks for the freedom OF
the citizen, and he finds the Capitol OF the
nation-the very temple Of liberty con
verified into a bastle for the incarceration
| of citizens who refuse to reveal confidential
business secrets to crafty the malice OF a
partisan smelling committee. He turns to
1 the judiciary, the last and only refuge now
for the maintenance of law and order, and
he beholds it manipulated, threatened
and cut down in the interest of cor
rupt political party. Ia word, he
sees all the ends for which he fought
| peryerted-the Union he sought to re-
store, almost totally destroyed-Ihe9
fraternal regard he had earnestly prayed
for, almost hopelessly lost, freedom crushed
| and the country on the verge oil rum
and all this in order that corrupt and I'M
| principled politicians should rule and re-
tain power. He is indignant at this, and
| in his heart resolves to hurl from place the
miscreants who have wrought these ills.
His was a war of right-not war o.
vengeance. He met a brave, though, he
Thought. mistaken foe. He accepted the
wager of battle, trusting his cause to God
and his good right arm and when victory
crowned his efforts, he INDUCED in no un
manly exultation over his fallen brother,
for he felt none Nay, rather, he deeply
regretted having been obliged to draw hi
sword against him. But this regret was
| tempered by the proud reflection thai
throughout the contest he had met "a Toe
| man worthy Of his steel"
Talk to him of vengeance on an un
, | armed foe? He would spurn the though
Indignantly as worthy only Of cowar'
: and insulting to brave soldier. Tell hin
} | he must support the political party unde
whose rule and in the name of reconstruC
ton his brethren of the South have bee
/ subjected to all the indignity and outrag
that hatred could dictate, malice devise O
vengeance demand, and be will answer i
l tones like battle cry, No ten thousan
| times nou ..r.-.
: And such win be the answer of over
! | million bows who wore the blue when th
E question is put to them next November.
FelIow-citizens, we are engaged in
: sacred cause, in the endeavor to wre'
, power from the hands of corrupt men VIII
t seem determined to destroy the country
r and to place it in the hands Of honest me
n who will save it. Let us move forward
this work harmonionsly, determinedly, br
3 above all things, peacefully. Rememb'
8 that the party opposed to Us is party
5 agitation the creature of strife, turmo
i and bloodshed, and maintained by thir
/ for vengeance condition Of peace wouI
n he fatal to its existence. lts leader sa.
n "Let Us have peace" while Congress legi
y Iates 10 arouse the bitter preiudices of rae
4 and then proposes TO arm the infnriate
4 unintelligent class whose worst passiol
p they have excited. This cry of peace c
If ,bo mart Of the Radicals Is a hIdeO