Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-30
HON. EMERSON ETmERIDGg,
A serenade and a speech-His Re-
marks I'm Full.

D Hon. Emerson E.heridge arrived in Il
city yesterday, and stopped at the Gil
Hotel. About nine o'clock last night
: was serenaded by the Odd Fellows silv,
band, and, in reply to repeated calls by
= la'ge assembly, appeared on The balloon,
: John ]. Mccain, before introducip
ElheriGge to the large number preseu
spoke as follows:
citizens: Allow me to introduc
to you Gel. Emerson Etheridge, distir
guished citizen of West Tennessee, and
hope our future United States Senator. anS
one who in the future, as in the past, W
will not only delight, but upon whom W,
will confer additional honors. Lou,
cheering
COL. ETHERIDGE's REMARKS
Fellow. citizens: No man ought to b,
Indifferent to manifestations of popular
regard. / have, long thought that the bes
reward of public servant consists in con-
scious rectitude of purpose and the sp
plause Of his fellow citizen For fifteen
years before the war was but once in the
city of Nashville | was here but once
during the war, and am here now for the
third time since its close. Each lime ]
was engaged in the public serviA. know
| look down upon a crowd nine-tenlhs OF
whom are TO me personally unknown, but
/ know something Of the city of N sshville,
of the people of Davidson county, their
love of liberty and CT your moral
and material power. | further
know that during the war the city of Nash
vile was a beleagured city, and how since
then you have often been insulted by in
solent military rule. Living as you have
| lived for the last few years at the seat of
government, you have witnessed for your
selves the means and appliances by which
the energies of the i ate have been
crippled, and your whole population i'm.
poverishe1; and you know, residing as you
have done, in rich CONNIE cisl city, how
you have cen Il eced TO the fullest extent
which despoiism could enforce. 1t is net
unnatural, then, that you should be joy
| Gus to see the day so near at hand when
your government will be placed in the
hands Of men who are responsible to the
people. Five days from tomorrow your
State will pass into the hands of the
chosen agents Of the people, and at the
same time the few remaining agents of
misrule will sink into their former OBJ,
security.
Oar late victory has been 80 signal, our
deliverance 20 complete, that malignity
has lest its sting: even revenge has soft-
ened into pity. Our State has been rev.
oIutionized as thoroughly as was England
in the 18th century. Both revolutions
were in the interests of public liberty.
Ours, thank Heaven, has been bloodless.
And rs we had no material aid or sympa.
Thy from abroad, we have no selfish aliens
to reward, no foreign debts of graft
tude to pay. Nor haYe we any am,
bilious Pretsnders to threaten our
future peace. A few parasites, it is
true, have performed a mournful pill
grimsge to the federal capital, have knelt
at the fcotstool of power, and have inn
plored the President to intercede in their
behalf, but ne refused to degrade himself
or TO insult our people by further comm.
vance at that despolism which was Matched
By political harlois 10 this city four or five
years ago. Rising to the dignity of true
manhood, he spurned the crawling rep
tiles from his presence. Even his foot.
man refused 10 toss them penny at the
DOR.
But cur LAHORE, our responsibilities are
not ended. Il ia often easy to overlurn
government. 1t has been 80 with us. No
sooner had Gen. Grant bsnished 10 the
Pacific coast that evil genius of our
people, and Governor Senter had dis.
banded and disarmed that military bur-
lesque of the nineteenth century, than
our people began to hope. Public opin-
ion, which had been stifsd for years, be-
froo
trated These things attained, the
work was done. Intelligence, wealth,
numbers, emulation, AID the love
of liberty were arrayed against ignos
rance, envy, and few remaining official
representatives of tyrannical rule. The
only wonder is that our triumph was
not more complete. Even now we can
not but feel sad that so many Of our free
born fellow. citizens in one portion of the
State were found voting in the interests
of oppression. Surely these hardy
mountaineers will ere long turn
their backs upon the teachers and docs
trines which have made them what they
are
1t is believed By many that the labors
of the incoming Legislature will be beset
with difficulties. | tell you frankly 1t need
not be so. Ii is true that we are now IN a
transition state; and all such period, in
the history of commonwealth are fruit
ful in two classes of public men whose
councils we should heed with the utmost
caution. | allude TO those who are i'm
movably fixed in their attachment to the
past, to those old ideas and institutions
which a progressive age has outgrown,
and also to those who forget, or who
never knew that all progress is not practi'
cal reform. True wisdom and duty re
quire Ia to recognize the actual changes Of
tue last few years. These changes with
US have been de spead and thorough,
| particularly in social and political life.
All great changes are n cessarily attended
with more or less laceration. Lament ss
we will, our repinings cannot change the
results, but our cheerful acceptance of the
| inevitable will do much 10 f. ia for the
actual duties of the hour.
1t was BoiiDgbroke, | believe, who said
that every nation must perpetually re-
! new its constitution or perish" Had he
| lived uatil now he might have INDUCED
! in wider generalization, | think that
| the greatest error of ancient and modern
| scholarship Is to be found in fu-
tile Efforts 10 bind pOsterity by
legislation, by compacts and constitutions
! All experience has demons rated the utter
| impossibility Of such a thing, and sound
wisdom loudly proclsims that were it
| possible it should not be done. A just
equilibrium in the government OF a young,
vigorous, and growing State cannot be
maintained if we fail TO adjust the delicate
machinery of government in accordance
| with the requirements Of the altered con-
dition of thlDgs-those changes which are
indispensable from rapidly increasing popI-
latiou, from radical alterations in systems
| of labor, the multiplication Of channels
| of communication and the many
other results of an advancing evils
zltion. Cd ideas, institutions and
habits pass away with the causes VII Oh
gave them being. / know it is difficult for
US TO ignore the prejudices of education,
the deep convictions of lifetime, but we
should at least make the effort; no euCh
difficulties will affect those who come al. er
US. Born and reared, as they will b We
been, under different inh Ie .ces, we might
as well expect them TO revive the manners
of the second century as 10 restore some Of
the ideas and institutions which per-
ished in the late ssnguinary war.
Public opinion has already marked out a
large amount of labor for the Legislature;
and though that body may not meet the
full demands of public expectation, much,
very much, will be done to alIay popular
discomfort. A convention will doubtless be
called. That body will Of course fix the
right of suffrage beyond all controversy.
Men will hold the elective franchise by law,
and not subject TO the whms and caprices OF
interested officials. 1t will no doubt i'm
pose salutary restraints upon the power Of