Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-02

when you shouted in derision at us when
we separated in 1870. WhoI taught you
the necessity Of proclaiming again your
eagerness for civil service reform, to which
you are giving so complete and disgracefui
q contradiction in your convention Of to-
day? Who taught you to hide and conceal
That faith in centralizing all power in the
hands of the Executive at Washington,
which twelve months since was the willing
theme of glowing lectures by your ablest
orator under the taking caption Of "the
nation" The answer springs at once to
the lips, and if that battle is to be once
more renewed on Missouri soil bid you
welcome to the conflict, and promise you
shall have such settlement as viii last you
for the balance of your days. [Cbeers.l
And this time it will be unsparing work,
and you will never cry for union again, for
the revolution that comes will bury you so
deep the cry will never be heard. Pro-
longed cheers.
And now before closing these hasty re-
marks, let me advert to one other topic.
Allthis controversywhich excited such atten-
ton here from the pronounced manner in
which the issues were developed, has gone
forth into the arena of the nation at large.
The same evils of executive domination
have become so apparent as to evoke large
protest from Republicans in almost every
State that it was deemed necessary to sub
due. This has led to extended or
ganization on the part of Liberal
Republicans, and a call to meet
in National Convention at Gin
cinnati on May 1. There is alarm in hgih
quarters at that call, and the storm signals
have been set from the mast head. The re-
suit is varied and persistent attempt to
mislead the public as to the purpose and
meeting of the convention. The press, the
telegraph, private announcement and all
the arts of political strategy are used to
give out an impression that it has been ad-
journed, that it will take no action, that no
one will attend. Now | desire to put the
minds Of Onr Radical friends, many of
wlsoa. see here tonight, at rest on this
subject of their daily scheming and nightly
dreaming. l desire furthermore by this
statement, so far as my voice can reach else
where, to reassure Liberalism of other
States, that they need not be misled by any
such sinister reports.
The Liberal Republican Convention will
meet in the city of Cincinnati on the first
day of May, and rest assured that it will
then and there take full account of this at
tempted prostitution of the Republican
party to the corrupt service of one man.
From an extended correspondence by the
committee in charge, am assured that it
will be largely attended and will have to as
sist in its deliberations many of the first
statesmen Of the nation-tried heroes to-
day in the conflict to sustain the freedom Of
all against despotic system of central au-
thority. You will have every State
outside of New England and sew
eral from there, largely represented by
well accredited Republicans, earnest in
their faith of reform. And when they
gather there, my friends, l venture the
prediction they will give good account of
themselves, and shape out work that will
give the ofice-holders double duty until
November next. [Cheers.] There will be
no faltering, no quailing, no hating be-
tween two opinions, but only manifest the
stern purpose of men who know what duty
demands of them and who mean to do it,
who realize how much stronger before the
interrupted people is patriotism than any
power of patronage, and who have develop
ed enough Of manhood in the grave con-
flicts of the past score of years, not to fear
now when the very liberties for which they
fought are so much endangered. Loud
cheers