Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-11-07
Joint Discussion between Gen.
Brown and w. III. Wisener
in Court Square.
Grand Democratic Rally in the Even
ing at the Opera House.
SPEECHES ny THE VARIOUS
NOMINEES.
the Las, Gun of the Campaign.

anu oetuiuo1 htSAtf Wv W ~ - - =
AT COURT SQUARE.
The crowd which assembled at Cour
Square to hear General Brown and Nh
Wisener, the Democratic and Radica
nominees for Governor, was not as larg
. as was anticipated by the local leader
of the Democratic party here, but It wa
crowd Of intelligent men, representuI
nearly every class and interest A
twelve o'clock Mr., W. W. Mcdowell
Chairman of the Democratic Executive
Committee, called the mass meeting L
order and introduced the FIRST speaker
General John c. Brown, Of Giles county
ia highly complimentary and graceful
terms.
GENERAL BROWNS SPEECH.
General Brown was received with
hearty burst of applause. Expressing
his pleasure at having an opportunity to
address the people of Memphis, he pro
ceeded to say that he stood on the plat
form of the convention which nominated
him; that the time had come to wresi
the constitution and the country from
the Radicals, if the people wished to
prevent centralized despotism. The
doctrine of secession he considered set
tied by the war, and buried forever with
it, but Mr.. Wisener charged him with
being a rebel, and that the first resolu-
ton of the platform contained the doe
trine of secession. He admitted that he
had served the Confederacy four years.
but denied that the doctrine of secession
! is advocated by any person to-day. Inc
resolution demanded that the Southern
States be admitted into the Union as
sovereign States. but not as Independent
sovereign States. He went on to say
that Webster Calhoun, Jackson, Henry
Claw Abraham Lincoln-even Andrew
Johnson-every chiefjustice oftheU nited
States, the Supreme Court of Tennessee,
all have recognized the sovereignty OF
the States under the Constitution. Even
his competitor, Mr.. Wisener, had sus-
tanned the doctrine by voting in 1865 for
the State constitution of that date, which
saws ut is the inherent right of the peo-
ple to alter, reform and abolish the gov
eminent as they may think proper. Mr.,
Wisener also voted in $3.50 to send the
free negroes to Liberia, or if they refused
to 90, to sell them into perpetual bon
dage. How could State do such an act
unless it had sovereign authority
Indiana has the words State SOW
ereignty inscribed on its State flag.
Abraham Lincoln, in the conyen-
ton held in Illinois in ls47 to
form . State constitution, voted that
their motto be State sovereignty" Re
construct those States, Mr.. Wisener, and
then it will be time to look after Tennes-
see. Mr.. Wisener introduced bill in
the Legislature, April, 1861, instructing
the Military Committee to frame bill
calling out troops to drive the foul in
vaderr from the soil of Tennessee. In
May, 1861, he voted to appropriate three
millions of dollars to equip troops, dig
saltpeter and prepare for the defense of
the State. He exposed Wisener's rec
ord still further, showing that he voted
for all the war measures Of 1861, urged
all young men to go into the army, and,
after getting thousands into the scrape,
basely backed out himself and played
the role of a deserter. Subsequently, he
was in the convention of 1865, while he
(Gen Brown wasin the army, and help
ed to disfranchise all who stood out
longer than he (Wisener) did. Gen.
Brown used up the record of his compel
itor terribly, and then proceeded at length
to review the State and national extraya-
gance and recklessness Of the Radical
party. He said he was as true to the flag
as any one, and ready not only to fight
foreign and domestic enemies of the
country, and lay down his life. if needs
be, for the flag, but to fight the Radical
party until he spilled the last drop of
blood. The address was clear, exhaustive
and courteous, but whitening on his OPP
ponent and the Radical party. He was
listened to with close attention and was
frequently applauded. He touched on
many points which we have omitted.
Mr. wIsEyER's SPEECH.
Hon. W. H. Wisener, the Republican
nominee, was introduced by Judge H.
E. Hudson. The honorable gentleman
apologetically stated that he was not
candidate of choice, but that he had
been forced to run. He alluded to the
sixty-eight winters which had passed
over his head, without an opportunity,
until now, Of addressing the people Of
Memphis. He contended, forcibly. i'll
not convincingly, that the word soyer-
eighty, in the Democratic platform, was
intended to secure at the ballot-box what
the cartridge-box failed to establish
during the war He said he voted
against secession, and that the consti-
tuition Of 1865 was not such bad
thing, after all, when understood and
compared. He believed in the sover-
eighty of the people, but not Of States
He denied that he voted to drive the
eolored people out Of the State or force
them into bondage. He explained some |
Of the inconsistencies, and said he had /
voted to increase the pay Of soldiers |
from eleven TO twenty-five dollars, and |
that to be paid in gold, because this was
a rich mans war and poor mans fght. I
His votes were cast in the Legislature 4
against his own convictions sometimes
but to satisfy his constituents. He
claimed that the Radicals had reduced /
taxation wonderfully in the last year or
two and defended the action of Qon-