Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-01
THE CITY.
raE rRouBLE an sMYRNA.

/ | Meeting at the Harding House
Large Number of Fugifives and CEt
| tzens Present Speeches by Gov
FOOte, Hon. John TrimbIe. Gov
Brown and others. - 1'o--i ii-
At 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon lsrg
!, number of persons assembled, and beinj
called to order by G. Carter, H Levi
was called to the chair, and Nj. Ii. Levi
appointed Secretary -.....
G. Carter offered the following preambl,
and resolutions: ~ J
4 Whereas, The Republican Banner, O
this morning, having made foul and de
signing statements in regard to the in
vsetiga.ion being carried on in references
to the outrages committed at Smyrna and
other places in Rutherford county; and
in order that there may be no mistake as
to cur intentions, and set ourselves right
before the country, we hurl these false
and slanderous charges back from whence
they came al designing falsehoods upon
US loyal and law abiding people; therefore
Be il Resolved, That the intent of our
Investigations are to bring the offenders
of law and order to justice, and have our
people protected in all their rights by the
State, if We can, and by the general gov
eminent, if we must.
Resolved further, That cur thanks are
dus TO the Press and Times for their
I straightforward and manly expression on
the side OF the oppressed people of the
State, and hope that that journal %ill in
the future, as in the past, continue to
maintain its dignity by csntending for
right and condsmning wrong. i b
Adopted unanimously -rf-'-t
A motion was made that committee Of
four, with magistrate and three clerks,
BE- appointed to hear statements Of the fu
gitives from Rutherford county, reduce
the same TO writing, snd prepare the sworn
statements SO made, to be used SIS evidence
in procuring redress for the great wrongs
that colored people have been subjected to
at the hands Of lswless and bad men.
This was carried unanimously.
Under the above the chair appointed
George Carter. g. Gin, VIM. Lewis, H.
d. Lapsley, N. II. Lewis and L. G..
Cs.nell, to make said COMMITTEES. pa
Governors Foote and Brown and the
Hon. Joha Trinble having come in, they
were invited to seats, and take part in the
deliberations.
It was moved that the committee just
appointed retire 10 a private room and
proceed TO take the testimony of thoae
men who had been driven from their
homes.
Pending the discussion of this motion,
Gov. Foete asked permission to make
few remarks, which was granted. The
Governor said: ..a .... .....- ....
He said: came here in the
spirit of peace, with the view of seeing
WHISTLER we csuld not counsel together as
fellow-citizens upon this very interesting
matter, in such maaner az to conduce to
pace and harmony and to prevent further
vislatien Of Law. | feel perfectly Certain
that there is no human being present who
wishes the facts to be Investigated in this
case, scrutiHized in any unfair way.
There ia an overwhelming majority here
who are determined TO unite in their best
energies for the support of good order and
peace throughout the country. We are
Of one people and one God, and we have
one interest, one policy and one country.
| Cant We agree with one another Shall
we not do al. we can to secure perfect con-
fidence with the people. We are all equal
before the law, and we are all entitled to
| the same protection, and why not act 10
the spirit of brotherhood, in mutual kind
ness, TO devise some remedy for the case.
ray here to-day before this people, if there
be any man in the State of Tennessee
/ or set of men, who harbor in their souls q
disposition to interfere with the happiness
| of any class of our population, whether
white or colored, they are degraded beings
and have no pure hearts. L say, there
fore, that the rumors which are ahoat are
| Of the most painful character to me, and if
it turns out, after fair and impartial in
vestigation, that set of men have tram
pied upon the law and given violence 10
any class Of this community, am for tax
ing such steps, not as a small body of mer,
but as the whole people-the city of NasL-
| Vile as an embodied and united CONS
| munity, composed of white and colored
men, Republicans and Democrats-as will
put stop TO all such violence. We want
10 unite "a a band Of brothers in condemn
| ing the outrsg.s that may have been COM
| mltted, and declare our determination to
| ferret out the outrages and bring the guilty
parties to punishment. We must have an
armed force to maintain the peace, or
we must maintain the law inyiolate. I
want to pursue course that will secure
general confidence aad be satisfactory to
all. You cannot accomplish the object for
which you are aiming if you endeavor
to accomplish it by having secret meet
ings. Act adVisedly and deliberately.
This is a public matter and involves the
honor of the State and the dignity of the
law. II we cannot have peace in the land,
and if we cannot maintain law and pro-
teet the habitations of our country and guar
antee to every man that he can use his
property as he pleases, to enjoy the good
things of this life with his feilow.citizens
anywhere, we might as well leave 1t. ana
opposed to lynch law and never sanctioned
it in my life. ] scorn the man who takes
the law in his own hands and perpetratt 8
violence upon any human being. l want
these people to see that we intend to main
tain the law of the land, and will not ups
hold any violence. want to act with you
and want you TO present the facts in
such a way that the public will
appreciate them. l propose to stand
by you in full Justice and in the extent of
the law. intend TO quit the State of Ten
nessee when l And that any class of our
population intend to violate the law;
will net live among them. Adjourn your
meeting TO the courthouse and bring your
| witnesses there, and if the facts turn out
to be as some conjecture them to be, /
propose to effsr resolutions condemning
the outrages, and II necessary to appoint a
| committee of eolored and white people to
be sent to the neighborhood where these
outrages seem to have been perpetrated,
with the resolutions in one hand, and
show them what the meeting has done,
and ask them to maintain the law, / ask
you to 60 to the courthouse and let the
matter be investigated to the bottom; and
l say that if the facts turn out to be thai
| any body of men have been guilty of the
: outrages charged, [ am willing to say
anything in strong denuHciation as any.
body and will risk my life in vindi
cation of such resolutions as will bt
adopted eondemning such outrages
!, as a lawyer, will undertake Il
| prosecute every offender Of the law thai
is arrested. In the last Tesort, if it turn
| cut in the State of Tennessee that they
cannot keep their own peace, that we are
a set of rufGans and savages, in that last
event, let military force be imposed t
3 keep the peace and preserve good order
sympathise with that portion of on
population that are too weak to proLec
themselves against violence. l hold al
utter contempt for the rufian who, a
midnight, will commit violence upon 81
inoffensive citizen.
7 He was here interrupted by Mr.. WheI
, more who asked him if he would go bsc
, as far as 1851 and say that. Gov. Foot