Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-21
THE GREAC RATIFICATION MEET
ING YESTERDAY. ~
Greeley and Brown Receive support
From all Parfies.k
Powerful Speeches by Distinguished
Gentlemen.
The MeeIng Continued Lass night.


I Gentlemen.
The Meeting Continued last Night.
|, S2sslsa ~ &
At O'Clock yesterday afternoon several
hundred people from all parties assembled
in the Criminal Court room, in this city, to
ratify the nominees at Cincinnati and Bal
timore for PRESIDENT and Vice President of
the United States.
On motion of Gen. Thruston, ex-Gov.
Neill S. Brown was chosen chairman, and
he made lengthy address, in substance as
follows:
He thanked the crowd for the honor in
selecting him to preside over this meeting,
whose object is to ratify the nominations
made at Cincinnati last May, and at Balti-
more this month. Though not present al
the Cincinnati Convention of Liberal
Republicans, he happened to be present
as delegate at Baltimore, and was
here TO share with bis fellow citizens in all
the responsibilities In putting that ticket In
the field. He was not present at the Gin
cinnati Convention, but knew much of its
component parts. He admired the cour-
age and patriotism that instigated it. A
number of good men had determined TO
leave their party and act for the good of the
country, He knew what courage it took
to make men leave a party and when be
saw men like Salmon p. Chase, Gov. Pal
mer, Judge Bailey, B.. Graz Brown,
Horace Greeley and others, all men
of TO ordinary ability, he felt.
an admiration for Elem and
dee med them honest and sincere. Gap
plat lse.) We would now walk with firm
ness and plant the banner of America on
the walls of liberty, and as time rolled on,
the whole country would become interested
in this great movement, inaugurated at
Cincinnati and ratified at Baltimore. As
to the Baltimore Convention, he would say
in all frankness and sincerity that while he
had been member of various conventions
to select men, often partisans whom it was
Thought could represent the peculiar
views of the party, he had never
be- II associated with more intelligent
or imposing body that constituted the Bal
timore Convention, which was composed OF
ex-Rebel and ex Federal soldiers, the vet
eren patriot, the fervid youth and the mid
die aged, with no hopes of attaining much
higher. He would never forget as he sat
and looked at this party which, like others,
changes resulting from the settlement of
party questions, with 100000 voters at its.
back, with its brilliant feats and its renown-'
ed record, what grand sight was presented.
With its gray hairs and experience, with a
Roman courage he saw sight never
witnessed before; he saw it turn
its banner down and say the condition of
the country is too much disturbed and dan
gerous to nominate party candidate, with
a patriotism never before witnessed, ally
itself with a party hitherto foreign to its
principles. The Democratic party with all
its memories and its grandeur never did
more in its life than when it sacrificed its
| name upon the altar of Liberty. The
ticket is before us, not the ticket everybody
would have preferred and it was not neces
sary for him to disguise this, but the coun-
try is in very peculiar condition. Enc
mics say: allow is it I the Demo
cratic party can support a man
who was yesterday Republican,
and ally themselves with party hitherto
| their foe?n What does history tell US? What
do we know ourselves? The Roman Re-
public in its proudest era never failed to
ally to herself conquered nations, and her
eagles were never furnished. Two hundred
years ago, when the Turk was laundering
at the gates of the German Empire, the Pole
rushed to the rescue. The Turk was driven
from his prey, and Christendom breathed.
He was now answering ,captious objections.
In the revolutionary war when distress and
defeat dwelt among our people and Con-
gress was dropping, there was only one man
in all America in this moment of her eX-
IRENE dependency whose courage was I'M
moved. DR.. Franklin negotiated with
France most defpotic country then. Did
our ferefathers dare enter n ITO an alliance
with despot? Yes! If l<sAFranklin had
| done nothing else than this act in his life
| he would have deserved a statue in every
home of this Federal Union; for it brought
| the soldier to his colors and the rest from the
| plow, and America triLDphed. What took
place in 1914 when the nations of Europe
| believed Napoleon would attempt to over
| run all Europe? Russia, Prussia, Belgium,
| Holland, Italy, Germany and Austria IN
| furled their various banners, all ranging I'M
| der the one banner of the Duke of Yelling
ton. Suppose the tocsin was sounded to-
day that the Mahommedan was about to
wage war against christendom. ALI ma
nations wearing the cross would, as did the
! crusaders uniting to redeem the holy sep
ulchre, assemble irrespective of creeds from
| all parts of the kingdom. Some think this
alliance dissolves all principles and party
feeling and principle. He thought not, and
so does Horace Greeley. "How," some
ask, '.can we 60 with Horace Greeley, after
having read his paper?" He didn't care a
cent about that. He had abused Greeley
as fully as Greeley had abused him, and
honors were easy. One reason why he
| would oppose the administration
is because of tie suspension
of the writ of habeas corpus. After the
war he was driven two years from his
home; and upon returning home he was
met by friend who showed him a letter
from Horace Greeley which said, it is the
interest of the people of the United States
to go for universal suffrage and amnesty.
He was opposed to the former, but has
since gone in favor of it. Che South has
no other friend like Horace Greeley. His
friendship he began when the last gun of the
war ceased to roar, and kept up the firing
until he would have amnestied all. Mr..
Greeley took Southern tour a year ago at
which time he had no more idea of being a
candidate for the Presidency than he (GOv.
Brown) had. He said the State govern
ments of the South were run to death; the
municipal and local governments had been
occupied by scalawsgs and carpet-baggers
until they were crippled. As an instance
of this, look at Alabama, South Car
DINA and other Southern States.
When have you heard such a scath-
ing rebuke and remarks? BE was
illustrating personal character, and had
nothing to do with the political quarrels Of
the past, yet these quarrels go down ard
moulder with our gallant men who sum-
Der with the dead. Let us as men with
boards cast our eyes towards a brilliant flu
T ture. Here the speaker referred at some
length to Mrs. Jefferson Davis interview
with Horace Greeley, and his going On the
bond of the personer. At that time he was
a candidate for United States Senator with
brilliant prospects before him. Hearing
of this his friends demonstrated and told
him his prospects would be blasted. TIC
this tue brave and honest man replied: 81
: can't help that, must do my duty" Be
: ing told it would injure the Tribune, his re-
ply was the same, and do it he did. Il
matters not what you care for Jeffer.
sen Davis, when he (Gov. Brown
saw a man sacrifice his fortune, bis hopes
and go out of his way to do an act of mag
nanimity and Of humanity for one of hi:
fellow beings; that man was great snC
4 l. l. \ .;,,