Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-23
THE speECH OF HON. EMERSON
ETHERIbGE, DELIVERED Al
NANCYEILLE-

THE SPEECH OF HON. EMERSON
ETHERIbGE, DELIVERED AT
DANCYyILLE
The public have, no doubt, read the
speech of Hon. Emerson Etheridge, de-
liyered at DaneyVille on last iharsday.
The several positions assumed therein
and advocated by the gentleman are
pslpasly inconsistent, while the speech
would chssscterize it's author "a the st'il
small. politiesi demagcgue OF former
days.
Mr.. ErheriJge was never rsted, IN the
estimation of intelligent persona. rs
being more Than a crossroads slump
orator. With the bnack OF pleasing a
ntomiscuous crowd. but without the
ebility of looking far ssto the great
questions of The day, which involve the
uerpetuity Of tie government. II
men who aspire TO Lead the people
aud would be law-gisera could but
forget themselves, aud geek only to pro-
mote the interests Of the country and Its
citizens By their counsel, then har-
mony would exiat throughout the land.
Bot each little politician, instead of that
nust look to his own record. and endeavor
TO warn the policy of the Government
into what he at one time thought best, al
though to carry ont his ideas would be
cnanifestly wrong. So, Mr.. Etheridge
believes it his duty now to keep the me-
gro in bis right to vote because he hGd
made him The promise to do so when rum
ming for Governar. We can assure the
gentleman it is not ct all important
for the we'll being Of the citizens
of Teunessee that he should fulhll his
own pledgea to the negro. The
masses Of oar people were not
particeps criminfs to the contract
made by the gentleman. no one but
himself and those who are interested
with him are bound by t. We then pro-
tested against the negro's right to vote,
and SO did the property-holders and tax
payers Of the entire State; but Mr..
Etheridge, with fes courtiers Of an
india-rubber kind, thought then to secure
the vote of the negro in bis election for
Governor, aud, like Esau selling bis
birthrigdt to Jacob for mess of pottage,
these men bargained away, or endeavored
TO do so, the future quiet and pros
periiy Of the cosntry for the single
Office Of Governor of the State. But
after the election, in which he was
bsdiy beaten, and that too By the
much caresscd freedman, he still holds
that our people are bound by his
contract to this Afdeanized animal.
Nothing could be more stupid and absurd.
We don't propose for Mr.. Etheridge to
tell lie or TO be untrue to his pledges,
aud be would not be doing either should
be now go as is dictated By his better
judgment against the negroes revelation
airy right to vote. The beast did not
comply, on bis part, with the terms of the
agreement, but voted in solid body
against Mr.. Etheridge and for W.
g. Brownlow for Governor. We owe
the negro nothing for. the pre-
sent condition of affairs that exist in ohr
State, for, as taught by their Radical
leaders, they we're unanimous against re-
lieving the whites of their DISTINGUISHING
chains. When The Republican vote cast
for Stokes is compared with that given to
President Grant, we can see st 9 mo-
ment's glance that, being about equal, the
negro is still opposed to the enfranchise-
ment Of the whites, and was only
thwsrted by superior Numbers. Mr..
Elheridge takes strong grounds against
the encouragement Of Chinese immigra-
ton to this country. He does non state
his objections, but we can conjecture
they arise only from the great weight
he fears these men might cast in the pc.
Iitical scale. Now, as to that, there
should be no just cause Of alarm about
John Chinanan interfering with politics,
for his only object in coming to tAe
country Is to make money By giving an
equivalent 10 .abf, and then go back 70
the Flowery Land, where he stipulates
his body shall rest after des;h. But
how strange that this speaker should
favor the enfranchisement Of negroes,
and yet oppose Cinnamon becoming
citizens. There is no comparison be-
tgesu the two classes Of men. for the
simple reason John is q far superior
individual to Cuffy. While the China,
man is an industrious and ingenious
Isborer, frugal in mis- habits, skillial
IN the use Of mechanical tools,
the negro is naiurally lag aud indo-
Lent; takes no care Of himself, aud is not
possessed With a seinlillasion Of genius.