Year: 1876

be heard which the citizen might claim


under the law as against another cifi-
zen. Your Constitution also provides


that suits may be brought against the


State in such courts as the Legisla ture


may direct.


Will you deny that justice no civil


lied nation will dare withhold? They


have a right to a recognition of their


claims or the right to test the justice


of their demand Because you have


the power will you withhold or deny


this right? The speaker then treated


the question of the ability of the State


to pay. and proceeded to show how the
interest could be paid. He was not
there, he said, to propose any new
scheme, but to follow tried and beaten
path to be followed by men taking au
interest in their own affairs and COM
pelling faithful administration of the
Government


He had not treated this ques-
ton from a partisan standpoint,
but he would ask where the De-
mocracy of Tennessee would stand
when her Democratic representatives
voted as they voted in 1872 to pay the
public debt of the United States.
Would she as she has vowed before, in
National Convention, stand blythe obli-
CATION to maintain the honor and credit
ofthe United States government? would
the Democracy of Tennessee 90 into
the canvass on that issue, under that
banner? or would they raise the
repudiation banner and fight under
that? Or would they maintain the
honor and credit of the United States
and sacrifice the honor and credit of
Tennessee? For himself when he sur
rendered and was paroled he came
home to be true and loyal citizen Of
to hold her honor as his own. How
much dearer the honor of Tennessee,
SO much nearer and dearer-our moth
er who gave US life-our mother in
whose bosom we must repose in death.
Honesty is traditional Democratic
policy and principle. How can we
evade it !? or shirk it? He concluded
by speaking of the light and fippant
manner in which some persons have
spoken of the honor of the State.
They laugh athonor. Honoris integ-
rity maintained with high and virtu-
GUS resolve. The merchant has his
business honor. It is his life as bus
mess man. The mechanic has his hon
or in the pursuit of his occupation.
The farmer has his honor, and the law
yer his. 1t pervades all society, and /
it is the basis of all confidence. With
out it the State cannot live. The |
State, society, cannot survive its loss.


When the soldiers of Tennessee
turned sadly back from Franklin, after |
the bloody engagements of 1864, and |
left their wives and children and |
homes, and the promised land, for
which they had toiled and struggled |
and fought, it was honor that led them |
to take up the sad march southwark. |
The cause was hopelessly gone. They
saw it was hopeless, and no power
could save it. Faith to their engage
ments, faith to the honor Tennessee
led them to that sublime act of self |
denial and devotion. The honor Of
themselves, the honor of their State
was at stake, and with no other end in
view, with no personal interest save
personal honor and the honor of Ten
nessee they followed their worn and
battle-scarred banner to the end and
fought useless engagements and sur
rendered.


The speaker had the close attention
of his audience and elected frequent
applause, in the course of an able
speech of two hours and half.