Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-09-30
PERSONAL.
what KNOW About LronidaS Cesar
Uouk.

ly malicious combination, Of which | am
made TO figure as the head He makes
what he evidently intends to be understood
rs a statement of facts, but which in reality
is tissue Of falsehoods from beginning to
end and they are covered with "a veil so
thin and transparent, that none except the
I blind or those who refuse to sec can fail TO
TO detect them. He prcicuds give statement
in reference to the manner in which some Of
the primary meetings were held, which /
propose to notice.
MS CHARGES ABOUT THE CONVENTION.
No part Of NOuk's card is SO vulnerable,
false or suicidal, MS that pertaining to the
manner in which tho Congressional Con
vcntion and the Knox county primary
meetings (tor tho election Of delegates
thereto) was called, for the public record
Convicts him OF deliberate fulsehOod in
every material allegation.
The public call for n Congressional con-
yention appeared on the 29lh day Of August
last, II was signed by many Of the best
known and most influential Republicans Of
the district The call gave abundant time
for the counties to select their delegates /;
the basis of representation for the counties
was the tNirest possible, and each county
was left free to choose its delegates at such
time, place and in such manner as its Re.
publican voters might deem best. The call
purposely failed to tx time, place and
mode for clecting delegates, so that il could
not be charged that the counties were die
tated to by the Knoxville Ring" No
fairer call for convention was ever issued,
and no fair man can object to it upon any
grounds The committee calling it was
composed of the regular appointed Con-
gressionRl Committeeman ia the respective
counties two years ago, and no other COM
mittcc existed or had any claims whatever
TO recognition. Houk proposed to do away
with this committee, and let MIN and
Col. Thornburgh select one to call
a convention. The objection to such
an abandonment Of the party organi,
ZatiOr was that it recognized HOuk and
Thorpburgh rs the only Republicans who
had right TO appear before the COnven-
ton, and shut of tho friends of Senator
Brownlow, or Hon. Horace Maynard, or
Chancellor Temple, or Senator Richards,
or Samuel y. Rodgers, Esq, or any one else
who chose 10 appear before it, The call
as published, was for the benefit Of any and
all candidates, and not a close corporation
for Houk and Thornburgh.
In Houl>'s card he charges that but trO
days notice WIS given of the Knox county
district meetings to select delegates to the
Congressional convention, and that that no.
tice was by poster, but fixed no time or piacC
for the meetings. This is IA falschood so
harefaccd and reckless that no one but
Houll would put it forth. The call for these
'district meetings on the 10th of September,
signed by the Knox county members of the
Congressional Committee, appeared in the
WEEKLY CHRONICLE of September ID and
9th, and in the DAILY CHEoSICLE Of Scps
tember Sd, ith, 9TH, 9th, Sth and 9th, So
that instead Of only tiro days notice, as
charged, ciQht daUS notice was given, and
in the most public manner possible Not
only was ample notice given, but to show
how Dasely false is Houk's charge that no
time or place was fixed, | quote from the
call as follows
" 1t is desired that the people huvca fair
unlrammeed voice in those conventions,
and to the end that there may be no charges
of Il d." city clique or a " Knoxville ring
controlling the voice of the Republicans of
Knox county IL is hereby recommended
that the Republican voters of the county
meet at the cotiug places in the various civil
districts Of the county Tor at such other
places as the Republicans Of each district
may agree upon, on Thursday, the 10th
day or September, 1874, at / o clock, p. NJ,
Ter at such other hour as may bc agreed
upon in each dstrict),' &c., &c.
To give still greater publicity 10 tac call,
posters were printed aud sent to every dis
triCt and put up at public places whore the
.fricHis Of ercrV c1adidatc could see them.
That poster was an exact copy of the call
from which ! make the above extract. 4
time and place was suggested, but in order
that there should be no pretencc ut dICtation
it was left to each district to meet at any
other place or time, "a the voters might
lind most convenient.
These meetings were generally well at
tended and in many places where vot'rs
were too busy proxies were sentand rospec-
ted The object Of the meetings was to as
certain the riShcS Of the UOters, and |
believe in every case II was done. II not
voters are alone to blame, as they had ample
notice and every opportunity. More
/ country people were represented
in those meetings, Fr' t5Htcs
orer than would have been repre-
sented in one Convention for the whole
county, which could easily have been
packed by those idle men who are always
about a city, with nothing to DO but attend
Conventions. II was to give the Rcpubli-
cans Of the County an opportunity TO meet
near their homes, uninhucncad 10y any
/ Knoxville Ring that these meetings
were appointed.
THE KNOXVILLE CITY roNyEETIoN.
10 the city Convention, ! am iuDuru-
ed that il was largely attended by the hn-g
class of voter, in the city, men Of int'.'-
gencc and character, who repro,ru .a"
Republicans Of the city, white and Ca. T.,
HOuk'- charge that the Convention .-
held ju HoA-ics Hall, 20 that H0ul, u, .
could boo excluded, and that such reasons
were given for holding the meeting there
ia "caucu~' at the Post Office and
CHRoNICLE Office is false, and ! challgenc
him TO produce n respectable man wh0Will
state anything Of the kind, / did not at-
tend any OF these conferences preliminary
/ 10 the primary meetings, for ! wls not IN
I the city for ten days previous % -ue,r being
. held, but um reliably Informed Us 10 alI
! thGtt1oE place. twas at frst thought bostto
hold ward meeting, in Knoxville, but when
/ it became evident that Houk had not
4 strcr 9Th enough to make "a respectable cons
/ test If his friends were divided ont into
wards, and as it was feared the Democratic
/ bummers of the city would De more likely
/ TO interfere in ward meetings, itwn- thought
/ best 10 bold one meeting and hold 10 in %
! hall from which Democratic hummcg5 and
disturbars could be excluded Tho Court
/ House could not be- easily lighted and for
| this and the reason above mentioned notice
was published that the meeting would ba
I held i'm HnXsie's Hall at night so working
men and business mod could attend and az
! Republicans We're invited 10 be present.
/ About one hundred and fifty Republicans
/ ThOuburgh men, Houk men and May
! nard meu were present, No one was oN-
] plulpI the doors Vrarn pppr In all Rpruhll-