Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-08

johnson Martyr ana Cheashan a
Gallant soldier.

aoAHsoM - martyr ana Cne8tDam q
Gallant Soldier.
At about I o'clock last evening, anyons
who passed by the Library building might
have seen Col. Colyar sitting on the veran-
.ds with a large palm-leaf fan in his hand,
engaged in what--with an man capable of
such thing--wonld be called deep thought.
First he would cast bis eagle eye upon his
boots, and after contemplating them with
apparent satisfaction, he would pass his
| long, bony fingers through bis hair, and the
aspiring flights of his imagination would
| bring his optics from bis boots toward the
heavens. Before him stool a small table,
upon which was placed a pitcher of ice
water. He looked disappointedly in front
of the building, where he had in the ear
lier part of the day pictured in his minds
| eye a vast crowd, as the result of
his little circulars, that some Of the
members of bis coat-tail club had gener-
ously distributed about town. When it be-
gan to draw nigh unto O'Clock, he saw
| two men passing down Union street, when
he hurriedly took his position behind the
table, and sang out, Fellow-cltizens. The
two passers-by stopped and thinking they
were wanted stepped across the street to
where he was standing, when he directed
bis ewes towards the Peoples Bank build
| ing, and began to talk in very loud man
| ner about fraudulent claims, new issue of
bonds, etc. While he was indulging in
these flights of oratory, quite little crowd
assembled around him, and one of the
number called out "what ails you, stran-
ger?n Hereplied: "Well, will tell you,
my friends" and below is given a true,
though somewhat abbreviated account of his
ailments:
"What is known as the Torbett issue of
bonds comprises about 81, 900 900, and were
issued by Col. Torbett, of the Bank of
Tennessee, in the year of our Lord 1861.
These bonds, it is claimed, were regularl y
issued, but say they cannot be legally
paid. There is parcel scheming politi-
clans, who are trying to secure their pay
menL, and who will, if possible, lobby a
bill through the next Legislature that will
compel their payment. The amount of
these bonds is enough to elect Seventy-f1ve
men to the Legislature, and when these
| men get there you will see this claim paid
| YES YOU will, my friends. What we need is
a bond or obligation that will keep these
men from passing the bill through the Leg
islature for the payment Of the Torbett is-
sue. | have heard it whispered on the
corners-yes, whispered on the street cor
ners, my friend, that this claim was looked
upon favorably by some of the incorrupt-
| ible Judges of the Supreme Court OF this
State. But have too much faith in them
| to believe that they would, lend themselves
to such a base purpose. ut is impossible
for this money to be paid, if the provisions
of the fourteenth amendment are to be
complied with, for there it is specifically
stated that the Government shall not be
responsible for any debt contracted for war
purposes. The question now
arises, was this war debt ?
say il was-I say that there is no proof
| to show that it was not. have proof that
| Gov. Harris and bis military board were
the means of bringing this issue about.
| When the Bank Of Tennessee had given
them all the money it had, it had not a
cent. / say it was literally Quilted by this
military board of Green Harris's. When
Harris found that the bank was insolVent,
| he went to work and authorized the other
banks to loan it money, threatening them
with instant ruin if they did not do so. Ac-
cordingIy they went and lent the Bank of
Tennessee all the money they could posi-
bly, scare up, and the result was that the
Union and Planters Bank lost over $500, 900
by the operation. The demands of this
military board was the immediate cause of
the Torbett issue. If the Legislature of
1870 had not acted corruptly and unfaith-
fully, we should now be rid of the great
burden which this useless debt imposes
upon US. But instead of doing their duty,
they sat there and gambled with the bonds
as if they we've required to do nothing more.
All those who now have any Of these bonds
| in their possession are mere gamblers in
stocks, and know one man in Cincinnati
who owns $500, 900 worth of them, and
who lives in hope of sometime realizing
| that amount from them. We should all
make determined resistance against these
bonds, and remove them from any claims
to legality now and forever.
There is another thing that l wish TO re-
fer to right here, and that is the speech
made by Frank Huntington, that was
printed in this morRing's UNION AND
| AMERICAN. Mr.. Huntington is a perfect
gentleman, and one against whom have
no i'll feelings, but L must say that for the
| last twenty years when any of the Demo-
Gratis wanted to have any new platforms
made or any political opponents of theirs
butchered, they have always got Frank
| Huntington to do it for them. His speech
is one of the best Grant campaign speeches
have read thus far this seasan. Among
other things he pitches into Mr.. JoI nson'S
war record. Now ] say just what you will
| be told in any court in the land, that if one
man has got anything TO say against enoth-
| err, that he must tell not only a part, but
the whole, and let the people or the jury,
as the case may be, judge for themselves,
Mr. Dunningto0 only gives what he thinks
| to be the obnoxious part Of Mr.. JOhnson's
war record and lets the rest go.
L think Mr.. johnson is one of the most
incOrruptible men we have in this State,
and | shall not stand here and defend him
because | believe he is abundantly able to
take care of himself.
l will say of Gen. Cheatham that he is au
honest, and faithful man, and as gallant
soldier. am not here to advocate the in
terests of either Cheatham CT johnson, but
| will say that l do not believe there is a
more upright and incorrupt man in the
State of Tennessee than Gen. Frank Cheat
ham.
When Col. Colyar had arrived at this point
he began to dilate upon the foolishness OF
conventions, and wound up his dissertation
on this subject by leveiling the shafts of his
unwArantable irony and inventive, at the
head of the Editor of the UNION AND
AMERICAN, and when be had emptied the
walls of his wrath, he retired within him.
self, like creased telescope, and medita-
ted upon what he thad better do next.
Finally his gloomy couutenance lighted with
a slim spark of returning animation, and
he resumed:
sit is my duty to do all that l possibly
can for my country, aud all the objects that
l aim at are for the welfare of the people.
l am hearty supporter Of Greeley and
Brown, believing that they are the men
best calculated to advance the interests of
the American people. Whatever do in
the coming canvass do in the interest OF
the supporters of the Cincinnati nominees.
l admonish you, my Democratic friends,
to take less care of the Democratic
party, and devote more of your
time to standing by Greeley. l do
not ask that you leave the party to neglect,
but that you infuse into it the principles OF
good government, and as an exponent Of
good government, know of no man bet
ter qualified than Horace Greeley. All
through this canvass shall give him all the
aid in my power, and l will tell you right
here that l have gone before the people
more to secure his triumphant election over