A secretly gotten up meeting came off at Covington, Tipton Co., about ten days since. It was appointed for a Saturday – Democrats were notified by word of mouth to attend and hear “the Southern question” debated by Gen. Coe and Col. Topp, of Memphis. The whigs found out what was going on only upon the preceding Tuesday, but immediately took prompt steps to pull the cat by the ears out of the meal. A young gentleman was despatched [sic] for Col. Granville D. Searcy at Sommerville. The day came, and the Democratic crowd gathered together, somewhat surprised, however, to find something more than a handfull [sic] of the true-hearted whigs of Tipton on the ground. Gen. Coe and Mr. Currin made their appearance – and so did Col. Searcy. This eloquent and patriotic whig champion proposed to divide time with Gen. C. and Mr. C., and they yielded him an hour and fifteen minutes, taking each the same time. The whigs were delighted with the discussion, and we should scarcely think that the result of the meeting will encourage its locofoco concoctors to attempt a similar trick again. Col. Searcy’s speech is represented to us as one of great beauty, cogency, eloquence and power, spoken in the full inspiration of a patriot-statesman loving the Constitution and the Union.
We have not learnt anything as to the number of the meeting; but, as a Tipton Democrat assure us, it was held for the benefit of the doubtful democrats, we suppose it must have been a large assemblage.
Those Tipton whigs are gallant fellows – they will do nobly in August at the polls.
[A Secretly Gotten Up Meeting, The Memphis Daily Eagle, Memphis, Tenn., 12 Jul 1849, Page 2]
A Secretly Gotten Up Meeting
