Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-10
BILL STOKES.
He Explains His Extraordinary Fin
aacial Psliey-"Them NigEers' or
Two billions OF Bonds the Alterna-

0Dctal RoncT-"Enem 0tk&rs
Two billions OF Bonds the Alterna-
tive.
H. V. Rs Chattanooga letter TO the Cincinnati
Commercial
The Bald Eagle of the Mountains, as
Bill Stokes is called for short, is famous
man in Tennessee politics. BE was IN
Congress from this district before the war,
and for two terms since. He was candl-
date for the Senate against Brownlow, ana
came so near defeating him that the crnsty
old gentleman never quite forgaye the Baid
Eagle for his impertinence. He ran ior
Governor against Senter, and was defeated
because Senter was the acting Governor, ana
adroitly enfranchised all the ex-rebels In
consideration of their voting for hlm.
During the war Stokes was Colonel IN
the Federal army. He had regiment OF
native Tennessee cavalry, which be led
through trackless wastes Of gore, so to
speak. Fonest-so the story runs-once
had him and his command surrounded in
Middle Tennessee town. With character
istic humanity, he sent to the mayor Of the
place to remove the women and children
and Stokes cavalry, as he should shell the
town.
They tell this yarn on Stokes, and a
great many others; but the truth is, Stokes
was brave and efficient officer, and COM
manded a regiment that did fine service
for the Federal cause. Let us do the old
man justice, if he is an Independent candi-
date for Congress, and seeking to ..hurt the
party"
Stokes was one Of the most popular Re
publicans in Tennessee, until he allowed
- 10, -.I al ,lrar
Dave Beatty swindle, by which Uncle Sam
was swindled out of one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. Tinker Dave had a
command Of Independents during the war,
who fought for each side as occasion might
require, and stole from both. Stokes was
instrumental in getting bounty and back
pay act through Congress for the benefit OF
these men, and pOcketed slice Of
the fat himself For his part in
the transaction, he was fined fifteen
hundred dollars, believe. by a District
of Columbia Ourt, which fine he paid
I'D like little man. Since that he has
been in retirement upon his farm near
Alexandria. Between feeding his hogs
and watching his hired freedmen follow
the plow, he has meditated profoundly up
on the great questions Of the day. He has
come to the conclusion that great wrongs
have been inflicted upon the Union men
of the South by the Government so many
gave their hearts blood to support. Hay-
ing pondered these subjects for four years,
he comes out as an independent candidate
for Congress upon platform Of his own
constructing.
saw him, Saturday, and he told me of
his programme aud platform.
PAYMENT FOR SLAVES.
"When the war broke out" said Mr..
Stokes, II had twenty or twenty-five mig
gers, worth fleen or twenty thousand dol
lars. They were my property as justly and
fairly and squarely as any mans horse is
his property. They were guaranteed To me
by the laws of my country and the Consti-
ton Of the United States. They were, in
fact, especially guaranteed to me by a
special provision of the Constitution.
"HoW did come by those niggers? In
1918, when only three years old, my father
started to this country from the noun
tains of North Carolina. On the way he
fell out of the wagon and broke his neck.
We moved on to De Kalb county, SQUAT
ted in the wilderness. / grew
up, YOU may say, at the pillow handle.
Ddu llO ulDlltN " ECl Ill anu NOll-
sequently didn't get much education. But
| worked at the plow, and bought me a
piece of land, and raised corn on that land
with my own hands. Then bought up a
few hogs, fed 'em the corn, drove 'em
South, sold 'em and bought a niger, and
brought him home. did that every year
till l had about twenty and was doing
finely. Now, wern't those niggers my
property in all law and justice? Hadn't
bought 'em and paid for 'em? Wasn't they
guaranteed TO me by the laws of my cOun-
try and the Constitution Of the United
States?
'Well, the war came up, and / took sides
with the Union, and raised regiment for
the Federal service. The way the thing
turned out, was fighting all the time to
free my own niggers, to strip myself of the
hard earnings of life time. They per-
tended that it was military necessity to
free the slaves. 1t was no military neces-
sty; the North was full of men. They
freed the niggers because they wanted TO,
and not because it was a necessity. Now,
say, by the Lord, they must pay US for our
niggers in the South, or We
WON'T HELP THEN PAY THE BONDS.
sThis is my platform in a nutshell.
Either the North must pay us for our mig
gers, or We'll 90 in for repudiating the two
thousand millions of war debt that is hang
ing over US. They say that it was neces-
sity to create the debt and to free the Mig
gers. Admit it, if you please. If both
were alike necessary, treat both alike, and
if We have to help pay the debt, then you
help as bear the loss of the niggers. Amt
thai fair, Just and honest between men and
men, and section and section? Why, just
look at it. During the war the North
ern people were paid big prices for every
thing they furnished the army. They
put that money in bonds, when gold was
two for one and upward. On these bonds
they have been drawing interest in gold,
and claim that the principal shall be paid
in gold. say ifyou are not going to pay
us for our niggers, that they have already
collected enough on the bonds, and l am
opposed to paying another cent. My prop
Osition to Che Government is this: Either
issue two thousand millions Of dollars of
bonds to pay us in the South for our mig
gers, ar else we shall insist on repudiating
all the bonded Indebtedness that now ex-
lists. The people of the North can't have
all the pay ard US none. And that is going
to be the great question of the future.
Either the war debt must be repudiated or