Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-07

meant 10 approve the 18th amendment,
do not know. certainly myself enter
tain the desire that the ratification, if
made, shall lead TO permanent settle
ment of this question Of suffrage, which /
know can not be, if portion of the citi-
zens Of the nation are denied suffrage in
any State. know il is the opinion of
many. that the ratification of this amend
ment will lead TO the removal of all disa-
bilities, and this, trust, is what the Presi-
dent meant in saying be entertained the
hone and expressed the desire that this
ratification would accomplish the end
which he so much desired.
There is, in the inaugural address, not
an uRkind word of the people who had so
recently been IN arms against the govern.
meut no reasonable and fair construction
of the language about the ten States now
in poverty, can give it the meaning i'm.
puted by some. As read this language.
it is far from being severely sarcastic. II
is the statement of fact, which ne have
constantly tried to prove, with kind ex.
preston of hope of early relief.
Looking at the address in the light of
the times, Gen. Grant means to be the
President of the nation, and not of par.
ty, and wonld not be understood BY this
as expressing the belief that Gen. Grant
is going to cut loose from the party that
elected him. / only mean that, ia my
opinion, he has made up his mind that, in
the discharge of public duties, bis duty to
his country is above his fealty TO his party.
If he has, this is as much as any man can
reasonably expect, or ought TO expect, from
man elected by party.
am much strengthened in this by the
appointment OF his cabinet. This cabi.
net seems not to be satisfactory to any
body, at least among the politicians, and
other classes have not yet been heard from.
1t is not at all satisfactory to the shrewd
driving politicians of Grants own party,
because they did not select il, because
Grant did not take their suggestions, and
numerous will be the predictions Of the
utter failure of the administration. Pol
iticians on the other side are willing to
play quits by saying the cabinet is weak
one. The selection, however, of this Cab
met by Gen. Grant, l am free to say,
gives me more hope for the country than
any thing that has been done since our
national affairs became 30 critical; not be-
cause of everything / know of the men.
for like anybody else l know but little of
most of them, but their selection proves
two most important things: First, that
Grant is not going to allow mers poll
Gcians to do his thinking and acting, iha
he is going to think for himself, and then
that outside pressure, no matter how
great, will not overturn his plans, when
matured; and secondly, it proves that the
executive head Of the nation is not, IS
many feared, going to be converted from
a civil department of the government
into mere military headquarters. l
have come to the conclusion that Gen.
Grant is going to make determined effort,
not only to administer the government
with economy, but he means to abolish the
whisky rings and all other rings which
now infest almost every city In the United
States; be means honesty instead of pecu-
lation in public affairs. The question, Mr..
Chairman, is second only to the healing of
our national wounds, and if this ia Gen.
Grants purpose, as shall be developed by
his administration az it proceeds, there is,
/ am sure, one man in Tennessee, and
believe an overwhelming majority of the
people, who will stand by him, regardless
of party and party ties,
After the healing Of our wounds, which,
in Tennessee, have been 80 ruthlessly irri-
tated since the war, this question of honesty
in Office is next in importance. 1t lies at
every mans door-infests nearly all our
public Offices, and accompanies the tax
gatherer into every civil district in the
State. In Tennessee we want our best men
in office regardless of party. This can only
be By concession, mutual forbearaEce, and
resolve on the part of each to do his
share toward cementing a happy Union.
l sincerely trust the people of TeBcessee-
opposed, as a large majority Of them are,
to the party which elevated Gen. Grant to
the Presidency-will heartily sustain his
administration in all its efforts at faithful
discharge of public duties.
1t becomes Us in Tennessee, Of all par
ties, to reconcile conflicting views, to bear
and forbear, and finally heal up the wounds
which the war made. Unless this is done,
this great State, instead of taking rank
among the first States of the Union, will
literally die of political maladies.
s If Grant makes good President, be is
as much my President as he is the Presi-
dent of the man who belongs 10 his party,
aud j shall unreservedly sustain him. Un-
fortunate as has been the condition of many
of our people since the war, still We have
no country but this, and / have no thought
Of abandoning it.
E1-Mayor Brown was then called upon
and made few remarks. He said that he
was delighted with the sentiments en-
b3died in the resolution and with those
uttered BY the distinguished genllen
who had just preceded him; he was will
ing to endorse every sentence of their
speeches.
Judge Lowering said that there was q
remarkable feature in the selection of Gen
Grants cabinet scarcely known in the an
mails of our country. Coming into Office
he looks over the whole country and no
portion of it escapes his attention. He
has selected men who we're not politician 5
and who will squench the public expendi-
lures, having no enemies to punish and no
special friends to reward. He hoped that
this new era would be the dawn Of a
coming day of the nations prosperity,
Judge Carey, being present, was called
for, and responded substantially as fol- |
lows: We have been told in Scripture |
mot to Put our trust in princes or the sons
of princes" It is not always well to in
dorse the acts of men too fully before |
these acts are made known; still as mem
bers of the republican government it be-
comes our duty, having chosen him for
oar President, to stay with him. he was
unable to see what ground there is in the
declaration Of Gen. Grant, as contained in |
the inaugural, for such severe criticisms as
have been placed upon it by the public
prints He tells us that be has a will and
convictions of his OVID, that he will not
hesitate to press these convictions upon
Congress, and after being pressed upon
Congress and they in their duty make
laws such as their wisdom indicates. be az
q public officer will say and pledge
that those lava shall be en-
forced. But what pleased him
most, in reading and considering the in
augural address was his closing utterance
where he invokes forbearance for one and
another. 1t seemed to him that if this had
been borne in mind, not so much calamity
would have been upon the country as there
had been. Because Gov. Foote and him
self could not agree on measures and party
policies, he could not see why he should
,all him fool or that he (himself) should
,aIl the Governor knaye. In that utter