Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-10-17
The speaking Last saturday Night.

The Speaking Last Saturday Night.
| At an early hour Saturday evening
last, large audience OF ladies and
gentlemen we're in attendance at
Franklin Hall to hear Hon o. A,
Henry and Col. J. Il. Bailey, upon the
political situation and the duties of
the hour Maj Henry, for an hour
and quarter kept his audience in
tensely interested. while he demon
strated the utter uutitness and inca
pacity of the Republican party to con-
duct any honest administration of pub
lie affairs-how for nine years, since
the war, they had controlled the ma
ton, basing their claims to do so upon
the necessity for their reconstruction
policy in the South. showing that their
policy instead of bringing peace, good
win and good government. had brought
hate, malice, disorder, devastation and
ruin to large portion of the South
and confession by them of the utter
failure of their whole policy, by as
Stunning that the South is now in a
worse condition than at the close of
the war. In convincing arguments he
pointed out the evil consequences of
the Civil Rights bill, showing its fruit
fulness in breeding bad feeling and
want Of confidence between the races,
and certain destruction to the whole
system of public schools throughout
the South, which the white people had |
established almost at their own ex-
pense and cheerfully, for the educa-
ton Of the white and black races
He reviewed, briefly, the history of 1
the Democratic party in Tennessee,
since they come into power, showing, |
that unlike the Republican party, in
control Of some of the Southern States,
10 accommodating debts to an amount |
incredible and impossible to pay, they
have reduced the State debt of Ten
nessee, by economy and disposition OF |
the reproductive capital invested in !
railroads and an appropriation of the
proceeds to the public debt, from
above forty millions, to about twenty
millions of dollars.
In the most scathing language, he
rebuked the few demagogues who came
into the State, not for the purpose OF
engaging in any honest calling, but az
birds of passage, intent upon mischief
combining their political association to
the uneducated and ignorant, SANDER
ing and maligning the great body OF
the people and sowing the seeds of
discomfort, suspicion and hate in the
minds of the ignorant. Closing his
remarks with an eloquent appeal to
the people to wariness in their interest
in the affairs of the State-to be
promptly at the polls and deposit their
votes, lest by their Indifference they
commit a crime against their children
and misunderstanding them that
in the end the ballot was stronger than
the sword and was the real recourse
for a free people. 1t did us much
good to listen to the Major. We were
carried back to the purer, better days,
of the republic, when public officers
we're thought to be the servants of the
people, not their masters.
Col. Bailey followed in short
speech, in which he urged the people
to unity and harmony Of action, i'm
pressing upon his audience earnestly
and forcibly the fact, that We can only /
succeed by united action-that there
must be two parties in the State, and
that all must choose between them;
that there can be no middle ground
when issues of such vast Importance
are presented and that he who is not
for us is against us and that any one
ignoring the will of the people ex
pressed in convention, and thrusting
himself upon them, claiming to be a
Democrat, yet ignoring the Democrat
ic convention ideas, and running with
the view and wish to divide that party
to some extent, and by the united sup
port of the political enemies of his
party get into Office, is unworthy to be
called a Democrat, and unfit to be
trusted as their representative. If
honest, he would consider the inter-
ests of those electing him, although
they were not Democrats. He APP
pealed to the people to go to the polls,
to be kept away by no consideration,
and to vote the straight party ticket,
and not to be led away by personal
friendships into the support of any in
dependent candidate, as the interests
involved we're too great to give way to
personal considerations reminding !
them that it was a Democratic motto, |
as old as the nation, that the Office |
should seek the man, not the man the |
office. As a result Of the meeting. |
every Democrat present went away |
fully impressed with his responsibility
as a citizen, and the Importance not |
only of going to the polls and voting
but also of urging his neighbors to a
similar course. We trust the ball will |
be kept in motion, and if it is, Dem
ocratic victory is assured in our cOun-
ty next November. '.E.-.
PASSING by the grocery establish |
mont of Walter McComb a Co. a few 1