Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-12-15


Messrs. Editors: There have been sew,
eral spasmOdie efforts on the part Of tbs
Memphis Bulletin to create division
and confusion ia public opinion OF The
subject OF the Mayoralty, and It seems
only anxious that the present incumbent
should not be reelected. While ii is In
favor Of thls gentleman or that one, pro-
yided be can be elected, It rOuRdly
asserts that it would prefer that Col.
Tdpp should Be forced into the field, for
the saka Of the aid he would give In this
important canvass" AS il actuRtsd by
q COwardly determination to insinuate
everything diabolical, by inuendO, that
could be inferred against the admins
tration Of Mayor Lofiand, It loses no op-
portunity, in coamending another, 20
/ reflect upon what il terms /" former mis-
managers" The careful concealment Of
| facts, audLheknavish exhibition ofextrsv-
agant HYPOTHESIS 20 the Displacement
Of one who has labored s~sdulously, con-
sistently and nnfslteringly for the public
service aud the eity's Interests, are ap-
parent in every hypocritieal snjfde that
the plausible demagogue attempts. For
i~nstabce. in the Bulletin Of the I4th,
appears the following covert attack upon
Mayor Lohand:
"Fhe city is not only bankrupted, but
every day adds to the burden; and that,
too. in the face OF the fact that there vas
| collected lest yesr, from the people living
n Memphis, about eight hundred and
| f0rty or f6y thousand dollars IA td1es!
It only needs q wise management OF
these immense Tesources-just such rs
every prudent business mar gives to his
affairs every dsy-tO remedy all s.our
wrongs, and ts wipe out our present
financial inability. With property as
sessed at thirty sir millions, and with
people paying every year exOrbitant
taxes, ft must be very bad management
that is reducing the city to almost bank
.ruptev. It only needs 3 man Of positive
qualities, with a head capable OF o~rigina-
ting a policy, and a backbone to execute
it, and al will come right. But this has
been our difficulty"
Let rs pause D moment before dis
cussing this profound and elaborate
exhibition Of philosophical scpmen, to
show that the toad, fabulOusly described
a. wearing q jewel In its head, has moth
ing there Of tue sort, and IS hopping
about very ~ecceutrieally. The thing
commences BY declaring "The city Is
not 0ahy baHka7pted, but every day adds
10 the burden % ana before twenty lines
are written, concludes that lit must be
very bad management that is reducing
the city to almost bankruptcy This at
lest shows that the Observation-Disclosures
ual Who is t0rtGFing himself and his read
ers to invent Distraction against Mayor
Lofland. is not himself satisfied that the
-itv l. " bsnkrupted,u for he says that
81 il must be very bad management that
is reducing the city to almost bank
ruptcy.' We dismiss this crude mani
.fastati0n OF q violent disposition to init
mate objections to the present Mayor, as
TOO e0ntsmptihle for further comment,
and beneath criticism.
At the time Mayor LOfisDd entered
upon the duties Of Mayor, the debt Of
the city amounted TO SS03 $50. In his
message To the Board, October 3
1865. he ssid "rhis is q heavy debt,
and it will require great energy and
skill TO manage it successfully, l have
confidence, however, that d very able
Finance Committee will direct their ex-
1erience and talent TO the subject, and by
application Of the ample resources
Of the city, have the qualification during
he wear. OF very much reducing the
iebt, and partially restoring our lost
Now, this fact vas not per
10 see daylight, when the Bulletin
vas co~uceiving the best mode of iDjuring
be Mayor in public estimation. Ii only
to convey the idea that the
difficulties and embarrassments might be {
,asily Eushsd away by a Mayor who
JOssE 5sed "a head capable Of origi- J
latiug 9 policy, and a backbone J
o execute it, thus strongly ~insinuRting 4
hat Mayor L8fisnd possessed neither Of
hese qualities so essential in a municipal
.fficer, while the facts to the Contary are
.ssily demOnstrable from the record. +
Ia the first message, to which we fave
briefly adverted, Mayor Leland
mpresses economy on the Board in the
blowing expressive and judicioUs lam S
'
1T is expected that this administra- :
ion will be ore OF relrerchment and ]
csnomy; but it should not be one of c
sort of spasmOdic retrenchmsnt 4
Which sometimes runs into the other eX- 5
RENE but such a reform IS experience j
nd close observation will warrant ia 3
without detrimsnt 20 the general
God"
Here it will be observed that he eoun-
els and advises properly With the Board,
whose fundamentally and CO.
peratiOn alone the Mayor is capable Of
Ding anything. They came into Office
nder tire public expectation that they {
7ould unite cordially in the discharge of q
heir duties to the city. If all have not 7
cen accomplished hat had been antici- II
ated, il has hot been through u re- P
spirit on the part Of either, and !,
hey have moved as tremendously along Z
: could have been anticipated, and have q
oiled iudustrislly in the city's behalf. z
is one psiut that may be I
nnFHL an HarFIawnanF of thu RrgEEcffs1fa n
Elections, and for which the Mayor r
1CuId receive q fall share Of credit-Ws =
llude to the cytg money which WIS pre- 2
q issued last spring, q which 2
1Ould have proved q great success, had a
not been nipped in the bud by the act o
: Congress, which was Interpreted to !
mount 10 prohibition. Arrangements q
sd been made by the Mayor and a
lusnce Committee to have their
money " protected until 1869, by half
dozen Of the strongest bankers in the Y
and men began to breathe freely, Il
I'd confidence was reviving with the n
siief experienced, when the fatal order n
, stop Wss received. Wa not this d
olicy originated by Mayor Lo1snd? Ii
You'd the United States Deputy Mar s.
lal have had the " backbone" TO per- G.
were ia the face of the Congressional t.
ksse? q
We leave the subject to-day, only \
+, resume it again, for in our opinion 1t o
better our articles should be brief, than q
devote so much space as would be u
for . complete VindicstiOn in a h
Hgle paper. We are satisfied we can r
tha5 Mayor Loiand deserves the c
Iqualiied appreciation, for bis public v
Of his FELLow-CITIZENs.