Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-06
GOLD DOCUMENTS ARE DANGER.
GUS THINGS

The present canvass is making some Gu
rious developments. The Radicals are de-
nouncing Mr.. Greeley because be was will
ing in 1864 to pay S400,000,000 for the
emancipated slaves OF the South and stop
the war. The men guilty of this piece of
electioneering clap-trap seem to forget that
Grant himself, as well as many of his strong
est supporters, has a record which will be
much more difficult to defend before the
Northern public at least, than that act of
Mr.. Greeley. The Randolph (Mo.) Citizen
says Grant made the following remarks in
Ringo's clearinghouse in Mexico, Misscu-
ri, in reply TO Union man who had asked
him: "Whst do you honestly think is the
real object of this war on the part OF the
Federal Government
"Sir, have no doubt in the world that
the sole object is the restoration of the
Union. ! will say further, though, that |
am Democrat-every man in my regi
ment is Democrat-and whenever | shall
be convinced that this war has for its OBJ
ject anything else than what l have men.
toned, or that the Government designs
using its soldiers to execute the purposes Of
the Abolitionists, l pledge you my honor as
a man and as a soldier that will not only
resign my commission, but will carry my
sword TO the other side and cast my lot
with that people"
Grant was stationed al Mexico at the
time as Colonel of the twenty-frst Illinois
regiment of infantry. He did not have
much to do there at that time, and might
we'll have been walking about and making
Just such observations in offices and else J;
where, for the sentiments attributed to him
are in keeping With those be was known to
entertain at that time.
But this is not all. In bis recent speech
at St. Charles, Illinois, Gen. John F. Farms
worth stated piece Of political history
that is especially interesting just now. He
said:
sWhen you go back to records, they are
ugly things, and cut both ways. | was in
Congress in the spring of 1861; went out of
Congress on the 4th of March. During
that last session, when the Southern States,
one after another, were seeding, a commit
tee, composed of IL gentlemen, was raised
in the House of Representatives, called a
committee upon the State of the Union to
devise some means of maintaining the
Union. That Committee, through its
Chairman, Mr.. Corwin, of Ohio, reported a
resolution amending the Constitution ofthe
United States. l have it here, and | want
to call your attention to that amendment
and the votes upon it. Let us see about
these records. This was, mark you, in the
spring of 1861, about the same time that
thew say Mr.. Lincoln was saving
that it was impossible to tell how
we could coerce States into the Un-
ion if they were disposed to stay out of it,
and there were a good many speeches
made il Congress to that same purport.
They proposed to amend the constitution
by forever putting it out of the power of
the people to amend so as to abolish slave
ry, thus fastening the chains upon the
blacks forever and forever, by provision
of the constitution. What was the vote
upon that in the House of Representatives?
| l will read the names of the men who
] voted for it and against it. Of those who
voted for it, the first name l notice of much
prominence is that of Schuyler Colfax.
| Laughter Well, he is a pretty good Re-
| publican, is he not? Yet he was willing to
fasten the chains of slavery forever upon
the slaves, in order to avoid war. Who
else? John A. Logan. A good Republic
can, and Grant man sometimes. McPher-
s)n, of Pennsylvania, the man who gets
up the political manuals for the Repub-
lican party, and now Clerk of the House
Of Representatives, and Grant man. And
then, too, there were Morrill,, of Vermont,
a good Grant man; and Dan Sickles, and
MAYNARD, of Tennessee, aud Windom-all
Grant men. They all voted for that, with
a good many others. Who voted in the
negative in the House? | viii read a few
names. There is Ashley, of Ohio, Gree.
ley man to-day. [Applause.l There is
Blair, of Missouri-Frank Blair voted
against it-another Greeley man. And,
not to speak of him as a man of proni-
nence, perhaps you may be interested lit.
tie in knowing about the vote of Farms.
worth, of Illinois. [Applause.] He voted
against it. And then Fenton, of New