Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1874-09-24
JOINT DISCUSSION All sNEED-
WILLIE.
THE Congressional Candidates
MEET for the First Time.

met iOi ehc Hio1 lu1c III JOlHC discuss
sion at Sneedville, Hancock county, on
Monday last. 1t being Mr.. Buffers ap.
pointment he was accorded the opening
speech, and at once entered upon a
discussion Of tho various propositions
that have been before Congress for sew.
eral years past, and attempted q de.
Tense of his own votes on each.
lie defended the present system of
taxation, and labored hard to show to
the audience that the poor man of the
South was benefited by the arrange
ment.
On the subject of "Civil Rights he
claimed that he had voted with Gov.
Brownlow and others in 1872, and said
that at that time there was very little
interest manifested either by Congress
or the people on the subject. He ac-
knowledged that he had voted for the
bill at that time but failed to give any
good reasons for so doing, save the tact
that other protested Republicans had
done likewise.
He did not attempt to defend his
letter to the East Tennessee Echo of
April 10th, last IN which he said he had
refused to vote to take the Civil Rights
bill off the table, not because he was
opposed to it, but because he wanted
it passed when it was taken up, and
feeling and knowing that to take it
up out Of its order would be disastrous
to it, he preferred to let 1t remain on
the Speakers table until it was reached
regularly; that being the safest and
best plan to insure its final passage.
He touched lightly or passed over all
that part Of his history as q member of
Congress, which has given him such
an Infamous ~notoriety, such as the
Cadetship business, the back salary
grab, &c. &C., Speaking Of the HERALD
AND TRIBUNE, and its present attitude
toward him he said that it had sup
ported him two years ago, and if it was
right to do so then, it was right to do
so now, forgetting that he had taken
his share Of the back Salary Grab
since that time and also failing to state
that the HERALD AND TRIBUNE had
supported him as a party measure alone
and never had attempted to defend his
course in Congress.
His speech, taken as q whole, was
the most complete conglomeration of
sense and nonsense, of cunning cajo.
lery and unblushing efTrontery that it
has ever been our fortune to listen to.
After Mr.. Butler had exhausted an
hour and ahalf j n glittering generalities
and vain boastings of what he had &C.
cOmplished while q member of Congress
every word of which seemed to fall
like lead upon his audience, Judge
GiIlcnwaters took the stand and at
once commenced, a discourse the
like of which we feel safe in saying, in
point of eloquence, scope and power
was never excelled in the First Con
gressiona. district. Step by step he
followed his opponent throughout
the intricate windings of his
opening speech and never did the most
skillful anatomist dissect a subject with
more minute and searching assiduity
than he exhibited in plucking apart
and tearing to pieces the fimsy struc-
ture which Mr.. Butler had reared, and
upon which he hoped to build up a rep
utation as a great statesman, working
ia rhe interest of his constituents. He
showed plainly wherein Mr.. Butler had
fatally erred by voting in the interest
Of the great Rail Road, Whisky and
Tobacco Rings of the country, to the
injury Of immigrants, dealers and small
producers, throughout the country =
He showed that in every instance Mr..
Buffers votes had been cast in the in.
terest of the monopolist and against
the poor man of his own district. With
reference to the Civil Rights bill, he
showed that Mr.. Butler, in working
first for and then against it had put
himself in the position of the man who
caught the wild animal with the view
ofmaking it a pet, and who by dint Of
main strength, kept the varmint from
tearing him to pieces for a time, at
length becoming exhausted called upon
-
his companion to come and help him
to let the internal thing go.
1t did certainly seem that Mr.. But
lie. was laboring under a similar embar
rassment with reference to the Civil
Rights measure.
Toward the last Mr.. Butler lost hi:
temper, and accused Judge Gillenwa
tiers of bringing up new matter in his
closing speech which he (Butler) coulc
not reply to on that occasion, but
Judge Gillenwaters showed him plainly
that it was in answer to argument:
that he (Butler) had made in his con-
Gliding speech.
It was patent to every one that Mr.
Butler had at last met more than hi.
match, and that he had work to do in thi
canvass that he had never before beer
called upon to perform. 1t was gener
ally conceded that he had got tn,
worst of it in this discussion and Judg,
Gillenwaters prospect for carrying Han
cock county by a large majority wa
pronounced brighter than it had eve
been before.
The Press and Herald Of last Sunda,
published the communication of a 'leadin