Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-08-11
wH.T SHALL TIE aET OF THE
~ EnuTU M

~ SHALL TIE My OF THE
SOUTH %
The following letter, which we received
Few DAYS since, asks a question when
n-coose to answer. We prefer TO
mint il entire, and without caring TO re-
mark upon its tone or q passage or two
contained in It, the relevancy n per-
sinency Of which we do nOt see;
E5,ior 4,7psql. In your issue Of this
morning 7 notice quite a lengthy article
-TJer tbe heard Of Opposed 70 theG Gov
I--T,antu in which you define your po-
scion You say that the government
.T-5-sztarad on either the old wing or
Ea-corotic theory would meet with your
-s1TT,rt You certainly cannot have for
L1rtaD that II was neither the wing nor
Semocrauc armies that conquered IN uhe
Tara war. You say it Is the hlgnesJ duty
Of a freeman % Oppose" present
r,IaYs Vou seem 10 have forgotten JnaJ
fine first article Of your beloved consuu'-
-, declares that al men are created Tree
- s1usI and that this single sentence
- 80 embodiment OF r~epublcanlsm.
And on the question Of opposing, now
are va 10 oppose 4? We cannot vote, and
ANYTHING we msy say VIII 5e nappeu
nm and torn to fragments ana cast DAcA
into our faces in scOrn u contempt
THE only WAY I can see for q PROUD sen
sfffve man to avoid the bitter JESUS anu
fee1s, is TO keep very quiet let eVens
take their own course. we auhAs Sou
for many splendid requirements anu yer
No EDow that il you had not sIrayed
from your New England home you "ouiu
ba a rival Of Summers, or perhaps even
va aaunnr EnnT uDF eyes
=, those pslpsble truths. We, who were
Sor1 and bred in the land of slavery, can
not deDv that il was a great wrong IN
fact the sum Of all ~villainies, and j Tor
one am glad that il is gone. But TINS ls
not fhe question. What j ask, IS now
sra we TO oppose anything are we 10
take the field. or are we to simply stay
Al home and hUrl abuse and vile epIthets
At those who make and execute Jne avs
UrFar which we must either live in
ACC and quiet, or with the bayonet at
Grr threats What DO you want Us 70
do. leave the country or commit suIcldet
WHY awake the fierce and terrible pas
SONS when only exile, death and ruih
hold out their shadOwy hands Zen US
camlv and quietly. what you would nave
US DO. and We viii listen calmly ana
quietly. But we will not 90 70 Br2zlL
nor viii we take prusslc scid, nor VIII
We abandon what the mercy Of the con-
uuerors has permitted US TO call our
homes. ANYTHING else you may suggest
will be carefully p0ndered-
49, ~-eDecthilly. W. O. ST JOHNS.
MEsPH1s TESS Aug G, ls57.
Before replying to these questions, it
occurs 70 Us to ask our Censor, If he rs
s,fre that It is the first Article Of the Con
sTTTrrIoN, which declares that " al men
are created free and equal, " and whether
thatexpression may not possibly be found
in the Declaration Of Independence
Without caring to inquire into his mo
tives for writing the letter which we
have copied, we have this tossy as to the
course Of conduct which, we think the
peopIe of the Sonth ought to adopt.
whenever any people have BEEN by
the chances Of war and adverse fortune,
reduced 10 a state Of vassalsge, PROSTATE,
with the mailed DOT upon their breast
and the bayonet al their throat, there
have always been men enough found, not
vary uncommonly Of those whose rash
ness and 6ery heat urged the people into
the conflict that has bad for them results
40 disastrous, to advise them "to keep very
Quiet. and let events take their own
course There nave always been men
enough found to counsel them to exer-
else caution and p~rudencei to chide and
repress those whose indignant words
igbt e~xasperate their tyraDts and not
n awake the fierce and terrible pas
sions. when only exile, death and ruin
hold out their shadowy hands"
It is easy to advise all that, and it is
the easiest Of all things 10 do it. The
wrsth and jealousy, and perhaps even
tbe svariee, Of the tyrant, may be ap-
Dassed: and there are so many men,
ssborp and bred in the land Of slavery"
vbo now advise the people carefully to
rafrsjn. not merely from any act, but
f-om the expression Of any opinion, the
v-in5icstiou Of any truth, the denial Of
anv lie that attempts to dishonour their
1.-two land. that it is nOt felt as 8 re-
n-oscb. when any Of these t~auntngly
ranind another that be was not born in
.he south, and that if be had not strayed
T-om New England, he might have been
rival Of SUMNER or perhaps Of STE
yEEs.
sbat nations once overcome, and peo-
10 once s~ubjugated recover their hber-
- Not 80 did Athens Alore than once
shake OF her tyrants. Not SO did the
Saxons act, when the Danes had COD
iced their land; nor Iterwards, when
- Normans ruled over ali England.
~ has ireland acted, though she has
,-.vsh had the bsyonet at her throat,
her martyrs have always held out
.hair shadow hands. Not so did
n-ox act, when CoRNwALLIs and
---pToN had annihilated all organized
~noe in South Carolina. Not so
- ! Hungarians acted, or the Poles,
- fbe~ half-Indian Mexicans under
rSs,an JUAREz, when French oayo-
~ were At Mexican thrOats, and
5estb was the punishment Of
~,s-iuero. Not 50 did me
- .tisns Of Spain recOnquer 1t from
Moors when MUzA, Viceroy Of
the npser the CaBph VALID, came
Aino the decisive battle Of AeEes
over ; finish the conquest re