Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-11-05
Hon. John ~. Bright.
He Delivers an Eloqsent speech
ON the Public square.

cratic nominee for Congress
from the Fifth Congressional
district, addressed very fair
audience on the east side of the
Public Square last night, on the
questions Of the day, and 9TH
cr subjects generally agitating
the public mind.
After alluding to the Kuklux
bill, the election law, civil SER
vice, educational bill, and labor
bill, he referred at some length
to the land grants made by the
Government. One hundred and
ninety millions of acres had
Ibeen transferred as grants, to
build railroads upon. The COM
panies constructing the rail-
roads, aided by loans from the
public money, were enabled to
link by rail the Atlantic and
the Pacific oceans. The power
Iof these railroads was to be
dreaded, not on account of its
br in, but Of the many millions
of dollars invested in them
The telegraph bill was next al
lnded to, he stating that there
were 10000 operatives connec-
ted with the telegraphic depart
ment. If the President had con-
troll Of it, and thus command
all intelligence, both public and
private, what kind of liberties
would we havep The subiec,
Of interstate commerce was al
luded to at some length. The
real grievance was the protec-
five tariff. The competition of
canals and railroads, monopoly
combinations and cheap trans
! portation, were referred to in
their, connection. The civil
rights bill, q question of excit-
ing interest, he thought, was
next referred 10. When the
bill came up in Congress, as a
Representative of Tennessee,
! 4; struck it with all his might,
as he belieyedit unconstitution-
al and not calculated to i'm
prove the interest of the peo-
! pie of the United States. The
fourteenth amendment, which
preceded this bill, was not in
tended to give them equal rights,
or to grant Congress grand po-
lice powers over the Govern
ment, but was simply intended
! for kind of naturalization law.
The United States Government
was the first government on
the globe to incorporate the
colored race as a part of the
body polite. We found that in
this country the State Consti-
tuition, and the Constitution of
the United States, had been O.
pcncd to- let them in, and our
laws had been altered for their
benefit. The seats in Congress,
and even the Presidential office
was opened them, and they en-
jjoyed equality in the eyes of
the law. The whites had al
ways been the dominant party.
They had marched over the
world, carrying all before them,
! and if the colored race attempt
ed to fight against their will
and pleasure, they would be
crushed like a dwarf beneath
the hoof of all elephant. 1t vas
a bill which was injurious to the
party, to whose interest it was
intended to be subservient.-
The negroes had as much rights
as they should want. They en-
joyed the benefits of public
schools, for the maintenance Of
which the whites allowed them
selves to be heavily taxed
The colored race had been driv-
Ell from Northern fields, and
given a reception i'll the South.
II the negroes III Mississippi
and Louisiana were turned to-
day into Massachusetts, and fill
the workshops and the seats in
Congress occupied Dawes and
Butler, that State would be
seized with a black vomit, and
in two weeks not a negro could
be fo"nd in the State.
The revenue system was next
alluded to, and the receipts and
expenditures under the present
administration, for the past year,
presented. They are as follow
ers:
Receipts ..............$3 1888, T9s,2o4 81
Cash ................ loo ,5e3, 404 "a
IT,, A4An aos $40 Al