Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-09-09
COL. BAILEY AT WAVERLY.

ne humphreys county people are
getting wide awake on the Presiden-
tial question, and last Saturday raised
a lofty Tilden and Hendricks pole at
Wayerly, and unfurled the national
flag with the names of the national
candidates inscribed on it. A very
large crowd was present and, when the
pole raising was completed, they ad-
journed to pleasant grove where
stand for speaking had been erected.
Col. Lanier took the chair and after a
few stirring remarks on the questions
of the day, introduced the Hon. Jas.
E. Bailey, as the orator of the occas-
ion. We take from the Nashville
American the substance of his re-
marks:
Col. Bailey said, in substance: THE
flag you have unfurled is the flag of
the Democratic party; it is also the
flag of our country. 1t represents not
only the ideas of Democratic reform
and economy and good government,
but also the idea of free republican
government. Your meeting here is a
part of great movement to restore
the earlier purity of our government,
when men sought to perform their
work honestly at least.
He pointed out the wrongs of the
honest masses, wrongs they felt and
saw, but had been powerless yet to
prevent. They had seen want follow
industry, and despair come in the wake
of want. They knew it was not their
fault They knew it was not want
of industry, or because of relaxed ex-
ertions on their part. 1t was not
Providence that had frowned on them,
for skies were as bright and benignant,
and rains and dews as refreshing and
the soil yielded as of old to the calls
of industry. Still they had grown
poorer. Now for the first time in
years, a spirit of real hope animated
the people. Those hopes they had
given to the favoring breezes in the
flag unfurled. 1t was hopes of reform
and retrenchment. Itwas hope that
load would be lifted from strug-
Cling people.
What was the cause of all this de-
preston? Why do we quarrel about
the difference between 2 mills and a
mills of State tax, the United States
administration had taken from the
people an average of $3.50, 100000 per
annum. He argued that this repre-
scented the toll of the people, and was
more than the entire taxable wealth
of Tennessee. He compared the pres
ent expenditure with that of the past,
and showed the extraordinary and APP
palling difference between the expen-
ditures of the government before the
war and since. He showed the share
of Tennessee's contribution to the
Federal burdens, is more than SO, 800,
600, and he showed that in the saving
effected by a Democratic Congress
about 81 ,000,0 900 had been saved to
the people of Tennessee. He showed
that, taking Federal taxes, the tariff
exactions, the amounts that go into
the pockets of protected monopolles
and the profits on the tariffs advanced
by merchants, we in Tennessee paid
nearly $18,0G0,000.
Col, Bailey took up and discussed
the various branches of the Govern
ment service, and showed how corrup-
ton and peculation and extravaganza
perVaded each. He showed how, with
redoubled expenditure, our navy had
dwindled and our commerce declined
until our trade was done by foreign
bottoms. He showed how corruption
and extravaganza pervaded every
branch of the public service. He
pointed out how the Democracy had
been met, in every effort to reform, re-
trench or investigate, with the cry of
rebel" The War Department had
expended s4O,OOO,OOO. 1t was charged
with the duty of keeping $4,000 eff
cient men in the field, and yet, when
war is fragrant. and the gallant Custer
falls before superior force, the Gov
eminent has to call upon Congress to
furnish soldiers to fight the Indians.
Where were the soldiers? In South
Carolina, in Louisiana, in Mississippi.
How we're elections carried few years
ago in Alabama? The United States
Marshals with their squads, at the
behest of little politicians, inaugurated
a reign of terror and drove good men
from their homes and intlmldated free
citizens. This was the duty of the
army to-day. In Louisiana they dis
banded Legislatures, dispersed the
representatives chosen at the ballot
box and made the representatives OF
the people the representatives of the
bayonet. To-day they were inaugur-
ating the same rule.
These things were the corruptions
of dIssolute party, mad with power
and thirsting for more plumber. The
government was for the people-it be-
Tonged to the people. They must COR
rect their government or the govern
ment would corrupt them. An extrav-
agant government made corrupt gov
ernment. A corrupt Government
would sooner or later make a corrupt
people. Col. Bailey spoke of the pre-
posterous claim of the Republican
party to the work of reform. He said
of Mr.. Bristow: He is my neighbor
and an honest man, fair man, q noble
specimen Of humanity. He represent
ed the idea of reform in the Republi-
can party, and yet he was driven from
position. He received no more votes
than Conkling. Blaine. convicted on
his own testimony of dishonesty, and
charged with other crimes, was the
favorite, and received the largest sup
port in his party. When that element
could not obtain its representative
it defeated the representative of re-
form and took up Hayes, who is no
doubt, an honest gentleman, but he is
not greater than his party, nor can
he rise above his source.
Col. Baily ably discussed the prin-
ciples Of the tariff, and discussed the
policy of protection. His views on
that subject were those of master
of political economy and government
science.
He concluded by an earnest appeal
to allow nothing to stand in the way
of Democratic triumph. This was no
time for pickering and qqarreling.-
We were rid Of quarraling among our
selves for this crisis at least. The
State Convention had met and one had
yielded an opinion and another an
opinion one had sacrificed a senti-
ment and then another, and on ac-
count of the depression of industries
and the magnitude of the present con-
test and the necessity for harmony, we
had laid aside our quarrel oyer our
own State matters, and gone shoulder
to shoulder into the great conflict
He urged all to unite, to sacrifice per-
sonal views and aims for the general
good, and let us cast no obstacle in
the way of glorious success.