The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-10-27


courts shall decide will govern your con
duct throughout. The high sheriff il
dead. There is no conservator Of the
peace yet appointed to fill his place
1 come among you, men of Shelby coun'
| ty, to take his place and to see that the
law is stronger than before and that or
der shall be preserved throughout this
| county during the election. Your De-
mocracy has taught you that the law is
to guide and protect the poor and weak.
invoke your assurance now that you
will see that the law is enforced through
out, and that passion will not be allow
ed to take the place of the supreme
power of the land. At this point the
immense crowd gave assurance that they
would comply with Governor Hen
drick's request. Not one out of the
thousands hesitated to give the assur-
ance that the peace of the land would
be preserved.l McCorkle died at the
post of duty. 1t was a shocking and
horrible crime. The blow was made
not only at his life but at the position
and character of society itself-a crime
equally base and foul. To kill sheriff
or judge while in the discharge of ofici-
al duty is crime directly against soCie-
ty and cannot be par0ened. Is it not
strange that the cause of the opposite
party should have such vile influence
or require such weak support as that
such scenes must take place when its
partisans are holding their meetings?
Because McCorkle died at the post of
duty ysu will lay him awey in his last
resting place as you would martyr to
the public welfare. He died because
he had sought to serve the public and to
maintain the authority of the law. 1
ask you to do him and his memory
great honor; with his poor wife and
child we can only sympathize.
During this canvass have spoken of
the connection of General Garfield with
the Presidential fraud of 1867. I will
not now repeat what felt it proper te
say in that regard. I understand that
on Saturday last in this place General
Harrison reverted to that subject and to
my statements and arguments upon it.
Perhaps he did net well succeed, and it
may be that was the reason that he pro-
duced and read the affidaYits of two per-
sons showing that before General Gar
fields nomination had spoken well and
kindly of him. Whether I went too far
or not far enough in cSmmendatiOn at
that time is no answer to what General
Garfield himself said of his connection
with the counting in of Hayes and
Wheeler. I recollect to haYe spoken
before the convention at Cincinnati of
.he probability that Grant would be
nominated, and saying that 1 thought
Garfield would be the best and strong |
EST candidate that could be selected. |
vas speaking of the availability of the |
principal candidates, and of them IN no |
)ther respect, Beyond this l said moth
ng. did at one time think Garfield |
IN available candidate, but before the |
met l changed my mind, |
md expressed myself very fully, as was
published in several papers, that Gener-
Il Grant was the strongest candidate. l |
10 net think General Garfield was the
strongest candidate. He is far from be- |
ng so, and l have an opinion that the !
themselves are of my opin-
on, and if they had it to do over again
ne would not be nominated. Had l not
4 right to change my mind? The Re-
publicans themselves were compelled to
change their minds in a similar case.
But does it not strike you as strange
that the leaders of the Republican party
should show such favorable notice of
their candidate as the best that they
have, and that they have come to rely
on the Democratic statements of the re-
speCtabilitY of their candidate, and even,
as understand, that General Harrison
did not rely on the strength of his wit
nesses in making the mere statement,
but had them to swear, as if otherwise
they would not be believed by the coun.
try? / suppose they have the right to
use what said before had Investigated
General GarfeId's record to prove him
honest. What his record new shows
him / have already stated. What I
have said in regard to General Garfelds
connection with the Presidential fraud
of 1867 was based ON his own sworn
statements. No man has questioned the
accuracy of my report of his statements
and no man has sought to justify what
he has declared. When his conduct at
New Orleans and at Washington are
taken together and his answer under
oath that the vote of Louisiana as re-
ported be regarded as right, and if no
other vote not cast be counted the Dem
Ocrats had carried the State is taken in
to account, his conduct cannot be justl.
fed by the most extreme partlsans.
Governor Hendricks then proceeded
to speak of Garfield's record in detail.
Afterwards he continued: For fifteen
years after the close of the war the Re-
publicans maintained the contest upon
sectional issue. By every base appeal
they sought to prejudice the North
against the South and to establish a
solid North politically. Their argu-
ments and appeal were continued until
within few months of the present time.
1t was then substantially abandoned.
During the last two or three weeks we
have scarcely heard of the danger Of the
rebel claims, of the reinstatement of
the colored people, of the pensioning of
Southern soldiers, or Of the danger of
the prominence and influence of Con-
federate brigadiers in Democratic coun-
ellis. We have hardly heard of any
Southern war debts since General Han
cocks letter. They were driven from
the field. Instead they now claim that