Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-31
Address OF THE CONSERVATIVE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

aud immediate action III 1enuessee, III
volying that which freemen hold most
dear in life-their civil and political
ltberty--is fairly upon you. You are in
the midst of an irrepressible and irresist-
ible political revolution, in which every
citizen of the commonwealth is expected
TO act his part, and unite common cause
with his neighbor in final effort for the
rehabilitation of the State and establish
ment upon sure and permanent founds-
ton of the great principles of "No taxation
without representation" even and exact
Justice, Ie lce on earth and good will to-
ward all men. .f.
The social and political troubles which
sorely beset US, and their original causes,
familiar TO you all, need not be referred to
here. The hour and the occasion for the
application of the legal and constitutional
remedy ia at hand, and no one Of Us can
afford to indulge in prOhtless discussion
about past differences, but must now come
manfully up to the duties which are r,-
quired of us "a good citizens.
The dwsllers within our bordeTs of no
matter what lace or political affinity, have
a common interest in the earliest practi-
cable settlement of questions which, spring
ing from an unhappy sectional war, all of
us should be glad TO obliterate from memo
| ry and which still keep us divided as
people, distracting our attention from the
more healthful consideration OF matters re-
lating 10 our material prosperity and pro
gress. Only designing demagogues, whose
selfish ambition for power and place is
Numerically opposed to the real Interests
of their sovereign masters, the people, can
| desire 10 retard our dsliverance from the
wilderness of despair, through which we
have wondered for msny weary and almost
hopeless years.
You have, through your delegated rep
resentaiives in convention, selected the
candidates in whose capable and honest
hands you are willing to vest your liber-
| ties in the next General Assembly of the
State.
A stronger ticket before the people
could not possibly have been selected, nor
one that could have more fully come up
to the full measure of the popular demand.
| We have never known convention to
have been more fairly and Justly conduct
ed, leaving out of view entirely the claims
of individuals as compared with the i'm
mense interests which the whole people,
enfranchised and disfranchised, feel that
they have depending on the result
1t is not party ticket in any sense of the
word, but composed of the peoples chosen
delegates from this county to represent
their interests in the legislation of the
country. 4
The elements of availability, ability.
honesty and success are most hslmoniously
and happily combined. If there was any
| difference at all as to choice, it was simply
4 # l.. to Ilah1 ~
| and reliability, and not of feeling or per-
sonsl friendship. By common consent, the
| people in the convention seemed earnestly
intent upon but one fixed purpose, and that
was to select the ticket that should meet
the wishes of the largest number, differ
ences of opinion being gracefully and
patriotically yielded, and the result unsni-
mously announced without disappointment
| to any class or individual.
Judge Henry Cooper, the nominee for
Senter, enjoys a deservedly high reputa-
ton for legal ability and legislative cspa-
city, with great personal popularity. He
| has been Constitutional Union man all
his life, a man of sure-footed judgment
and enlarged experience, and the popular
| ideal Of the class of men who should, of
| all others, be chosen as tried and capable
pilots to direct the ship of State, at this
critical juncture, out from among the
breakers which threaten TO oyerwhelm
and destroy
Major s Rhea, for representative in
the lower house, ia one of the olde and
| most esteemed citizens Of the city and
| county. He hes been repeatedly entrusted
| with municipal offices of responsibility,
and was never political candidate for any
office, nor a candidate by his own prefer
ment for anything. His pre- eminent
| qualifications are his honesty and native
| modesty which il its surest guarantee. As
the representative Of our great mercantile
| interests, be can be of material service to
the advancement and growth OF our home
| commerce, while his own experience,
capacity and success, afford assurance of
the requisite business qualifications for
legislation in which the material prosperity
Of the commonwealth are the cardinal
points and ultimate ends to be attained.
His prospective colleague in the next
Assembly, Maj | D Walker, like himself,
has been consistent liberal Union man
from first to last. Mai Walker served with
distinction az a soldier of the Union army.
He is a Northern man by birth, who estab-
| llHleu his I6flucuCc III luiFy HlS duOplcu
| State, since the war, and is TO Tennessee
what his iliustrious namesake, the Gov
ernnor of Virginia, ia to that State-a true
and tried friend Of the State Of his adop-
ton, courageous champion of universal
| fleedom, and a man OF live ideas and
enlarged and liberal views. He is, beside,
thoroughly Identified with the immigration
interests Of Tennessee and the South, and
an earnest and active worker in the devel-
ormept of the wealth and material re-
sources of Tennessee.
ITpon the whole, the ticket embraces,
mot only every essential element of success,
hut every assurance, 50 far as its influence
NAV be exerted, Of the practical benefits to
he derived from that suCcess. There is
nothing in il that is suggestive OF the re-
motest approach TO conscription or intol-
erance. 1t is composed of representative
men Of and from the people, who will add
Unreasonable strength to the cause Of uni
, yersal suffrage. In their hands We feel
that our interests are secure, and with this
f unlimited confidence shall give to ii our
: | whole, undivided and earnest support, and
bespeak for it the suffrage Of every voter
| who at heart desires the welfare, peace
, and prosperity of his fellow-citizens and
his State.
Thoughtful men for long time have
: seen in our midst widespread change il
! political feeling. As the evils of proscrip
| ton and disfranchisement have made
, | themselves felt, the best men in The Re
| publican party are impelled by natural
and human impulse to avow feelings o
? liberalily toward their disfranchised neigh
bors, and have said they we're unwilling
/ that this state of things should longer con
t tinue. The necessity for these laws, i
; there ever was any, have passed away
They were born Of strife, and naturally
e looked TO selfish passion to keep then
e alive Let them die, and the evil tha
b produced them will die also. Let the hartl
4 words which have been said be forgottt n
e and all wounds produced By the war viii
heal in time.
n Citizens! the time in which we must &C
s is short. 5Let our work be earnest and
n constant.
!. By action Of our Executive Commit
IL tee, the two representatives from each civi
II District 10 the convention which nomi
mated this ticket were constituted a sub
i Executive Committee, with power 10 IN
e. crease the number to FIVE, by selecting
le three more persons who would be active i
he distributing this address and carrying on
sr its provisions.
or The sub-executive committees in the va
he rious districts are appealed 10 to canVs;
:" thoroughly and get every man to the pol