Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-17

tempt of all decent men. l would not no
tice it but for the fact that what has been
said against me will 60 to the world. | am
willing to stand on my record before my
people at home. They know me; they
have trusted me but they can't speak to
the whole American people as can speak
to-day from this place. and when gentle
men rise in their places anywhere,
Do Not Care where,
and charge that l am man
! who is not to be trusted, because am so
| vile and came from so vile quarters and am
guilty of such vile practices, l denounce it
here and deneunce it everywhere.
know why all these charges were made.
| What / said about a pandemonium in
Tennessee was said about all the other
Southern States, and a good deal more
about some of them. One man, Mr.. Davis,
OF Texas, was looking me in the face when
said it. | said more about Gov. Bullock,
who sat by my side, and they are
Not all CripPIes,
| not all imbeciles. have never told lie,
and am prepared to prove every fact /
have said here or elsewhere. They thought
they would put man to speak against me
| OF whom they could say that he is cripple,
that he cannot write, that be cannot
read, that he cannot walk,
and they shield themselves
behind him. They are not all cripples.
ALI the rest of them can walk. l will prove
what said against every one of them, and
It's because they know win do it, it Is be-
cause Reed, of Florida, Scott, Of South Caro-
lima, and Davis, of Texas, and all of them,
know that | will prove it, because they
know that have been prominent in getting
upa report which will be before the coun-
try in less than a week, that they are trying
to blacken me, so, when the people take up
the report and read, they may say: "Oh, its
that fellow Beck, who was a negro driver,
that says this" That's their game. That's
the reason why they selected
A Poor Old ImbeciIe
to attack me.
Mr.. Stevenson again made point of order
against Mr.. Beck and was again oVerruled
by the speaker, who said he had been listen
ing very attentively to the gentleman from
Kentucky and lie had not violated any
parliamentary rule.
Mr.. Beck resumed: The people of Lex
ington had sent him to Congress three
times, the last time against his protest, and
after his written defamation. They met
him with ovations when he went home.
He was willing to stand on their knowledge
of him and his character. He never was in
any mans livery stable, and had never
whipped any mans slave nor his own
slaves, though it might have been better for
them and himself if he had done so some
times. The charge that he had been a
Was a Lie.
and he hurled it back ON all those men with
the scorn it deserved. He felt Inundated
at having to tell this, and he would not have
done so had the attempt merely been to in
jure him personally, but the object was to
destroy the power and effect of what he
said and of what he would continue to say
against the carpet-bsggers of the South and
their frauds, corTuptions and rascalities.
He knew what it was all done for. He
knew feeble old man had been selected
to attack him by others who were
More Deeply Implicated
than he.
In order to exhibit BroWDlow's consisten-
cy in attacking any man as slave driver he
read some extracts from the debate be-
tween
BrOWnIOW and Pryne
twelve or fifteen years ago, in Philadelphia,
in which Brownlow took the position that
American slavery ought to be perpetuated,
that slavery was an Inevitable condition of
human society, and God always intended
the relation of master and slave 10 exist.
He, Beck, commended these extracts to the
other side of the House. [Laughter.]
He then asked them to read Brownlow's
speeches made in 1860, in which he de
nOunced the Abolitionists, and spoke of
Vice President HamliR as
Free Negro.
As to BrowMow's language, the laying
the lash on his (Beck's) back, if he were
stronger than he was, he said no man ever
laid the lash on his back, or struck him
blow, and no mau ever should and live.
BrOwnlow could not say SO much for him
self, as
FayeGte McMuIIen
knew. He (Beck) was no braggart and no
BLACKBOARD. Any fishwoman could beat
him at abuse, but he repealed with honest
indignation the charge made against him
that he had ever been guilty of anything I'M
worthy of either himself, his family or his
people. If he had been he would not be
here. He represented the
PrOudest District
in America district that had more ca
pacity to produce all that was requisite for
human life than many of the States.
Mr.. Beck said he meant no disrespect to
the Senate in any alluSion he had made to
it, but when he saw vultuRs sitting in the
nest Of the eagle, and
Balloons
taking the place of lions, he protested
against the outrage. He wanted to keep
the Senate pure and high-minded. He
wanted to see the States represented by
honorable men, not by men who forced
themselves in there at the point of the bayo-
net or by fraud, corruption, chicanery or
ostracism. That was the way he looked at
it; that was the way he felt like speaking.
In conclusion, he thanked the House for
the courtesy it had extended to him.
Mr.. Beck was listened to with great in
terest and attention by the members of
the House and the
Crowded Galleries.
He spoke with great rapidity and force and
was warmly. congratulated by his political
friends when he concluded.
The House afterward passed large num-
Der of private bills but did no public bust
neSa and adiOTrned at q OiclOck The COS