Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-22
FERRY VS.. HAwLEY.


A Connections Journal Explains the
Action Of the Democrats.
From the New Haven (Ct.) Register.
Now that Gen. Hawley has a sickness
which is not confined to ehis legs,S be may
want TO know what caused it. OF course
be is convinced that there has been bar
gain between the Democratic members of
the Legislature and Senator Ferry. Per
haps it will appear in the CourGnt that Sen
ator Ferry has promised to attend the Bal
timore Convention and stump Connecticut
for its candidates. 1t would not surprise
us IL Gen. Hawley should conclusively
prove that Senator Ferry is in favor of
paying the Confederate debt and re-estab
fishing slavery. To man in Gen. Haw-
ley's position these things seem possible.
But they do not explain the vote Of Tues
day.
That decisive vote showed that no man,
not even Gen. Hawley, can afford to be-
come persistent slanderer of political op-
ponents. 1t does not pay to be bitter and
extreme. Those who knew Gen. Hawley
years ago would not suppose it possible for
him to become the man be now is. There
is not a Democrat of any prominence in
the State who has not been grossly abused
by him. In the spring campaign of 1871
he insalted every man in the State when be
asserted that Gov. English had telegraphed
TO New Y ork for repeaters, knowing as he
did that the charge was false. There was
no excuse for it. II anybody still thinks
that honesty is not the best policy, we
would point him to this Senatorial election.
The defeat Of Gen. HaWley in 1867 seems
70 have embittered him, and "nothing
could be more disastrous" As a politician,
we regard Gen. Hawley as a magnificent
failure. After training two or three years,
be has now broken down in the very first
heat.
But this contest has not been wholly per-
sOnal. Gen. Hawley has been the advocate
of the extreme measures ofthe Republican
party. We cannot recall one which he has
opposed. The Ku-KluX bill, the enforce
ment act, the election law, and scores Of
other measures of doubtful cOnstitutiOnalty,
have found in him an ardent advocate. On
the other hand, Senator Ferry has opposed
nearly all of the political measures which
extreme Republicans have advocated, and
he has done much to allay the passions of
the late war. Only last week he took oc-
casion to make an able speech in defence OF
the rights of theStates, and in opposition to
Summers eivil-rights bill, which proposes to
regulate schools, churches, juries and even
graveyard associations. When the vote
was reached Senator Ferry stood
with Trumbull and Schurz and
Upton, while opposed to him were
Cameron and Morton and Chandler, and
that class of Republicans. We do not know
what position Senator Ferry will take in
the approaching presidential canvass. We
do know that be endorses the Cincinnati
platform. In his speech at Music Hall last
March, be insisted that the Missouri plat
form was sound, and the only material diff
ference between that and the Cincinnati
platform is in regard to the tariff. Because
he is liberal and honest, able and efficient,
a manly opponent and gentleman in pol.
itics," he has been successful.
If the result shall have the effect to re-
move some of the prejudices of the past, to
make men Of different parties more gener-
GUS towards each other; if it shall make our
political contests less personal and our lead
ers more generous, we shall be satisfied.