Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-11-25
Col. COIyar'S SDeecl.


We make the following extract from
Col. Colyar's speech at Chattanooga OIL
Wednesday night, as we find it reported
in the Banner;
We want better understanding-we
want united action in exposing corruption
The public mind has been so enfeebled by
corruptions in every quarter, that honest
men are afraid to speak out. Whole cities
are being ruined by corruptionists, and
nearly all the contracts in which the pub
lie are interested, are made npOn a bonus
indemnity, retained by the officials max
ing the contract, out of the public funds.
lfby new deal the ban can be remOv-
ed, what may Tennessee be in twenty-five
years SOmO months since, in q speech [
made at Knoxville, upon careful anayl-
sis of the statistics [ showed that, as we
were now going, in the next twelve years
we would pay abroad for just such things
as we will make when we come to be q
manufacturing people, $260,O00,0 ,000 This
$500, 900, 900 is going away for railroad iron,
locomotives, cars, castings, shoes and boots
heavy cotton goods, etc.
Suppose, now, we can keep this money
money at home and pay our taxes with it
build school houses with it-thereby in
creasing our population and enhancing the
value of our real estate-giving employ
ment to our poor and making them useful
instead of turdensome, what may we not
be in the next twenty-five years?
OF the threescOre years and ten allotted
to me, | have about one score left, and
am restless, as many others are, to see the
great State of Tennessee fairly in the race,
At present, with her immense resources,
she is under ban, and cannot contend for
the prize. Everywhere in the North agri-
culture is stimulated by home manufac-
tories, and an exchange of commodities is
the basis of large operations which, as
hewers of wood and drawers of water, our
hard savings build their fine houses and
enlarge their workshops.
AS long as this drain IS upon us we must
be very poor and very dependent peo-
pie. But to the close observer the signs of
the coming tide in the affairs of our State
are not without hope. Knoxville, Chatta-
nooga, Nashville and Memphis are stead
lily increasing in population and COM
merce. Some of our vast mines are being
worked successfully by our own people.
Large and successful iron manufactures
have been put in operation. The spare
capital, instead of seeking investment in
land and slaves, is cautiously but surely
going into workshops and machinery.
Remove the ban by wise politicalmove
on the chess board, and immigration and
capital will build up our cities, cultivate
our waste lands, open our mines, build
manufactures, in short, the cOntagiOn of
the times carried about in the clothes of
live men will spread over Tennessee.
The hope | have is that, by the cOntin-
ued discussion of this question, our people
will become aroused. One hundred live,
wideawake, active men, who will think
as well as work. will give new life to Ten
nesSee in q few years. Can we afford to
stand idle in this the age of physical and
intellectual activity? Are we not bound
to develop our resources so as to educate
our children and hold our position in the
rapidly advancing family of States? Can
we afford to sleep while other people work?
Hoping, gentlemen, that the Lord may
spare your city in future from flood and
fir9, and that l may live to see ChattanOo-
ga the Pittsburgh of the South, [ heartily
join with the whole people of the State, in
admiration of your heroic struggle under
difficulties. You have more resources than
Pittsburgh, and time will put you in the
front rank as a manufacturing town.
The foregoing and much more appeared
in the Banner as special dispatch. The
Chattanooga Times says of it:
We have always given the Nashville
Banner credit for being an eterprising pa
per, but we never thought it capable of
perpetrating such monstrous atrocity as
publishing a speech before twas delivered.
In Yesterdays issue, under the head of
Especial to the Banner" this paper has
two columns of matter purporting to be
the speech delivered in this city by Cola.
S. COlyer on last Wednesday night. We
inform the Banner that no
such speech was ever made in ChattanOO-
ga, ond how it can receive a speech by tel
ouraDh that was not and never will be de-
livered, is mystery to us. Surely the
Banner is blessed with the spirit of pro-
phecy. This is good joke on somebody.
Evidently, either Col. COlyer is editing
the Banner, or the Banner is writing the
worthy gentleman's speeches for him.
p. P.S.-When Col. COlyer is advertised to
make another speech, those who are anx-
ious to know what he is going to shy, can
obtain the same by applying to the Banner
at any reasonable time beforehand.
We suppose Col. COlyer intended to
make the speech but didn't, though the
sentiments are his, and we publish them
because they are all right.