Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-06
UNION AND AMERICAN.
FRANKLIN.
Speech Of Gen. w. G. Whit
thOrne.
He Criticises the Last Congress,
Goes for Grant and Sheridan,
And Predicts the Election Of a
Democratic President
in 1876.

Gen. ". c. Whitthorne, member Of
Congress from the Sixth Congressional
District, addressed his constituents al
Franklin. Tenn, Yesterday, upon the pOlit-
zeal situation and the duties Of the hour.
The speech was Of two hours length and
was listened TO with marked attention
throughout BIZ the large audience which
had assembled in the courthouse to hear
it. The following is a fall synopsis Of the
address:
Gen. WhitthOrue said:
Fellow-citizsus Of Williamson County:
am gratifed to be ID your midst to-day,
TO discharge what conceive 10 be a duty
of a representative Of the people-In the
first place, 10 render an account of his
Stewardship, and in The second place, TO
meet his constituency, the body he proposes
. TO represent. as Oflen as possible face 10
face, with a view ths- he may become i'm
pressed with their views and opinions upon
matters likely 10 come before him in the
discharge Of the trust they committed TO
his hands, if we would remain true 10 the
idea upon which our popular institutions
rest. tO-wil: to our form Of government, rep
Tesentatiye in its nature, and the people
speaking through the voice Of their agents.
am further gratiiied, fellOw-citiZens,
that in coming before you to-day, l am now
able 10 talk to You not only as your repre-
sentative. but as your friend and as your
felI0v-citizen. l have nc political aSpira-
ti0us to-day, nor for the future. am not
a candidate to-day, nor DO l expect to be a
candidate before this people for any pos
ton within their gift.
A LOOK BACKWARD.
IN rendering 10 you an account OF my
Stewardship, l will ask YOU 10 90 back with
me for a moment and take q view Of the
condition OF affairs as they stood at the
election of November 1874, and the Out
look of the then future. Unexpectedly, a
political revolution ran all over our broad
land. The State Of Massachusetts cut
loose from her position and traditions and
elected a Democratic Governor with ma
iority Of her delegation in Congress Demo
cratic. aligning herself alongside the States
OF Texas. Virginia and Tennessee. An IN
expected political revolution it was, and
when We come to LOOK at il, il was not q
purely partisan triumph, but Il was signil-
iCant indication that the great mass Of
the ebeOple Of the United States had
said 10 the leaders of the Republican party,
in their failure 20 60 Justice 30 each and
every section Of tie union, shalt !" That
command is 70 me as apparent Is reading
any lesson in life. The leaders Of the Re
publican party Were as much surprised rs
we're We of tie Democratic party. The
long night tina. had rested upon the people
Of the South seemed about TO close. All
that deepening gloom which had over
Swallowed rs before that significant dlWl
of light in the east disappeared, and our
people began to renew their energies be-
IfeyfuE that the dav Of their deliveraDce
fr0m q political and material thTaldom haI
come. They had looked back few short
years and had made the calculation III their
own minds that in the period Of ten years
the agricultural products Of this country
had shruuk over SG0O,OJ0,0JO in value.
Had the wealth gof these States increased
from 800 TO 1870, as it did from 1870 to
1860. there would have been in 1870:
Cereals .Gf, SCI ,743 instead OF S-5,16 Jos
COtJOn.......-. u,t>l,lD> instead OF ..l.e-.2S
Tobacco ...-. A. .u.G,,>g instead ut $, 5,N4s
value OF stock sol Gas BIS instead Of 2s9ZcA-yl@
value farms 5,l'2 j2,4eI instead OF l,oS,. 49's
Acres i'm d.. 75,5ss, ls4 instead or 4s,5p',o-'
These are the remarkable results Of the
policy of prescription, malice and hate,
which had characterized the administration
Of the government By the Republican
Erartv. in its relations to the South. But you
thought as You surveyed the election OF
1874 that your material and political celiy-
eranCe rad come. In that belief the people
OF the entire country Joined. In that hour
the second session Of the 43rd Congress
met. One hundred and ihTty-tWO members
Of the lower house had been
WEIGHED ~ THE BALANCE
and found wanting. Men who had grown
rich speculations and trauds-men whose
dependents and lav0ri,ey were hangers on
uu vour public treasury, men whose import
auce was derived alone from the CJ-tILu-
ance In power Of tie Republican party
these men had been told 20 step aside, and
Is we assembled in Washington City, IN
December last, these men were III every
gray opposed TO your TelIet-yOuT redcmp-
ton. Night after night, and week alter
week, these men met IN caucus
in the Hall of Representatives, and,
presided over by Horace Maynard, they
conao,tad measures that were as
Heinous As those connected by ROb6spierTe,
Na~at and Danton. In these men, and in
the character of their COunselS, there was
peril TO YOU. Everything that was done,
everything that was said, Or left Unsaid, dur
inc the last session Of Congress, had for its
objective PORT the election Of 1870. Il
was a grand skiTmish brought on by the
leaders Of the Republican party. Their
oii.ct was 20 agree first upon the
banking question. then upon the tariff, aud
then uDaa the Civil Rights bill. The
ranking scaeue was agreed 10. How
The measure passed by Congress means the
uerDetuatlou Of the national bauElnS Sys-
tenn. They call il sfHee banking Not
that my friend here upon my right, or my
friend upon my left, may enter into bank
inc. but the bOudLoIder, and the bOndhOlder
alone. may engage IN it. OIe feature 81
fGa bill Is that gTeeuhagkS 10 the extent OF
50 100000 shall be retired. What does
This So 100000 cost you year as curren-
cv2 YOB pay no interest upon 1t; d pays
vour duties, and is the REST currency You
can have. yet il IS proposed 10 retire IS
100000. and supply lis place with rational
bank notes. and finally IJ Is proposed 10
retire the balance Of SjUO,O0OOOO OF green
backs also, supplying their place with
national bank notes. Thus, step by step
your currency is TO be placed in the hands
Of the bondhclders, who alone cIn engage
in furnishing national bank notes, and the
~asulf will be yOu viii have permanent
-,1taresi-lqarin- debt. which shall not only
Re q tax 1IDOn vol, but upon your Children's
children | am happy to say that the pro
vositioD. as il passed Congress, did not re-
.eiye tie vote Of a solitary Democrat
whether from the North, South, last or
West: and / am also happyt be able TO say
that the effect ofthis lastlegislatlOn has been
IA hiring Democrats together upon tins cur
Ts0cv question. The evidences are that
The Great West and the great South VIII
stand together in a proposition TO make
uniform your currency as a national cur
Teucy.
In discussing this proposition to retire
SS2.ODOOO0. Senator SchuTZ asked the
question whether the Secretary Of the
Treasury had the right TO reissue that
amoRut, and the chairman Of the Finance
Eolmittez aGd leader Of the Republican
ssaTty-She,mau-d TO answer. Now
will you take this home with yOu2 If the
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