Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-07
Speech Of r. w. Haywood at the
Grand Cheatham Rally on
Saturday Night.
ReyiewOf the Position and Speech
es of Andrew johnson on the
Convention System.
Good Reasons for Supporting Gen.
eral Cheatham, the Nominee
of the Party.
The Convention of August Must BE-
Sustained We Must Stand by
the Democratic Party.

The following is the fun text Of the
sneech delivered at Brownsville on Sat.
urday night last, before an audience ot
one thousand persons, by Captain R. w.
Haywood, in which he gives sound rea-
sous for indorsing and supporting Frank
Cheatham for Congress from the State
al Large:
LADIES AND GENTLEaIEN-This Is 8
meeting organized in the interest OF
q neral Cheatbam, a caRdidete for Con-
gIess, to represent the State at Large.
some Of YOU doubtless are here because
o. your admiration for the old soldier;
s. ne because OF past personal GssOcia-
tons, and some because he is the nOmi-
nee Of q convention. These alone are
not the motives that bring me here to-
night 1 am actuated by other and
higher considerations than mere admi-
ration. or personal friendship, OF simply
because General Cheathan is the nomi-
10 of a convention. But after much
Valm deliberation, 1 am here purely from
a sense Of duty. When We buried the
C0afederaey, when we laid Ii in its cold
urave, we spread the mantle ever It;
.1lr mothers came, our sisters came and
al said peace to its ashes, honor to its
memory, knowing that henceforth il
could live only in history. We, with
out hope, slowly turned our backs upon
SIS grave. and in sadness and in silence
reiraeed our steps, prepared to accept
cur fate or 20 abide whatever fortune
awaited Us. There were those of The
Union party who came and met US, ane
with extended hands said I" peace Tor
tile future, oblivion for the past.n We
q ented, and the dark page of history
'IriXt Us aud them was sealed. It was
a sOleInn covenant which bound them,
and to-day bind us, our honor, and
good faith. I intend to abide by Il, and
nj there is ought Of malice left In my
bosom against them, then let il be
smothered-then unuttered let it de-
send into the tomb with me that the
world may never know Of its existence.
But, while we have bid an eternal
siieu to the Confederacy, and made a
S3leuan covenant TO forget the pest, vet
there IS something left US Of the past
that We must ever guard as a sacred
treasure. 1t is that history which you,
and 1, and all Of Us had part in max
ing, either by speech, by ballot, by con-
tributi0ns, or acts Of war. Tennessee.
fellOw-citizens, for reasons satisfactory
90 herself, in 1861 cast her lot with her
sister Southern States, thus placing her
self by her own set, upon the record as
one OF the Confederate States, and she
was placed on record also as one Of them
Toy Mr.. Lincoln's proclamation. Then
the history Of Tennessee forms a part OF
the history OF the Confederate States,
and their history is Tennessee's history,
and Tennessee history is your history
'tis my history. Now, then, the propo-
sition tOseparate the peOpleOf Tennessee
from that history is mOnstrous, not only
strangely absurd, but Of course impOssi-
bic; or the attempt to shift the response
bilities of that history from the shOul-
ders Of the people Of Tennessee and
fasten it upon a few living individuals
who sunk their fortunes in a common
cause with u, and who are to-day i'm.
pOverished and disfranchised - strug.
Cling hard for a livelihood, yet debarred
The privileges Of other citizens-is &
proposition which carries with ita degret
Of moral cOwardice and a degree o
moral tre8chery at the very thought o
which my soul revolts. Never, never
a. f0r myself do ] intend to shoulder thi
responsibility Of my own acts; other
cen do as they please. repeat, ! in
tend 70 keep the covenant we hav'
made, yet let no man presume so far a.
10 ask me to hold the ink Will,
he deliberately writes across the page o
my history the word, Treason" My
purpose here tonight is not to praisS
General Cheatham, nor to deal in in.
vectives against the Hon. Andrew john
son. bat 10 speak in vindication Of thos'
political principles / have ever held
dear, To speak in vindication Of thl
truths Of history, and above all to speal
in vindicatiOn Of the honor Of the Peo
pie OF my State, and to hBTl back thl
vile imputation that part were traitors
and the balance fools.
