Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-02
OUR CONVENTION.
correspondence Cincinnati Commercial.
NICHoLsoN's SPEECH.

NlCUOLSON .SfEhCH.s -e.lt
NASHVILLE, Jan. Yesterday in the
Convention favoring the incorporating of
negro suffrage into the new Constitution,
was mastery effort Coming as it did
from one of the stanchest old time Demo
Gratis in the State, from an ex-United
States Senator, whose public life was
marked by devotion to the doctrines of
the Democracy, to States rights, white
mans Government, slavery, Southern
Confederacy and kindred subjects, who
is himself an ex-Rebel, an ex-slayeholder;
and an ex-champion of the Constitution as
it was; coming from such a man, at such
time, and under such circumstances,
and withal, with SO much vigor, clear
ness, ability and eloquence, it is no Won
der it fell with telling effect upon the
side of Justice and humanity. Had it
been from the lips of Radical, it
would have been less potent
for good, but from A. 0. 7.
Nicholson, in the light of his past record,
it cut like q tWo-edged sword. During
the delivery of this eloquent defense of
the freedmen, this plea in their behalf and
tribute to their humility and goodness,
every man in the hall, of whatever poll
tics, listened with the profOundest atten-
ton. He stood at his desk near the cen
ter of the floor, and all around him were
gathered the members, who eagerly leaned
toward him to catch every word that fell
from his lips Outside the bar and lean
ing against the railing was long row OF
dusky faces-the faces of those who were
more directly interested in the discussion
Of this question than even the members
themselves. mel
1t cannot be denied that this statesman
like speech of Mr. Nicholson's had some
thing to do with the overwhelming vote
recorded against the minority report yes
terday. To listen was to be convinced.
His premises were clear, and his conclu-
sions were irresistible. He denied that
this was a white mans Government any
longer; all had been staked, and all lost.
STOKES b CO.
The Bald Eagle of the Mountains, from
his nest at Washington, has been pointing
his claw toward this unfortunate State
and warning Tennessee that her time
would come next. To accomplish his
darling object, he introduces bills, makes
speeches, reads petitions, exhorts with his
fellow Congressman, and draws harrow
ing pictures of the condition of loyal men
in this State. In this work he is aided by
Jerusalem Smith, r. r. Butler and Sam.
Arnell-a happy trio of apostate Rebels,
unrepentant negro traders and pot-house
politicians. If the rebellion had sue
ceeded, these men would have to-day
been in the Confederate Congress, pro-
vided there was no other bar to theirseats
in that body than their Unionism. About
the only two good things they ever did do
was TO espouse the rebellion, in 1851, and
thereby render it Odious in the eyes of
well meaning men, and of late to raise a
howlwhich should scare the presentrulers
of Tennessee to do justice to the negro.
Having accomplished their mission, the
present Congressional delegation from this
State would confer favor upon mankind
by resigning. .. ..l. -I.I
By the by, there is no State in the
Union that has such pack of Represen-
tatives at Washington as has Tennessee.
They do non represent anything but them
selves With the exception of Fowler
and Hawkins, put the whole of them
upon a general ticket and let them come
before the people, white and black, and
they would not get one vote in twenty
They are dead-beats, and had it not been
for the most peculiar state of affairs that
ever existed, they would not now be in
Congress.
The account which your inimitable d.
e =,
description of ali of them. Smith de-
serves some pity for having got into such
a bad crowd; but il may be that the fel-
low is ashamed of his company, and if so,
let him have credit for it. As for r. r.
Butler, il has been charged time and
again by Senter, on the stump and off it,
and by hundreds of others, in print
and out of print, that the aforesaid
loyal Butler has swindied a number of
widows and orphans of soldiers ont of
their pension and bounty money. These
charges he has never denied, nor have his
friends, if he has got any, ever done it for
him. Besides the cloud over his charac-
ter in this particular, the records show
that he was member of the Harris Reb-
el Legislature, and spirited and spouted
against the Union and against the North
in manner not excelled by any of the
hot-heads of that famous body. Hewas
for Southern Confederacy, and for war
to the knife against the Abolitionists and
the Helper book men. Now he is in Con-
gress, the peculiar champion of the loyal
men, and using his best endeavors TO have
this State thrown back into anarchy and
confusion. AvBKY.