Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-07-14
THE FIRST GREELEY FIzzLE.
The Hands that Didn't Clasp.
No Enfbusiasm-slim Crowd and Discon.
soIate speakers.
Music. RonHres and Fireworks and
FizzIe.

|
Music Ronffres and Fireworks and a
Fizzle.
! About twelve years ago there was a meeting
held at the Court House at Knoxville quite as
significant as the one held last night. Then an
agent of Rochester, New York, Nursery was
in the hands Of noisy crowd that threatened
to tar and feather him for being an aboIitioniSt
The fact as conclusive proof that he was an in
| cendiary abolitionist was that on his person was
found Creetey's Ne'c York Tribune Oneofthe
prominent acters in the meeting last night
was active in the other meeting One
of the men raying mad for Greeley
now, was then in favor of giving the
nursery man from New York coat of tar and
feathers for being an Abolitionist and for read
ing the Greeley Tri5nne Time brings about
some changes.
| THE BLUFF GAME.
| When the meeting was determined on the
| ring got up huge posters and stuck on for
speakers about every name they could think Of
| Most of these names were used without authori-
! ty We heard Of at least four names that were
| announced and the first they knew of it was
| when they saw it in print Considerable brag
| was made about the streets of the Liberal Re-
| publicans'' that were to speak. General
| champion
as Liberals" We are informed Champion did
not authorize his name to be used, but even if
| he did, he has been prominently identified with
the Democratic party since 1867.
As for Davy Richards, the idea of announc-
| ing him for Greeley speech was too rich. He
| is an unconditional Grant man ard gave Gree
ley up as soon as he saw him in bad company
Like the boy with the pet lamb ''Betsey"
Davy can say Greeley l loved you once better
than anv other one sheep but you're in bad
| nd havp 70 of 90
| Glancing over the list of names, we saw in
one string seven of the boys who wore the grey.
They shout now for the man who, in May, 1861,
prayed that when they would return to their
fresides and see priration IN the anxious eyes of
mothers ard the rags Of children" They
fought for their rights have preserved their
self-respect long, but now they bow down to the
Abolition god and kiss the hand that sunote
them. We have to rub our eyes occasionally to
be sure we are not dreaming, but we saw it last
night and now we are ready for anything.
THE MEETING.
| After three days notice and hard work, after
music posters, bonfres and fireworks, the crowd
gathered last night was distressingly small.
The meeting was a fzzle huge fZzle. Not to
exceed five hundred men and boys were present
end large sprinkling ofthem were Grant men,
there for curiosity. No enthusiasm, no heart in
the work at ALL it was sickly crowd. The Ger
man band blowed hard. John Scherf heaved
come. Greeley magic name wouldn't draw
| them.
"A CHASTITY ARRAY. q 7
The meeting was held in front Of the Court
House, though all could have comfortably stood
| inside On the platform sat long array of
| advertised speakers They sat up straight dur
ing the Chairman's tedious speech as church dea-
cons. In fact they looked as serious doctors
at the bedside Of dying patient.
We have seenSJudge Brown in the Court
dor uarx frxvl0 81 a
have seen him in hard law suits when the evil
dence was running strong against him, when
the Court was bearing down on him and the
jury looked ready for verdict against him,
| but we never saw him look so diSconsolate as
last night while looking down on the slim, un-
sympathetic, cold crowd. These are busy times
for thresherS, churns and Seeds and we know
| the Judges clients are numerous and pay good
fees, so that nothing in the world but that huge
| fzzle could make his imperturble cOuntenance
look so distressingly painful and disconsolate
| Beside him sat Jeemsj Cooke, as his clients
often call him. Now Jeems is first class law
yer, and we know if he had all his clients be-
| fore him they would outnumber that crowd, for
they are more numerous than any other law
| yer's at this bar, but as politician he isn't a
| success AS Artemus Ward would say, he
| 'sops over" To those who saw Cooke yester
| day. full of excitement and buOyant with hope
over the rousing meeting he knew they were to
| have, his face last night would have drawn tears
| from the hardest heart He is easily disheart-
| ened and we advise the committee to look after
| him to-day or something serious might happen.
| OTHER soRRowFUL FACES. t--rr-
| Prominent in this brilliant but discOnsolate
array was Charlton, of the Eastern Division
| Fair He is buster when working up fair,
| but in getting up q meeting he isn't success
| as this effort shows We hope our energetic
| Secretary won't get discouraged from this fzzle
and throw up the sponge for the fair. If we
| had a way to get to Charltons ear, we would
| EcEio 40 fhn lnt
| Greeley & Co. hoe their own row. 1t isn't
your forte and it isn't nat'ral to see you work
| ing on that line"
| Judge Nelson looked serious We don't think
/ the recollection Of the drubbing Fleming gave
| him for signing Baxters memorial troubled him
though we couldn't thinking it ought to seem
sort of funny to him to see about him those loud
| mouthed Greeley men, who few months ago
we're reading him to purgatory with Baxter for
| wanting to go to Cincinnati.
| Col. G. n McGhee, was there too. He look
| cd very much to us as though he was thinking
| of bank and railroad stocks, and wished he was
| off somewhere On the line of Southern Railway
Security Company roads. We guess they won't
Get him at another Greeley meeting of that size
very so0n. He isn't accustomed to doing bus
ness on that line
We have given now some of the faces we saw,
in the sad looking array patiently waiting for
their turn to talk and go home. But one face
the pioneer of the Cincinnati movement wasn't
there Where's Baxter, we heard asked Alas,
Baxter wasn't wanted there. The ring that
selected the speakers don't want Baxter trotted
out. lie started the Cincinnati movement and
was communicated for it. but it wouldn't do
to turn him loose He would talk very well for
Greeley, but the ring didn't want to hear
him on Tennessee infamies He would have
knocked their china about in hurry, so he was
shelyed.
THE ENTHUSIASM.
So far as we could see the enthusiasm was
manufactured by leading salesman in one of
our wholesale houses We saw the small boys
seemed 10 be under his special direction, SO we
guess he had the contract on hand. He seemed
worried. too. The boys wouldn't holler worth
a cent and they were always shooting off their
crackers at the wrong time. They were too small
TO know when to cheer, and as he could't be
everywhere at once no two of them shot on
their mouths at the same time Grown boys
| a. bo4to- - suob oosns and next time he ii know