The Hickman courier., 1872-08-31
THE POLITICAL EXCITE
RlENT IN TENNESSEE.
Ex.Presifent Andrew johnson
VS.. Gen. CheaIham.


- Ex President Andrew johnson, in re
/. ;spOue to political demonstrations of his
friends in Nashville, and other places.
has aDpouheed himself as candidate
s'=sff- for. The State at Large.
: against Gen. Frank Cheatham and the
regular Convention.
The excitement is intense, and the
cobtesr' is fikelyro. be the hottest 10 the
= history of Tennessee for many years
The indications are thatthe city Of Nash
. yiIeis overwhelmingly for j Johnson while
it is claimed that Cheutham will lead
him 10 the country.
A large proportion. Of our readers are
iuierestediu Tennessee politics. and We
therefore extract freely from the report
of the Johnson demonstration. at Nash
vile, which was evidently written by an
enthusiastic johnson man. As a Ken
tucky Journalist re shall not intermeddle
10 the race; further than to note the
leading. issues on both sides, aud the
general state of the canvass:
The demonstration lsstnig ht in honor
of Andrew JohnsonTis said TO have been
the largest turn ont for political meet
ing that Nashville has experienced since
1874 a torch light procession and two
bands OF music halted in front of the
Maxwell Holse ct 8 O'clock, and cheered
until the
GREAT A. J. APPEARED s"
6: the ladies' entrance. and was fairly
lifted into carriage drawn by four white
horses. Then went up a cheer that
must have been heard ali over Nashville,
and heard, too. by mapy who would have
preferred that the same amount OF
noise should have come from an earth
quake. and seen crack open at their
feet fifty feet wide and a thousand feei
deep. To the music of the bands. by
the light of the torches and The glare o
FIRE rockets, the procession moved by d
eircuitous route 10 the Public Square
Here stand had been erected at the
southwest corner Of the Court house
and thence Mr. johnson was taken
When he mounted the table prepared
for him cheer arose from the multitude |
: that exceeded in reDglh ana-.volume
meeting. 1t was big thing. reaching
mp high and spreading out wide.
FULLY FIFTEEN THOUSAND PEOPLE
: we're before him. The entire space from
the court house to the market house. aud /
into the market house, was packed |
while to the right and left the crowd ex /
tended from the north side to the south |
eide of the square II was monster meet
ing, such one as is seldom seen in any |
city Of the land.
HIS SPEECH.
Mr.. johnson spoke about an hour
and half, being frequently interrupted
by cheers loud and long. He talked OF
the Constitution of course for no speech
Of bis is complete without it. He referred
10 the decline of the American Senate
and compared that august body of the
present day with what it was in tie time
of Clay. Calhoun and Webster. Tn,
convention system generally received hi
attention ss we'll as the particular con
ventioD that nominated Cheathsm. II
ihe case of The latter convention be said
the people had been sold
AS SHEEP IN THE sHAMBLEs
This was received with tremendous
spplanse, few Cheatham men trying to
get up counter yell. but we're
ashamed Of its feebleness and wisely con
eluded to dry up l think they receiv |
ed assistance in he drying up process |
from two or three policemen who went
out to Interview them. Blu. uoisily ano |
demonstra.ive as the crowd was, they |
seemed TO have reserved the greater por
ton OF their enthusiasm for the close. |
when Mr. johnson should announce
himself as
AN INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
against Cheaiham. When he came to
that point be spok e very slowly and de
hberaielys as If determined that there
should be no miseonstrnction. II said
that when he Ieft horne he had not 10
tended to become a candidate. but since
he had been here the pressure upon him
20 annonsee himself had been very grea,
Still. although not candidate his enc
mics had commenced viilifying and abus
ing. him Just as much as though he was
oue and he thonght it could be no worse
if he actually announced himself After
talking 10 this way for some minutes he
said that he felt as If be had been nom-
people, this mammofh gathering of the
masses, and that if they Insisted that he
should become their Standard bearer he
would take the flag and carry it into every
county of the State. This was received
with the widest
DEMONSTRATIONS OF APPLAUSE
and approval. For full FIVE minutes the
cheering was deafeuiug. Mr johnson
could do nothing but look over the wild
and enthusiastic audience before him un
Ill they were compelled TO cease cheering
for want Of breath. He then resumed.
and every dozen words thereafter he Was
sgaiu interrupted by applause. Hesaid
he might not address his hearers again
soon, but that be would become their
standard bearer. aud wherever the thick
est of the fight was, there he would be
found. He closed by saying that 10 all
his experience he had never witnessed
anything like this. and that it carried
him back to the hotly contested cam
paigns of 1910 and 1914. 1t was eleven
o'clock when he got back TO his quarters
and the vast crowd dissolved. The old
citizens say that they have not seen such |
a demonstration in Nashville in twenty
years. 1t reminds ona of sortoe