Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-28
HOUSE AND HARRISON.
The Discussion Between the Congress
sional Candidates, In Edgeileld,
Last Might.

Col. John I. House and Horace II. Har-
rison, the Democratic and Republican can
didates for Congress from this district
spoke at McClure's Hall, Edge6eld, last
night, to large and appreciative audience.
The following is a full synopsis Of the de-
bate:
speech Of Col. John II. House.
He said that he had the honor and pleas
ure to present himself before them as tie
candidate TO represent them in the next
Congress of the United States. He APP
peared before them not of his own indi-
yidual notion, but as the nominee of the
Democratic Conservative Convention that
met in GAINESVILLE on the Esd of Septem-
Der. That convention, in which every
county in the district was fully represented,
did him the distinguished honor to confer
upon him the nomination with marked and
fattering unanimity. For the part which
the county of Davidson had borne therein,
he desired to return his sincere thanks.
[Applause.l
He had been but very few times in his
life candidate for Office before the people;
he had never be n an Office seeker. The
rough and thorny path of political ambi-
ton had but few charms for him; the quiet
and unobtrusive walks Of private life had
always been more cOnsofianJ with
his feelings, and more genial to him. Since
his former candidacy before the people,
great events had pressed themselves upon
the country. The old parties that once
struggled for the mastery, the old issues
that were once discussed, were no longer
before them.
| In the days of the long ago, in the olden
days and golden, when the Wing and Dem
| Ocratic parties struggled for the mastery in
this country, be was, as some Of them
knew, an old Wing, and belonged TO that
old party. 1t had passed away; it was no
longer living organization i'm the country;
it was no longer il the field soliciting the
support of the people or contending for the
control of the government. He wished
that the times were as they once were.
When those two old parties were in exis-
tence, they were, in the main, opposed to
honest men dividing upon principle, and
struggled, as each one thought best
for the welfare and prosperity of the
country. In those days they had a
constitution, one that was Obeyed from
one end of the broad land TO the
other, one that Presidents and Congresses
were not above, a constitution that the
highest magnateS in the land Obeyed, a
constitution that politician would have
as soon feared to defy in the
face of the people as christian
would have feared 70 trample his
Bible in the dust. Times had changed.
Aterrible war had swept over the country
war that devastated their fields, tina.
ruined their fortunes; war that had left its
mark upon everything that survived the
struggle. Nearly ten long weary years
had rolled away since that war closed.
The men who were in arms on the part Of
the South had long since beaten their
swords into plOughshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks, and in the face of the
United States Government and of ciTiliZa-
, ton, had pledged themselves to learn war
no more. But had the government been
restored? 1t seemed to him that the man
who could think so had faith that could
remove mountains, and his faith ought TO
be in lively exercise, for there was many
mountains to be removed.
During the continuance of the war, the
Congress of the United States announced,
over and agan, by solemn resolution,
President Lincoln himself announced, that
the war was waged, not for the purpose of
conquest or subiugation, but for the pur-
pose of restoring the Union under the Con-
from Congress or from the President, while
the Federals were in arms, that looked to
ANYTHING else than this. When the Con-
federate soldiers laid down their arms,
when Gen. Lee surrendered and
the war closed, no man had any
right to expect anything else than
that the Union would be restored under
the Constitution. The idea of reconstruc-
ton was never announced, never fore
Swallowed, never limited at, while the war
was going on. In 1866, after the war |
closed, the President of the United States |
sent Gen. Grant on a tour of observation |
TO the Southern States, TO report TO him |
what was the animus, what were the views, |
the feelings, Of the Southern people toward |
the Government of sbe United States. /
Gen. Grant made his tour of inspection,
and returned to Washington, and said to /
the President that he found the Southern /
people most peaceably disposed toward the
Government, most anxious 70 return to the
pursuits of private life and have established
over them the authority of the Government
of the United States.
Such was the language of the command
er-in-chief of the Federal army, the man
who had led her hosts to victory, and who
received the surrender of Gen. Lee. Why,
then, was the Union not restored? When
the Southern people had given their plight
ed word, when they had pledged their
honor that they would support the Govern
ment of the United States, why could they
not be trusted?
Right at this period the most caiamitous
thing for the American Republic, was that
there was no power in the Congress of the
United States at Washington, nor broad
craftsmanship that could
have taken in the whole situation
from the standpoint of broad, liberal and
manly policy, and that could have healed
the wound produced by the war.
The Republican party pursued recon-
course under which the South
was now gr,anine, and great portion Of
it perishing. They said that it was true
these Southern States were disarmed, were
broken in spirit, and were at their mercy;
but those white men in the Southern States
would not vote the Republican ticket, and
hence, if the Republican leaders expected
TO retain their party supremacy, something
must be done to counteract the large white
vote in the Southern States. In his hum
BILE opinion, that was why the government
was not restored.
In 1866, Congress passed what was
hnOhn as TIC HToJ Oihll nights Dlll. W |
Which every colored man in the United
States was made citizen of the United
States. He thought that was bad policy.
he would deprive the cOlOred
man of none of his rights, yet the sudden
of 50 many millions Of
people Just emancipated from the bonds of
slavery was, he thought, a very unwise and
impolitic act. They had been afforded no
to be qualified, but were made
citizens for the purpose of voting the Re
publican ticket and keeping the Republi-
can party in power. That bill was vetoed
by the President and passed over his head
10y a twO-thirds majority. The next act
they passed was the the Freedmen's Bureau
bill, by which agents were sent South, who
did more to SOW the seeds OF dissatisfaction
the slave and his former master
than all other agencies combined. With
one hand they sOwed the seeds of dissatis-
faction between master and slave, and with
the other they stole the little money the
negroes had. IApplause.l This bill was
likewise vetoed by the President, and
passed over his head.
He did not have time, he said, to run !
over all tsose reconstruction measures.
The Republican party had gone on, and on,
until at last they had suddenly proposed to
pass measure which, in scope and design, |