Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-01-29

Temporarily Dethroned. huf NOT
Crushed III

/ SENATE WHOSE maine HIlN DTleI pO-
litical career are familiar 10 the
/ members of this convention and
4 the people of the state Of Tennessee
--one who for four years has repre-
scented his state i'm the United States
| Senate with marked ability, and
has by his capacity and honesty
and conservatism, won a position
in that august body not only to be
envied, but one that renders his
services invaluable to his native
state and to the people of the south.
Indeed, such has been his course
that by leading member of this
convention, who has never cast
ballot for him, he has been declared
the peer of any man in the United
| States Senate, and the best man for
the place i'm the democratic party of
! Tennessee. This was a manly ut
1 terance of real sentiment, and
was the truth. His return to the
senate was anxiously awaited for
by his political associates, and he
would have been welcomed by
those who antagOnized his political
views-for he enjoys the esteem of
political friends and foes alike. Ed
| ucated under the old regime, where
1 two great constitutional parties con-
1 tested with each other for supreme
! CIV, and We'd with each other to Sc
! cure the greatest good to the great
est number. When intelligent pub
lie sentiment was formed by free,
frank, manly discussion, before the
people, of principle and policy, by
the champions of the two parties,
sent forth to proclaiin and maintain
! principle, to advocate and defend
policy-fOr then il was the creed of
parties that he who wore public
I honors was not at liberty to MAIN
tain silence when questions of great
interest to the public were to be set
tied. He believed, and still believes,
/ thai il is due to the public that hon
Ors citizen, that he should, at all
times, give to that public the bene-
fit of his knowledge, his judgment
and his Information upon all ques-
/ tiOns OF Over-shadowing public inn
pOrtance. This he has done. To
( elect him his own successor / have
/ believed would be to select, as our
+ representative in the national coun-
ellis, one worthy, capable and hon
/ est. To defeat him, because of a
/ discharge of "A duty to party,
would, i'm my judgment, be re-
/ buke to frank, manly discussion of
principle and policy, a warning to
public men, or those with laudahle
aspirations to serve the public, to
conceal his principles and his opin-
( ions, if he should have the termer-
ity to hold or entertain any. | was
unwilling to believe he had reached
point in political ethics and policy
where a declaration of principle and
policy should be classed as political
crime, or where parties should de-
capitate a leader who took and car
ried i'm the thick and front of the
fight the party's banner, and hence
my vote.
He will retire from the Senate of
the United States with the plaudit,
well done thou good and faithful
servant, of more that 100, 900 demo-
Gratis, and those on the other side
would not say nay. have been re-
quested to withdraw the name of
Hon. James +. Bailey.
Mr.. Bagwell said, in explanation
of his vote:
For twenty-siX consecutive ballots
/ have cast my vote for Tennessee'S
distinguished statesman, James f.
Bailey. We have wanted to return
him to the senate because he has
represented the proud common
wealth of Tennessee with marked
ability and fidelity, and in the de-
bates in which he has participated
has shown himself a champion wor-
thy the best tempered steel of
the very Goliath of that body, be-
cause the verdict of the country is
that he is a statesman who is Just
rising to IL life of fame and useful
ness, and because, in the language
of the venerable gentleman from
Wilson, in his SemarkS the other
day, she is the peer of any man in
the American senate, and superior
to any man the south has had there
since the war" When ii was pro-
posed to place the seal of cOndemna-
ton on statesman of acknowledge
ed ability and unquestiOned integ-
rity, because, in a time of confusion
and conflict of ideas, he had an Opin-
ion of public policy and candidly
declared it to his people when, for
this it was proposed that his head
should roll into the basket, l
thought and still think il a prece-
dent which the young men of this
body could not afford to see estab-
blished in Tennessee politics with
out persistent effort to prevent it.
| now desire to cast my vote for a
gentleman who has been tried in
field and council, and has never yet |
been found wanting in any of the |
elements that go to make the able, /
faithful representative of the peO- /
pie, Hon. Nathan Brandon, of Stew I
art county.
Mr.. BuquO said in explanation OF
his vote:
Mr.. Speaker-Like a few Others /
i'm this house, for twenty-six ballots |
| have cast my vote for the same 1
worthy gentleman for L. 5. Senator I
not only because tor a number of |
wears he has been rightfully acknOl- |
edged as the leader of Democracy /
in Tennessee, not only because when |
dissensions arose within that party |
he had the manlineSS and courage I
to take its standard and bear it on |
ward and upward to success, but al /
so because of his eninant fitness for /
the position he has for four years so /
ably fiIled-a man of sterling char
acter, great learning and becoming
modesty, man although of limited /
experience as a statesman, readily /
commands the audience of the ma
ton, and has to-day few peers, and !
no superiOrs in the National Con-
gress.
Within the last two hours l have
learned, to my great surprise, that
his name would be withdrawn.
While regret this step, / am proud /
to know that did not misrepresent /
him, when on yesterday | assured
some of my low-taX friends, that he
would never stand in the way of
democratic success, that although
his political enemies have determin-
en- to sacrifice him, because, forsooth,
he dared to advocate his honest con-
vlctions, yet he would never conde-
scend to retaliate or to attempt to
aveDge himself by adopting teh late
ly inaugurated rule or ruin policy,
but would rise above the situation
as the eagle rises above the storm
cloud.
l hope, sir, that the action of
portion of the democratic members
in offering premium, as it were,