General Cheatham, perhaps, had a
strong claims upon me as any gentle
man Of his acquaintance. have know
him from my early bOyhoOd, fOllowe
him as a private in his regiment 10 th
city OF Mexico, when but mere strip
ling, and when it would have taken
pair of druggists scales TO have toll
which was the heaviest, the musket
carried or myself have known hir
ever since, and nothing has occurred
mar our friendship; yet 1 wa
opposed to his nOminatiOn-nOt tina
i did not think him worthy
any position 10 which he might be a
signed, but that Others might be selecte
Of more legislative experience, and bel
ter able 70 plead our cause before th
Congress Of the United States. l al
one Of those Democrats who never suffs
personal friendship for an individual |
stand in the way OF the advancement ,
my political principles. Having, theI
agreed to forget the past, the Hon. Al
drew Johnson was my choice for Cor
HasF 49,
The Democratic Convention OF Al
gust. 1S72, however, thought proper
nominate General Cheatham, and
was soon understood that AIE. Johnso
would be an independent candidat
upon the ground that the nominatio
made by that convention was not a IA
expression OF the viii and wishes Of Il
Democratic party Of the State. Nov
while / was a convention man. and b
lieve them indispensable to the succe
OF ones prlnciples and party, yet it VI
never my ha. .it 10 bow to anything wit
unqualihef. submission, or 10 accept an
thing wdh that implicit cOufideu
which nelongs alone to fools. SO / q
terri med 10 wait and hear Mr.. job
soa and see if be could show GO
.sause why the nomination made by th
convention should not lie respected
= the party. But Mr. johnson has fail
% do this, and hse thought proper 70 8
tack all conventions as corrupt, and a
vocates the abolition Of tnis system
selecting candidates. To this propOsiti'
] cannot assent Again, | hoped "a
Mr.. Johnson, IN canvassing the Stai
would make no illusions 10 the past Fl
ther than reailirm the agreement th
the past should be forgotten, and that
would give Us the benefit Of his pow
before the people in exposing the usurI
tons Of Graut and his party; butain L
] have also been disappointed. Aga
1lr. johnson comes before US with
proposition TO elect the President a
United States Senat0rs directly by
people-a proposition In my Opinl
ie 3ding directly toward consolidate
-Fiiich, As a Democrat, I am bound
oppose.
ana opposed to Mr.. johnson, the
to-day, not because Of the murder
sfrs. SurTatt. / am willing that
blood shall remain upon the skirts
that iufuriated mob which was capal
not only Of hanging women, but Of Z
ing most anything else. Men cannot
right under all circumstances.
must make some allowances for
weakness Of human nature. Men
th!Ifgs, too, in time Of war ID
would not do in time Of pea,
Neither Is il fair 10 call acts Of war
names attached e. them by the eli
law For instance. IL in time Of pea
I lie IN wait and Kill q human being,
the civil law, that is murder by lying
wait. and the penalty is death. But
time Of war that would be called al
bushing a fellow, and by the laws
war il would be ali right. So I "
make no quarrel with Mr.. johnson
his past record. We have agreed
bury the past, and I viii content mys
bv replying simply to Mr.. Johnson's
tempt 70 fasten the responsibility Of
late war on 2 few Southern politician
win dispose Of the convention gu
ton first. To what purpose Is Z tina
entertain certain political principles 3
advocate eertain political measures i
have no party; aisd @ what purpose d
that ] have q party if i has no efgfni
4ion2 Suppose. for instance, was
favor Of placing those IN power who
Nhat the government should De
tered according fo strict constr
Il the constitution. who were
10 the protective system VIII
sup the manufactures Qf the Easi
expense Of the farmer, who "
isei 10 couieulng additional pow
the federal government. oppo
1e ElnDeye1 wou0po|ies Of the =.
hitil Eaise and lower the value of