The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1872-10-04
The Candidates at Athens.

| The weather was delightful, aud the
crowd hcnvy--numbciing not less than
thousand persons. The speaking oc-
cured IN the Court.IIousc ynrd, where
stand had been erected. At II O'Clock
the speakers Appeared, all apparently IN
excellent Ondi,iou--cX-Prcs John
son and General Chcathnm compact
and robust; our old friend, Maynard
long, 1.-The, wiry.lookng, and MS full OF
sclf.suflcicncy and scrconildcncc NJ
ever. II was Gen. Chcaihnms day to
lead. Being no orator like Brutus, nor
deep and dangerous thinker rs lean
and hungry CnssiuS, but plain, blunt
man whose chief occupation was filling
the soil, he had committed his thoughts
for the occasion To paper, and proceed
cd TO read them. lie occupied about
twenty minutes aud his remarks were
mostly in regard 10 the Convention
which nominated him. aud TO the fact
that he was the chosen standard. bearer
Of the Democratic and Conservative
party Of TcnncSscc-commissioncd by
n Convention rs nearly representing aud
rejecting the wishes of the people as
any body Of the kind ever assembled in
the State. He was not talking man
but n workcr-had never bccu poli'i-
cinn in the ordinary sense Of the term
but whenever Tennessee had called for
his services he had promptly responded.
discharging his duty as he understood
it, and rhcrrrully cncounicrng the dan.
gers orihc battlefield and cndlrin" the
the rank and file. lie had worn the
grey and fought against the hlnc. bui
when the contest was ended and 9rim-
viSngcd war had smOnihpd his wriuk|cd
trout. he accepted the situation in GOOD
faith. sought thc pcarcful pursuits OF lie,
and all III. efforts from TINT lime to the
present had hrcn in behalf Of harmony
aud restoration. II" believed he had the
right in common with the humblcst ciri.
zen of the State to seek or offer for 20.
liiical prctcrmcut. aud if elected to The
seat for which he and his able and dis.
tinguishcd competitors were now con-
tending, he would labor earnestly and
.conscicniiously for the promotion and
attainment Of the interests of Tcnncs-
see and Of the country at large. If he
knew himself he honestly desired to see
perfect harmony and concord once moro
prevailing throughout the land, and that
the past, with it, bitter memories. be
lost si@ht Of rs soor possible. Genera,
Chcniham did not alludc TO national
politics further than to state, that he
had been warmly in favor of Horace
Greeley from the start--not as n choice
of evils, but because he believed his
election TO the Presidency would result
in great good TO the country. The Gen
crnl WAS listened to with interested at
,cution, though lisrcmarks. which were
well conceived lost force and effective
ness bv being read from n roll of man
uscr.pt rather than delivered in vigor-
Gus, emphatic, Oil.hanh manner. which
we are certain cur gallant friend, who
has stood unmovcd amid the fire and
carnage of many har,. fought field.
has abundant capacity to do if he
would only work himself up to the
point of making the effort. 1t is STYLE
and manner, the carncstncss ard appa-
rent sincerity of the speaker that at
tracts. magnc,i2cS and takes hold of the
multitude more than anything else
while the plain, simple, unimpassioncd
reading Of the most forcblc and elo-
qucnt passages would fall upon the same
crowd cold and impressionless as moon.
''''ii' VIZ - btl1IN vi NlIbW.
After Gen. Chcatham came cx-Prcsi-
dent johnson, whose remarks we Shall
not undertake 10 report, because we
could not perhaps do him Justice. We
have deprecated his candidacy. ms we
now earnestly daprccatc the bitter and
impoliic warfare which is being made
upon the man by some of our brethren
of the press in other portions of the
State. Like the gentleman who pre-
ccGcd him, Mr.. johnson devoted some
time 10 the Convention business. lie
was not the candidate of Convention
AT least Of the late Nashville COnvcn-
ton, which he thought was an unfair
concern, aud was not n true reflex in its
organization and constituent parts or
the will aud wishes of the Democratic
People of the state. His name was not
before the Convention that bad nomi.
mated his competitor. Gen. Chealham
!
conventions when properly constituted
were useful and to he commended; but
~ generally gotten up and manipulated
in these batter times they were frauds
and impositions upon the popular will
Subsequent TO the action of Convcn-
ton referred to. fifteen thousand people
ps,clnhlcd in Nashville aud demanded
hat he should be their candidate, and
he told them il they so desired he would
lake their standard and uphold it from
ouc extreme of thcS:ate TO the other. lie
was the peoples candidate, and sought
no other endorsement, much less the |
,uIprgpmput pf a liItln nurl.nI canaan