Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-26
THE RADICAL TROUBLE In
BEDFORD l.

Attempt to Nominate Candidate for
the E.eEisIature- doing Back ON the
NeErO-A sharp speech from the
COIOred Brother.
| From the ShelbyvilIe American Rescue
June %.
| The anxiety so visible in "truiy low
al" ranks Of the Radical party, for the
past few weeks, has, at last, been re-
lieved For the second time, Oa last
Saturday, the "truly loyalH met in cons
vention to settle the claims of contest
ing aspirants for legislative honors.
There were three public aspirsnts for
the hOnors in this county, and any NUM-
Der Of private expectaEts. Calhoun and
Martin, white, and Bowles, colored, were
openly before the people. Learning wis
dom from the past, the Radical WIRE
pullers held their convention with closed
doors and excluded our reporter. No
one was admitted unless he had a cert
iiicate as delegate, and what we state as
to the proceedings Of the convention is
based upon street rumor. 1t is said that
the proceedings were anything but har-
mOnious, which we are satisfied was
true, from the facts which were after,
wards developed.
We learn that the contest was pIin>
eipally between Capt. Jas. A. Warder
and q. w. B0Wles, colored, and that
BOWles had the inside track, and to de,
feat his nomination, Warder's name was
withdrawn, and Q. r. Houston, ST.,
placed in nomination, and after several
baIlotings was declared the nominee.
Mr.. Houston, who is the nominee of the
convention, is hardly known to the peOs
pie Of the county, and no one knows ups
on what platform he will make the race.
Personally, he is gentleman, but
among those who know him, he is said
to be an exceedingly bitter Radical Of the
worst Stokes type. But the richest part
of the days proceedings was after the
close Of the convention. The courthouse
bell rung, and there was general rush
by the disfranchiSed for the courtroom,
anticipating something rich, and they
were not disappointed. -. ..... .
BoWles mounted the stand and opened.
He declared that he was candidate for
the nomination, at the FosterVille con~
vention, for Floster. Said he was for
universal suffrage and the removal Of all
disabilities from bis white brother, and
after brief talk he subsidized and Judge
W. N. Doughty, Of MurlreeSborO. took
the stand. He did not say he was
candidate for anything, but it was under
stood that he was a candidate for the
nomination Of Floater. His speech was
brief, pointed and manly. He said that
two years ago he had declined the nOmi-
nation of a convention in his own county
because his party were then opposed to
removing the disabilities of the white
people of Tennessee. He was in isvOr Of
removing all disabilities at as early a day
as possible. He thought that it was dis
honorable and unmanIy in any one to
wish to continue the enslsvemsnt Of the
white man, and it should never be done
with his consent, etc.
Bowles, at the conclusion Of his speech,
again mounted the rostrum. He seemed
to be much excited and said the Radicals
had gone back on the cOlored man. If
they did not wish him to hold Office, why
did they pass law to give him the right
TO vote and hold office ? Why did they
deceive the black man They had better
have let him stay in the kitchen. Now,
he had one piece of advice to give the
colored man, and that was TO come out
OF these damnable Loyal Leagues that
they had been too long led by these
accursed midnight caucuses. They
must now turn to their friends. lie
was no Democrat, nor no Radical. He
was true Republican, and in favor Of
| the equality of all men before the law.
| He was no advocate Of social equality.
| II the people would elect legislature
| OF knkey heads, every white man in
I the State would DO free IN twenty. four
hours. 1t was all false about the blue
coats having set the black man free. II
| was neither the blue nor the grey coat
| that did it. 1t was the hand of Providence,
| and they must 90 for those men who
we're in favor Of giving them their
| rights under the law, regardless of a
blue or grey coat. tie had been told
| by his Radical friends that 1t was not
| the time for the black man. That he
must wait awhile. Then hs saw no
sense in passing the Law to give them
| the right to vote and hold office. All
they seemed to want with the negro was
TO make him vote. They had learned
to know that the black man intended to
set their white brothers free, and this with
the Brownsville decision had made them
all anxious to jump on the universal suf-
frage platform He would support the
nominee at Fosteryille if be did not get
it, but he was determined to tell them o.
their rascality and let them know thai
they had gone back on the colored man