Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-01-04

| Commissions.
The announcement was made yesterday
morning, that the RAIDS would have a
meeting at the markethouse, and at the
courthouse, to present their professions for
Office to the "cullud pussons of the city.
| The conflicting claims of some of the aspi-
rants have not been, and apparently cannot
be settled, except at the polls to-day. We
attended the meeting last night, and came
away at eleven o'clock thoroughly satisfied
that each of the candidates were sincere,
and not wide of the mark, when they pro-
nonnced the others incompetent and unfit
for the Office They will tell the truth
when they get mad and abuse each other.
Each aas an axe to grind, and as long as
they grind for each other they get along
very fraternally, but when opposition for
office springs up in the ranks, they let the
cat out of the wallet, and all their pecadilo
los become public property.
The meetings last night were miniature
repetitious of the affair on the Dist ult.
| They can be no more described than it
could be- The negroes were on hand in
| force the official aspirants and their drum
mers having been engaged throughout the
entire day in getting them together. Tut
| hill brought his artillery to the market
house, and Peabody brought his base
| drums and brass band to the courthouse.
| We first went to the courthouse. In the
Criminal Court room the lights were burn-
| ing and two negroes were sitting back with
number twelve square-toed boots on the
! seat in front, and various franchises in
their pockets. They were both for Pea
| body. Thus far it was unanimous. We
| left the courthouse and went to the market
] house, where Tuthill and several didapers
were diving about among the negroes,
trying to hold the crowd together. No two
Generals ever pitched their tents or planted
batteries, or established skirmish lines
with more care and zeal than did these
| two men. 1t was almost ludicrous
to see the anxiety manifested as to who
should have the biggest crowd. Tuthill
had the advantage, that was evident. Att
| tracted by his good looks or the butchers
blocks of the markethouse, or something
else, the negroes poured in from both ends
and from all sides. The markethOuse was
soon full, while throng meantime had
swelled in front of the markethouse, and
Tuthill was satisfied that he had the crowd.
But Peabody was up TO snuff; he knew the
powers of music, and while Tuthill was
| planting his batteries, he was marshaling
| his forces with sounding drums and
| hewgags and flies and fddles. That
band was a master piece of strategy. 1t
played "the girl left behind me-" and
then struck up highland jig. This was
conclusive to the negroes that Peabody was
qualified" and they filled the court
house. Tuthill had no music. But he had
plenty of hackers who did the hip huz
zaing and whistled listen to the mock
ing bird" with wonderful effect. Black
toodles staggered round the stalls, and
tomttits fitted on the outskirts Of the crowd.
The beeves, and sheep, and hogs, and
geese, and mud cat fish, and eels, and
other meats that had been offered son
the shambles, were not circumstance to
the black avordupois, cut, quartered, and
hamstrung for the occasion. Nearly the
entire crowd was negroes of every grade
and variety. Black negroes and yellow
negroes were there; some had on old
blue breeChes and cast off army jackets,
the premiums of franchises" Some had
wool hats, and some were dressed in mere
strips of old clothing, that neither protect
ed them from the weather, nor concealed
their hides-ragged wretches they sat there
as so many advertisements of franchises
for SALE" At half past seven the speaking
commenced. Photography, stenography,
geography, typography, nor any other og.
raphy, could do it justice. The negroes
we're all agape, and the eloquence, and
poetry, and philosophy that enlightened
their benighted minds will never be for
gotten by them. They are made men.
The first speech was by Randall Brown.
Randall is black, thick Tipped, fiat faced,
simlin headed, kinkey haired negro, who
was for Tuthill against anybody Hedeclared
that he never would vote for man who had
cowhided a negro since 1863. Randall
meant this for Judge Brien. Randall had
been with Morgan's men and knew thing
or two. He elaborated the remarkable
idea that they all sprang from woman, and
that they woHld have to make ''wimmen"
of the colored ladies-'We mus comb der
beds and stand mp to EN-, ," said the darkie,
Owes free and mus stand up to our free
DOM" As he said this the jaws of the
negroes opened like rat traps, and along
yell and scream was uttered, the white
teeth of the darkies showing off 10 great
advantage. Yels and shouts followed for
some time. The crowd finally roared for
Tuthill, who appeared on the butchers
block most gracefully. Tuthill WIS among
, his friends, and he knew it. The shouts
, the yells, the screams, and the hard clap
pings that greeted him almost bewildered
him, and could have been heard for mile
While this pow-wow was going on, a seedy
? chap with a blouse coat with dark wary
; | and white filling, wearing a coonskiI
| or rawkide cap, about the size of bushe
| basket, was distributing the regular Rad
ical" ticket. He was a perfect specimen
, and was in his glory. His eyes were abou
the size of buckeyes, and when he spread
| his mouth it assumed the shape of a small
, sized mule collar We don't know 6ho HI
, was, but are certain that he is Radical
; The deafening applause that greeted Tat
\ hill at last subsidized. Beside the negroe
+ there were two white men near Tuthill-
we took them to be his spongers, ready TO
an emergency in case he should be knocked
out of time. One of them was lean, giant
cadaverous specimen, of whom it woult
take about two to make an honest shadow
He watched Peabody's crowd, and helpe,
1 applaud Tuthill. The other was adipos
III bOtJ anu WIN thC biBub vi dbOub a
r much intellect as belongs 10 frozen COOS
: egg.
Tuthill spoke. The thrilling narrltiv
' that he told of himself as "Capting" i
the army, excelled any of the exploits G
T Don Quixote, and knocked Beadle's te
n cent novels into a cooked hat. IL mad
|, our hair stand on ends to listen to hi
: perils and deeds of daring by food and field
before the "red-hot mouthed cannon.
/ Anybody who heard him relate his mill
/ tary exploits Sgainst the cursed Rebels
il that wanted to ruin US, is bound to kno'
;. that he would make an excellent Attorne
o General He shouldered arms and went I
: the front Peabody didn't-he was to
r puny. This eloquent and happy hit wa
% received by the negroes with great giles
;. Theyscreamed and squaled and guffawed fc
quite "spell" TuthiIl fairly spread him
/ self, and his ebony friends gathered abou
E. in loving groups. He pointed to Randa
' Brown, close by him, and said that is one c
a the noblest men ia the world. Randa
l. shook with delight It was a good thin
:. Randall has been several times before tn
;. courts for horse stealing, and ia qHarrC
" lately Bit OF the lip of Buck Lewis, anoth
lr er "loil negro Buck has had hydro