Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-02
N 4 RCH 30 1895.

have received this unezpecied aud mos
Y distinguished mark of your consideration.
The honor Of temporarily discharRing the
duties Of the chair In The preliminary orga.
: nization Of body wbich~I trust IS 70 De
memorable In the history of party and
politics in this country is altogether unde-
served, and am altogether nnprepared by
the suddenness of the invitation 10 assume
those duties properly ot to preface them
with tie remarks which under other
circumstances might be considered
in proper conformity TO the
usaai custom. Nevertheless, This
wonderful presence inspires a thought
or two which perhaps I viii not be sres-
passing too much upon your attention and
your time if ] vsnture to suggest. ran
plausel. or course, gentlemen, It would
not be becoming in me, nor prudent to as
sumo at the outset the role OF the prcphet.,
for am neither prophet nor Nsse son IF a
prophet, and no man yet can tell what NAV
be the issue Of your deliberations or the re-
suit to which your conclusions will tend,
And yet, without reference TO any certain
results within the scope Of present predic
ton, there are eome tislnes which know
can be safely Affirmed with respect to this
Convention. The thing which prize most
IN myself as treasure to be guarded and
and defended, and to witness the spectacle
Of X In the breasts of other men Is this, that
the time has come when it IS the voice of
an exceedingly large and influential portion
Of the American pecple that they
arc determined that they VIII not longer
Be dogs 70 wear the collar Of
! party. fApplause.] We have assembled
I ourselves together, Gentlemen, under call
limiting our character as Republicans,
as those who have heretofore in the divis.
| ions Of party politics been designated as
members Of the Republican party. / am
not ashamed, gentlemen,to to have horne that
name, with thousands of others whose pre-
vioHs party affiiiation might have led them
otherwise, united almost stunconsciouSly and
involuntary by the overpowering force of
! the public circumstance aud history of the
! country, with ohers constituting that party
rallying at the call Of the country when the
! integrity Of the Union was assaled by the
| spirit and arms of secess' on, for the pur-
pose Of maintaining the integrity of the ma
/ ton. That was successfully accomplished
and Of the past at least we are secure. The
! great achievement Of your struggle has
been imbedded not only in the hearts and
habits and the convictions of the whole
people, but have now become perpetIated
as a part Of our fundamental
law, establishing forever the Un-
assailability of the Union, and
the integrity Of the natio and the prin-
ciple Of the political equality of all citizens
before the Law. [Applause.l So far gen.
tlemen as the Republican party under the
providence of God was Instrumental in
accomplishing that work, they sre entitled
to and viii receive the congratulations of
this generation sndapproval of generations
to come. lApplause Now, then, since |
this uprising Of the Republican party has
done so well in the past, why not trust it
foE the future? Aud gentlemen, l see in |
this assemblage, in this rebellion against |
the Republican party, the highest eulOgy |
that can be pronounced upon the principles |
of that party, [spplausel because it has
conscious integrity sufficient left to begin |
the work Of reform itself by ITSELF Zap
plause. Parties, gentlemen, in this country |
cannot live on their reputation. 1t was rs- |
marked believe by Sir Wslter Raleigh. / |
believe in reference 10 the pride Of ancestry, |
he said, that those who boasled most of |
their progenitors were ike the plant which |
he had discovered in America-the |
best part was underground. Laughter |
1t is not because the Republican party has 1
done good things that it deserves to live, |
but only as it shows a present ability to |
continue the work Of reform by the applica-
ton Of the same principles with which it
achieved It's past success. [Applause ] 1t /
is because those who have succeeded ia OBJ
tanning control Of its Organization and ma
chlnery for diverLIng il from
its legitimate objects and purposes
that we are hero to-day to cal back those
who have wandered, and to recall those
who are willing to work with US to restore
those principles to their proper primacy
and now, gentlemen, one Of the deep and !
earnest convictions which has spread uni
versally almost through the hearts of The
American people, and out of which this
movement originates, is this, that the era Of
the rebellion is ended, and that peace has
come, (applause,) and as the war has
ended so ought military rule, and |
military principles. [Cries of Good! pOodi
and loud applause.l So ought everything !
that is arbitrary. So ought everything that
degrades race or individual. So ought ev-
eryihing shat Oppresses, every thing that cor
rup s. everything that keeps alive aud fans
the embers of the dying and ought No be
dead past. The cry came up four years ago,
and it was thought to be an auspiciOus omen
Of the coming Of that time we have looked
for in vain, wken It was said "Let US have !
peace," but We haven't had peace. Look
at the South to-day. What spec acl7 We
have. The example Of so-cAed civil gov
ernments bankrupting the communities
they affect TO represent. Powers usUpsd
by strangers and not conferred By the voice
Of the people and not for the purpose of re-
storing the prosperity of those battle grazed
fields, but for cOrrupily eGriching the |
men who think that power !
and Office belong 20 them as
property and not as a trust. And so, gen.
tlemen, in every department Of the Gov
eminent the sew poison Of corruption, only
not sufficiently slow, seems to have per. AIDED
the whole civf and political administrator
of the country from head to foot. Gap
plause.) 1t is because Republicans With
pain, with reluctance, with sorrow and re-
gret, know and experience this corruption of
public affairs, that they have felt that they /
could no longer afford the r4pOnsi-
blity of partnership inssuch a wrong.
(Applause). But it was their duty to head
and lead the column out, in order 10 restore
all the blessings Of good government, sound
government, i,rsr government, honest gov
ernment. (Appkuse). But, gentlemen,
| am OBTAINING ypu much longer than i'll
tended. You have a great work before
you, a work Of unexamped difficulty. Let
us not conceal it from ourselves. You are
called together, contrary to precedent, as a
mass convention. Your first duty is there
fore, to inaugurste and organize your
body, so that L may speak with the author
ity Of jus. and equal representation of all
opinions and ali interests. That Is the
work to which you are summoned.
1t is my privilege, 4 Is my honor TO
ilaugurste your deliberations in
this preliminary organization. l hava no
such experience in public life or in dslibe-
rative assemblies, as will justify me un-
aided TO successfully conduct you through
these preliminary stages. The duty, the
is upon you. l have great
faith, gentlemen in you and in the out some
of this assembly. ! have an abiOing, un-
shaken faith in the Immortality and tri-
umph Of those principles which | know
viii be the guide Of your organization.
{ (Applsuse.) l am deeply indebted to you,
gentlemen, for the honor you have con-
ferTed upon me, and fer the kindness and