The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-10-23
DRUNK FOR FOUR YEARS!
EXTRA 0RDLNARY ExPLANA E7oE

EXTRAORDINARY EXPLANA TON
OF COL. THOS.- II. REEVES. e..
On last Saturday Col. Thomas II.
Reeves, Chairman of the Republican
Executive Committee, according to
previous announcement appeared at
Morristown to deliver a speech in
the interests Of the Bondholders,
Major Pettibone and the Revenue
Ring. He was met with a request
for division Of time by our talen.
ted friend w. S. Dickson, Esq. The
Colonel, after some parley, agreed to
divide time If Dickson would not
DISCUSS or GlEude to his private char
0cter. It occurs to us that this was
very singular conduct on his part.
and it leads to the reflection that the
bondholders, National banks, the
Revenue Ring, and Maj. Pettibone,
are pretty hard run when they are
reduced TO the necessity of employ
ing advocates whose private charac-
tiers are so bad that they are asham-
ed to have them alluded to in pub
lie discussion. -
The preliminaries being settled to
the satisfaction Of the fearful Colo
mel, he requested Mr.. Dickson to
lead of. which he did in a speech of
one hour and fifteen minutes, giving
brief sketch OF the financial legisla.
ton of the Republican party, show
ing how the currency had been with
drawn from the people from year to
year. and its place supplied by
bonds bearing interest, thus adding
millions to the interest bearing debt,
and heaping burdens on the already
oppressed people, and at the same
time, by reducing the volume of The
currency, depriving them of the
power to meet these accumulated
demands and burdens. Mr.. Dick
sons speech was clear, logical and
convincing argument, showing that
the Republican party has passed
into the control of the money pow
err and that its entire financial rec
ord for Is years evidences the fact
that it has sold the labor and pro-
duction Of the country to capital
aud the capitalists.
Col. Reeves then took the stand
and in a loose, rambling, disjointed
harrangue ofene hour, for he did not
consume his time, abused the Dem
ocrats, waved the bloody shirtS and
tried to convince the people that all
the hardships under which we groan
are the result of Democratic State
legislation. He talked previously
about the Democratic party being
10 favor Of slavery and responsible
for the late war. A more hating,
lame, inconsequential tumble of
words without meaning. and sound
without sense, we have not listened
to since the last time we were regal
ed with one of Crazy Dawes matti-
nee's on the streets OF Knoxville.
In Mr.. Dickson's rejoinder he took
occasion to contrast Colonel Reeves
violent denunciations of the Demo
cratic party now with his utterances
from 1868 to 1872, when he was
fighting Democrat, and was denoun-
cling Radicalism in even more un-
measured terms than he now abuses
Democracy. During those years,
Colonel Reeves was attending Dem
ocratic conventions, making Demo
cratic speeches, was occasionally a
Democratic candidate, and edited |
one of the most violently vindictive
Democratic and anti-carpet Dagger
papers ever published in Tennessee.
Mr.. Dickson read various extracts |
from Col. Reeves editorials in his
paper, the Tennessee Patriot, during
that time, in which he praised Dem.
ocracy to the skies, and abused Rad.
-icalism most fearfully.
When thine" was called, Colonel
Reeves came to the scratch with
Ievident signs of being badly spun
ished." He only occupied about five
minutes Of his time. and that was
consumed in endeayoring to explain
his want Of consistency. He said III
substance, that in 1868 bis health
was very bad-he had been induced
10 place himself under the care of a
Democratic physician who had pre-
scribed tones and stimulants for
under this advice he be-
gan to drink democratic whisky and
that he got 80 far along as 10 be in
danger Of illing dfunkard's grave
that while in this condition he was
induced to join the Democrats and
they used him as tool to edit that
paperl
At this point the gravity Of the
audience broke down. The ColonePs
purile simplicity could no longer sup
press the laugh at his expense that
had been gathering In every face for
some time. Many Of the audience
rushed for the door to get outside. so