Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-19

sheer at the supposed sickness and death OF
its powerful neighbor? At the close of the
war it succeeded to illimitable power and
possessions. It's means by which to seduce
the venal, overawe the timid and coerce all
Others into its support were absolutely
boundless in eleven States, and nearly SO
everywhere else. If this powerful party
had been pure and unselfish in its devotion
ID the welfare Of the country; if it had been
managed with an eye single to the prosper
ity OF the laboring people; if it had fostered
the industrial classes instead of the monop-
olies; if it had conciliated the conquered
instead of bruising them every day afresh
with additional stripes; If it had sou hit to
invigorate an Impoverished section OF the
greatest natural wealth instead of scourg-
ing it in still more horrible barTeuness
and MISERY; lift had lived on love and pa
triotism instead of hate and greedy it
would have had before it longer lease of
power at the hands of the American people
than was ever granted to political party in
the history of the world. But, bloated with
much power and countless wealth, its
career has been full of wickedness, gradually
but surely FORGETTING the confidence of the
people and driving its best elements out of
its organization. This fact is strikingly IL
Illustrated by the history of political
Contests I'm Indiana.
In 1854 when Rthe waves of Radical mis-
rule reached their highest point in this
State, majority Of $1,000 was recorded
against the Democratic party. Two years
later, in 1866, we again met the same
enemy and reduced his majority to
1900. In 1868, we fought again under
the same colors and wiped out the entire
majority against us, the Radicals only saw
ing the State officer by fraudulent returns
of few hundred majority. Thus stood
the contest in Indiana when the fifteenth
amendment, never legally ratified, a fraud in
my individual judgment on the American
people, gave an increase of 10000 negro
voters to the Radicals. Yet in 1870 we
defeated this coalition of blacks and whites
and placed about 5000 of majority on the
side of the gallant and unfaltering Democ-
racy of the State. Certainly this is not a
record to beget Encouragement. 1t shows
a steady decay of the Republican party in
Indiana. 1t shows loss on its part in eight
years Of at least
$4,000 Votes.
1t shows further that if the Democracy
does as usual ON its own account this year,
we will carry the State by $1,000 majority,
and if the Liberal Republican party can
even moderately well fulfil its expectations,
the vote of the State will be cast against
against the Administration party, both in
October and November, by larger MAORI
ties than have ever heretofore been known
in history.
There is another branch, however, of the
domestic policy of the present administra-
ton, which has perhaps more strongly in-
duced the present political movement
against it than any other, for it comprises
within itself the wrorgs and villainies of all
the others. The condition of
The South
has at last aroused universal attention and
almost universal indignation. That I'M
happy section is at last recognized as a por-
ton of our common country and as such is
entitled to an equality before the law with
all other sections. Gen. Grant was elected
to the Presidency exclaiming, s'Let us have
Peace" but the cry has been cheat and
delusion. There has been no peace for the
helpless people of the South. They have
longed for it and prayed for it; but it has
not come. A worse form of war than
columns has preyed upon them.
1t has been war Of robbers, spies and
jailors. l say without fear of intelligent
contradiction that in all that goes to des-
troy the prosperity of country and crush
the welfare of its people, the administra-
ton of public affairs in the South for the
last three years has been the worst, the
Most Truly Internal
ever known in the history of a civilized
people. It Is subject on which have be-
slowed an earnest attention and with which
L have made myself familiar. During the
last session Congress l demonstrated from
official proofs that system of plumber had
been pursued under the protection and APP
proval of the present administration, by
which the entire eleven reconstructed States
of the South had been impoverished and
majority of them made bankrupt. Debt
and outstanding obligations, amounting to
at least
have been fastened by official thieves on
the taxpayers of that blighted region. For
the purpose of aiding in this wholesale rob-
berry by reducing the Southern people to
silence and submission while it was fastened
on them, it has been falsely assumed that
they were in a lawless frame of mind, and
must be placed under laws as despotic and
infamous as an Austrian edict against Hun
gary in 1849, orr
British ket Of Parliament
against Ireland in the last century. The
true policy of the bandit prevails from Vir-
ginia to Texas wherever the touch of this
administration and its followers has been
felt. 1t has been the money of the people
or their lives and liberties, and in maiori-
ty of the States both. They have not only
had their substance eaten out by adventu-
rous scoundrels, but they have been de-
priVed in their own persons of every Amer
lean right. Their property is not only at
the mercy OF mercenary Vagabonds, but un-
der the legislation of the past few years any
husband or father,
Vile or Mother.
son or daughter in the entire South could
be consigned indefinitely to prison on the
mere suspicion of any brutal and depraved
spy whether white or black, there to lay
without hope of speedy trial, or release on
bail, until those who had deprived them of
the benefits Of the writ of habeas corpus
either turned them out or packed a jury for
their conviction. When recall and dwell
upon these appalling crimes against liberty
and against the common rights of humani-
ty, cannot wonder at the
Strong and Bitter Cry
which comes up from the South foS any
body to defeat the re-sletion ofthe man who
has inspired them, regarded them
with grim and heartless satisfac-
ton aud in many instances commit
ted them himself. The man who is drown
ing or who sees his wife and children per-
ishing in t flames must not be censured
for adopting any way not criminal in itself
by which to save himself or ali that is dear
to him. have therefore listened with per-
feet patience to the voice of the South in
this crisis, knowing as | do her extreme
and immediate necessities. Her urgent
appeal for the nomination of Mr.. Greeley
has been regarded by her friends in the
North almast az
The Last Despairing Cry
of brave and noble people reduced to a
hopeless extremity, beholding as they think
one more chance to save themselves from 0
ruin infinitely worse than daath. fer
ventlY pray God that their hopes may be
realized; and many Northern man will
suspend his differences with Mr.. Greeley on
account of the people of the South, who
would not do so on his own. They believe
the election of Mr.. Greeley will afford them
relief and in that belief thew demand his