Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-02
UNION AND AMERICAN
THE CANVASS IN KENTUCKY.


of NashyiIIe's COlOred Representa-
tIves ON the stand.
We mentioned some days ago that Elias
Polk and Andrew Foster, two well known
coloEed men of this city had been invited
to visit Hdpkinsville, KY, and address
their colcred friends. They accepted the
invitation and prooeedsd TO that place.last
week. The Hopkinsville Neso Era gives
the following account Of their reception:
"There was quite difference in the re-
ception of the two orators of Monday last.
When the 10 o'clock train came in, there
was ST the depot 10 receive General Hsr-
Ian, Walter Evans, Judge Landes, e. p.
Campbell and few other members of his
party. IL WAS evident that the General
was not the object which drew the crowd
to tho depot. No shouts, no huIrahs
marked his coming He was quietly armed
by couple of friends and silently and IN
noticed went to his hotel. On the same
train Were Elias Polk asd andrew Foster,
but they we're accompanied by band OF
music, and by VIM. Porter, Esq, ons OF
the Democratic color6d men Of this city,
and Others. Tbey were received at the
depot by vast crowd, were introduced TO
many Of our citizens, placed in an open
CdrIldE6 LldRL py lNO U1bbHinCtAh SACgbs
and preceded by the band snd followed by
vast gafhelirg of people who manifested
their enthusiasm by shouts and hurrahs.
This carriage With its occupants proceeded
down Nashville TO Main and down Main to
the CouIt-house, where Polk and Foster
w4re received in q short speech by Nelson
Burnett, and made appropriate responses. ."
On that night there was joint discus
sion between Polk and Foster, Democrats,
and Alex. Thompson and John Thompson,
Radicals IN regsrd to the issues of the day.
The debate was opeDed by speech from
Andrew Foster, Of this place. he said
that the time had come wnen the colored
man should come ont for his rights, and
we must nc: trjfie with these rights, or be
led estray by false leaders in the Radical
party who were operating in order to pro-
mote their own selfish end The Radical
party claimed 20 be the best friend the
negro rad, but lis claim wss false. They
claimed that they liberated the negro.
They never did it. Had JEFF. Davis and the
people of the South laid down their arms
in 1862, and accepted The promises con-
tanned in the proclamation Ct Abraham
Lincoln, you end 1 would have been
in slavery to-day, but the South
didn't accept the proposition,
the war went on. and as a sequence of the
war tbs negro vas freed He had seen
Federal officers in the streets of Nashville
pull of their shoulder-straps when the
proclamation Of emancipation was receiy-
ed, aud state that they were not fighting
30 free negroes. No, my friends, the Rad
icel party did not free the negro. He
has been a member of The Radical party,
Tho Radical
never did anything openly and above board
They were afraid Ct the truth. To gain
ard keep power they operated through
Loyal Leagues, and swore its members to
support only such persons as received the
nomination Of the League. He confined
bis remarks at some length, to show that
the Radical party had burthened the pee
pie with taxation, and robbed the treasury
of the country, and that its only prop and
stay in Kentucky was the negro, and he
believed tbs ne-To would soon desert it.
Elias Polk commenced his remarks by
saying that the old Gray Eagle of Ten
nessea is before Won, and asks your stten-
ton" He said be wEs present as the
speaking during TIE afternoon and saw the
negroes get mp aud leave tee crowd when
Judge Turner arose to answer Gen. Har-
Ian That sctioa looked like they were
afraid TO hear tde t-u when it was told
to them. He referred TO the fact that he
had been Q Democrat for forty years, and
in reply to a remark made by Gen. Har-
Ian. said il would not be difficalt to tell
where he would be after the election He'll
be landed high and dry on the head waters
Of Salt River In his State, said the
speaker, the Radical party disfsanchised
he white msn and erfraGchised the negro.
Their policy IVES this They said to
tie negro, You'll be a voter, we
be Office holders, and these disfranchis-
cd parties will pay The taxes They
then, even di frau chised The speskeE-the
blacklist mar IN he Stste-who had not
participated il the war-zho had stayed
"a; home and tined 10 do his duty by pro.
;tcting the widow of Gen. Polk; and the
only reason they disfcanchised him was
because he was opposed 70 the Radical
party. He referred to the promise Of forty
acres OF land md a mule offered to toe ne
gro for his vote, and said he told q Senator
Of Tennessee, IN response to one Of hi
speeches, thG' if the,e ws5 any land 10 bt
distributed, there 1cas so many hUngrg
dogs IN the Radical PG'ty that the poo
aCgr0 lCOVld not hG06 a chance.
TIE pap.r above referred to has o
lengthy synopsis q his speech, butwsnt o.
sgsce prevents rs from extracting further