Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-09-09
REFORM RALLY AT NASHVILLE,


highest quality and the enthusiasm ex-
cited by them unbounded.
The chair was occupied by Col. E.
P. Cahill and the speakers were the
Hon. John f. House, Senator Cooper,
Capt. Thomas L. Dodd, Hon. w. G.
Whitthorne and Neil s. Brown.
We have only room for the speech
of our own fellow citizen, Col. House,
who took the stand first after the
Chairman. He was introduced by
Col. Cahill as 'the next Congressman
from this district" We publish the
speech from the report given in the
American of course it will be under
stood that it is a mere abstract of the
speech; our readers viii have to i'm
agine the eloquence with which our
accomplished representative would
give life to this skeleton
COL. HOUSES SPEECH.
Col. House said that it gave him
more pleasure than he could command
words to express to be able to meet
them once more, and to return thanks
for the kind manner in which they had
seen fit to receive him. They were on
the eve of one of the greatest conflicts
that had ever taken place upon this
continent for the control of this gov
eminent. The issues had been joined,
the forces had been set in battle array,
and the fortune and destiny of this
| country were once more embarked
upon the stormy pillows of a Presi-
dental election. He was convinced
from what he saw that they, in common
with their fellow citizens of other
States and other sections of the coun-
try, were feeling a deep and profound
interest In the momentous struggle
that was now going on.
In 1861 the Republican party OBJ
tanned control of this Government and
had held it ever since, arrogating to
themselves the possession of all the
patriotism, all the civilization and
ability in the country. Having saved
the Union, as they said, they claimed
that they owned this Government by
right of conquest, and that no other
party were patriotic enough nor intel
ligent enough to take control of this
Government and that therefore it be-
longed to them. They placed in the
Presidential chair the victorious lead
er that led their army to triumph I'M
der his leadership and guidance.
Col. House then referred at some
length to Gen. Grants administration,
the unmistakable indications in the
public mind that the people of the
country were becoming dissatisfied
with Republican rule. He spoke OF
the corruption and extravaganza that
had crept into the administration un-
der Gen. Grant, and Of the tidal wave
that arose in 1874, when the people OF
this country, wearied Of bad govern
ment, and wearied of corruption and
extravaganza, arose IN their might and
struck them down wherever their arms
could reach them. They could not
reach the President nor the Senate
but the magnificent majority which
| the Republican party had in the lower
House of Congress, was swept away
and for the first time since the wal
the Democratic party found itself in
control of the lower House of the
| National Legislature. The Republi-
can leaders now saw that something
must be done, that the administration
of the Republican party, left to the
calm and unbiased judgment of the
people, had been weighed in the bal
ance and found wanting. Gen. Grant,
in his message to the present Congress,
did not intimate that there were any
disturbances, any violation of law, any
obstruction to to the administration OF
justice in any State of the Union. But
very soon after Congress met Mr.. Oil
yer P. Morton, who aspired to be Gen
Grants successor, introduced a reso-
luton to have affairs in Mississippi in
vestigated, alleging that murder ran
riot over the State, that the public
voice was stifed, that the colored man
was not allowed to vote, that the cleo
ton was carried by fraud, murder and
intimidation. Mr.. Blaine, another
Republican leader and also aspirant
for the Presidential chair, made a
speech in the House of Representative
calculated to stir the Northern heart
and excite the prejudices and passions
of the war. They both chose this
road to the Presidency, and they went
into the Cincinnati Convention with
bloody shirts flying at the head oil
their columns, but he thanked God
that neither of them was nominated
The bloody shirt became their wind
ing-sheet. and the stalwart forms OF
Blaine and Morton were. borne out
lifeless from that Convention. Loud
applause.
1t was found very soon after Con-
gress assembled that there was a de.
liberate effort to excite the public
mind in the North against the South
ern members of Congress, and, if pos
sible, to provoke the Representative
from the South to utter some senti,
ment or some word that could be
turned to account in the coming Pres
idential election. As a Representa-
tive in Congress from the South. he
determined on taking his seat not to
open his mouth to utter a sentiment
which, in his Judgment, could be per-
yerted to the injury and to the oppres-
sion of his people. Applause. And
such was the animus and feeling OF
every man from the South that took
his seat upon the floor of the present
Congress. 1t was determination to
pour oil upon the troubled waters, ia
heal as far as they could the wounds
Of the war and to bring back again
the old state Of peace and fraternity
without which we could never be pros
porous and happy as people.
He was panied to read the other
day speech made by the nominee OF
the Republican party for Vice Presi-
dent OF the United States-Mr. Wheel
err, of New York. He had been led to
believe that Wheeler was a man oil
fairness, candor and conservatism, and
no man stood higher with the Demo
Gratis upon the floor of the House than
VIM. A. Wheeler. Although he was
opposed to them in politics, yet they
regarded him as a just man and one
who desired to see peace restored to
his distracted country and the people
bound together once more in the bonds
of fraternity. lie told his fellow citi-
Zens in the mountains of New York
that he had sat in company with
Rebel Congressman who had underta-
ken to destroy the Government and
had heard the atrocities of Libby and
Andersonville defended and Abraham
| Lincoln malignsd. Mr.. House denied
this and said that Wheeler had never
heard the name Of Lincoln called by
Southern member of Congress save in
| terms of the very highest respect
/ When Wheeler said to the people of
| Varp,o1f rubo rorhaDa aid NOT know