Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-11-24
HON. b. L.GOLLADAY'S ADDRESS


FeIlot-C itizens-The lamepted and nm.
timely death of Hon. John w. Head, whom
you had sorecently elected to serve Won IN
the Forty-fouTtb CONGRESS, to be assemble
| in December, 1876, renders il NECESSARY
that You should choose another citizen ia
represent you. In his death, the District,
State and county have sustained great
and affective loss, and his family and friends
one that can never be repaired in an time.
Able, honest, efficient, and welIexperienced
public men are jewels, and their loss at all
times public calamity TO the community.
But this card is not the place, nor now the
time, for me 10 pay tribute to the many
virtues Of one who, in life, was nay person.
al, political and professional friend of long
years standing and intimacy, and whom |
SO cheerfully aided with my ballot and in
fiuenee in the late election.
row offer myself as a candidate for the
vacant position. Many iudieiotis friends by
letter and personal solicitation, urge me to
become d candidate. The Governor orders
an election for the 31st December, the last
day of the year. The chairman of the
Congressional Executive Committee, calls
a Convention of the Democratic and Con-
servative voters, to be held d Lebanon,
Tenn, on the 18th Of December. An
humble member of that organization, ac-
cept its usages and principles, and viii do
all in my power to carry them out, and
secure good and true man to succeed our
noble, but now dead Representative.
The district is large, being composed of
eleven counties, and the time short within
which 10 canvass. | viii be unable TO see
everybody in person, or speak at all places,
as desired. must, therefore, address you
through this circular, and do earnestly ask
every friend and voter in the district, into
whose hands it may come, that he do me
the kindness and justice 10 read it, and
cause others to do so, in order that INV
claims may be fairly considered. am not
without political experience, acquired in
Legislative and Congressional service, and
can bring TO the position l seek, what is
always requisite and essential, some knowl-
edge and information, fitting me for the
duties l propose 70 undertake.
Elected in 1870 from the Fifth District,
then composed in part of four counties now
with the Fourth District, l entered as a
Democrat and Conservative the memora-
bic AID Congress, which brought more real
relief, benefits and blessings TO the South
ern people than any and all Congresses
which have sat since the war. Nominated
again In 1872, by my Democratic friends, l
was beaten by a Republican only because
of tbs dissensi0ns and DISCRIMINATION in
our ranks, which gave nearly the whole
delegation in Congress from Tennessee 10
the Republicans.
During the canvass Of 1872, my very life
blood was hunted by some, who grossly,
and peFerSely misrepresented one OF my
votes in Congress-T allude TO the Tariff
BIZ, embracing as it does in its 50 printed
pages, every article, out of which the gov
eminent raises revenue. Not a solitary
good thing that had ever done or said was
ever mentioned by such enemies, but they
stood alone on the feature of LEAF-To-
BACCo, one out of the Sererdl thousand
articles covered by that bill, and grossly,
falsely and ,viilfuily misrepresented my vote
until many honest voters, that l failed to
see aid explain TO, contracted q prejudice
TO me, that waG as unjust and improper, as
the misrepresentation had been false and
peTrerSe. l now take pleasure in explain
ing the Bill and vote SO that every man and
and voter may see what gross and cruel in
justice was done me, by some, for the want
only Of the truth on
The Tobacco Question.
The Tariff bill came on in June. 1872.
for final passage, just before Congress ad-
journed, We had debated and considered
it for days and weeks. 1t seemed as if
nothing was TO. be accomplished. We had
added to the free LIST a vast number of arti-
Giles, and among them tea and cofee-both
Of universal use-and these two articles
alone paying a duty to the Government
themselves Of eighteen millions Of dollars
and Upl-drdS. Then came the proposition
to reduce the duties ON almost everything
in the bill 10 per cent. Fo- this PROPOSE
ton promptly voted on the Sth of May,
with every Democrat from Tennessee and
and with every Democrat from
the West. We were nearly solid. Only
the Tariff Democrats, of Pennsylvania and
New York, etc, voting against. Over
80 of us Democrats voted solid to reduce
taxes onthe people. Now, was this not right?
Such men as B. T. BUTLER and HORACE
MAYNARD, protective tariff men, opposed
and voted against the reduction.
then voted with nearly every Demo
Graf as before, 10 refer the bill TO the House
as Committee of the Whole, hoping to get
still further reductions, and this was OF
posed by high tariff men, but passed.
Now, on the 10th of May, 1872, after still
further reductions made by the House in
Committee Of the Whole, the bill came on
for passage, and 20 Democrats, myself
among the number, voted for it, and some
Is against 1.-THE last being mostly from
States demanding multiplication. THIS
WAS THE BILL VOTED FOR.
And now, did this bill have what is
called the Leaf Tobacco provision, as was
enacted into law? Not at all. The bill
as passed had what was known as the 500
clause, to permit all persons to sell to that
amount at retail. Such was the bill as it
passed the House and went to the Senate.
There the present provision relative to Leaf
Tobacco was engrafted at the urgent in
stance Of the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, as have always learned. When |
the bill came back TO the House for final |
action, there were several points of differ |
ence between the two bodies, and it was |
referred 10 Committee Of Conference, asis |
usual practice. That Committee agreed on |
points, and reported the bill to |
the House, with the recommendation that |
it do mass. In spite Of everything that |
could be done, the bill, being a compro- |
mise Of many hard differences, and con-
tanning large and valuable reductions, and |
articles on the free list, in which |
all were interested, became law, without |
a diUiSjOR Of COteS or TOIl-cGU, We being |
then in the closing days Of the term of |
Congress. l, or any other member, at |
that stage, was as pOwerless to defeat the |
bill if desiring, or to strike out, or mod |
ify the Leaf Tobacco clause, in |
a Republican Congress, overwhelmed |
by numbers, as was that accom- |
plished and devoted soldier and patriot, |
ROBERT E. LEE, to stay the successful and !
advance Of GRANTS vast armies !
upon his broken and exhausted band, in !
the closing hours Of his struggle on Vir-
ginia soil. We of the tobacco regions,
were in a hopeless minority, and could not
have our way. We had the same chances
10 be heard and make resistance, as did the !
South, in her resistance to the RECoNSTRUC-
TON MEASURES OF aRepublican Congress, |
which fettered her hand and foot, IN
spite of everything that could be done and |
said. Now, / submit, to every candid |
man, if | was to be blamed, or |
am to be condemned on this Leaf Tobacco |
question? Side by side | stood in the mat |
Ter with such able and patriotic d emOcrats |
rs BECK Of Kentucky, Cox Of New York, |
KERR and VOORHEES, of Indiana, and |
many others of equal ability and distinc- |
ton, and statesmen all, fighting for a re
luction Of taxes upon the people in every |
thing, and did all | could TO defeat the |
Leaf-TObaccO provision, as well as find re- |
4 u.