Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-09-23
POLITICAL.
LETTER FROM HbNs ". H. srErHzzs.
MEMPHf, september 2, 1870;

MEMPHIS, September q, 1870.
Editors Appea-In your paper Of the
10Th inst, you reproduce an editorial
from the Upton Record, q newspa-
per conducted By Mr.. Rose, one of the
for the nomination for Floster,
reada rs fdIlowss
Acitizn OF thf5 bounty writes q very Sc
we're toe severe fr publicationl letter about
W. II. Stepheqs, of Memphis saying he,
As attorney for b Mississippi rfver railroad,
the Memphis delegation for Harms.
hardly believe the gentleman would be
guilty or 8 thtng-Cevin0ton Record
Now the use of my name in that para
graph is q matter OF no consequence
either to the pubic or to me. Bat in as
much 9 any inputstions against the
convention which nominated Mr.. Harris
for Joint representative of Tipton, Fsyette
and Shelby, are calculated 10 injure him,
TO endanger the success of the Demo-
cratic ticket, and to do injustice TO the
people OF Shelby county, I may be par
doned for coming before the public with
q statement of nay participation in the
proceedings referred 70.
I was absent On a visit to a distant
state when the Shelby mass meeting,
appointed Delegates TO the district
convention, was held. l had never been
.c0Esuloed in regard to such q messing,
and was somewhat surprised to ind, on
nv return, that Is had appointed me adele
gate. / did not feel at liberty, however,
to withhold my poor services when called
for a mass meeting of my county. 1 mad
agency whatever in the selection OF
any one of the delegates. l had never as
certained the views of Mr.. Harris upon
question of local legislation. l am
not sufficiently acquainted with the affairs
of the Mississippi river railroad to know
whether any legislation is to be had IN re-
gard to it, nor have / the slightest infor-
as to what would be the course Of
Mr.. Harris in such a4contingency.
when the preliminary meeting Of the
Shelby delegation was held preparatory
to going into the DistrleS C~onVentlon, 1
was chosen the Chairman Of that delega-
On the production OF 1.-the papers. 1t
appeared that the mass maeting had APP
pointed a committee OF ten, who reported
tha names of thirty-fve delegates; that
the report was confirmed, and that there
upon the names of the ten committee
men were added as supernunnerarfes; n
that the delegation, by another resolution,
were authorized to I'LL all vacancies. At
the preliminary meeting referred to, Col.
II. CLAY King and Col. W. H. Carroll APP
peared as proxies for Cox Avery and
Capt. Miller, VINO were members of the
thirty-fve, but were absent. a resolution
was passed that the ten supernumerartes
should be used in filling vacancies. Be-
ing in the chair, l didnOt vote on this res
okution.
After we went into the Convention, a
committee OF two from each county was
appointed to report upon the credentials
Of members. I was appointed upon that
committee. We took the original list Of
thirty-fve and reported all who were
present, twenty-seven in humber; then
added to them the uap3es of Colonies
King and Carroll, and then took six of
the ten committeeman to make the
~thirty-hve. Four of the committee
were absent. So that in sAct every man
appointed by the mass meeting who was
in attendance, as well Of the t~hirty-hve,
or of the committee, took his seat in the
convention, and to make up our thirty
five delegates, we used the Ina of Coils.
King and Carroll. mention this to show
that no single delegate selected by the
county meeting was refused his seat, and
that the only two who were not appointed
at that meeting had proxies from absent
members, and were recognized as men,
bers by the delegation under power ex-
pressly conferred upon them by tIs mass
meeting.
That it NAV be seen what class of men
composed the delegation, L will give the
names of the original thirty-hve, and OF
tina committee of ten who reported them
to the mass meeting.
LIST OF THE THIRTY-FIVEaN
From the Country. From TIE CRy.
F. G. Stevenson, Leon Trousdale,
J. E. Douglass, George r. Powell,
George i. Harris, D. N. Scales,
Joseph Graham, Butler P. Anderson,
John McCalldm, W. J. 5. Adams,
James N. Ford, VIM. 81: stephens,
Ben Cash, James Newsom,
J. T, Castles, W. N. Brooks,
Z. NJ. Nelson, P. N. Winters,
J.. ?. Trezsyaut, VIM L. Cooper,
John f. Means, VIM. 2. Martin,
Wash. s, Taylort A. G. Belts,
c. L. Anderson, Luke E. Wright,
A. j. Martin, =. J. Prophlt,
g. r. BEDFORD, lanes IA. Gregory,
DIR. A. S. StrattoD, .. W.Miller.
DR.. V. Leake,
I. V. Neal,
Col. VIM. T. Avery.
ftOf thai number the following eight
were absent. viz: All. Martin, G.R.
BEDFORD. A. S. StrsBtohF. LeakeIN.
Neal. W. 7. AveryTU% Miller and u.
r Wright. Messrs. King and Csrrollsup-
piled the placeset Messrs. Avery and Mil
Ter. as already stated, and the other six
were Oiled out of the ten. The
names of the ten were Judge James A.
Anderson, Albert N. stephens, L. B.
Mcfarland, Cdssnel VIM, +. Taylor, Ma
Tor r. z. Masor. b. q. BledsOe, Captain
= Harvey Mathes, Joseph J.. WI
lians, Thomas BoFfe, Captain f. NJ.
stockton. -Four of thess ten, viz: Messrs.
Mcfarland, Mason, Biedsoe and VIII
liz were absent, and 8ha other six were
substituted for the Isissing members OF
tho first list, makiag1he full number OF
thirty-fve. Before the ballOting in the
convention commenced, Captain Wright
appeared and took his seat, and Captain
Msthes being called off on business, was
excused from attendance.
do not suppose thag any eulogy upon
the gentlemen whose names compose
these lists is neededat my hands. Most
ofthen are known not only to the people
of this county, but OF the whole district,
and l may safely appeal to their charac-
ter; for a refutatfcn of the charge that
they could be packed.
Ihad the honor Of being selected to put
Mr.. Harris in nomination before the con-
veutioD, and 70 my qualification he re-
ceived a majority OF more than t~Wo-thirds
on the first BALLOT l have great respect
for his intelligence and talents, and inn
plicit confidence in his honor and fidelity
TO principle. L shall be greatly disap-
pointed if he does pOt fully sustain the
fame of his distinguished and lamented
father, Judge VIM X. Harris, who 50
much adorned the Supreme bench of Ten
uDEit1C v AaAC "a &OsRSA2ASAAAI $1,000
to me for the support 1 gave him, l cheer
fully assume. l have no apology to make
in regard to it. But I am not willing to
stand aloof, and BY my silence give color
to iInputations which are intended to ex-
asperate the people of Upton county
against their neighbors of Shelby, and to
weaken their attachment to Democratic
principles, and to seduce them from the
support of an upright gentleman whose
only offense is, that in the race for honors
he bore the palm from a citizen of Upton
county. WIN. d. STEPHENS.
NOTE FROM MR.. ]. NJ. BARRIs.
Editors Appeal wish to say through
your columns that as the nominee of he
Democratic Convection, by an Overwhel-
ming majority, for representative of the
counties of Fsyette, Tipten and Shelby,
I hold myself responsible for the action
of my friends in that body, n of the
people who appointed them delegates.
Hereafter if any malcontent has any
complaint to make1 will thank him to
make it directly u me. In this canvass
1 want my OPPONENTS tostsnd in my front
and not in my TedS~
ments, and wilThope TO meet the people
Of all portions of my district.
J. NJ. HARRIS.
THEY FALL"
The wedge which entered the ranks of
the editorial profession of Memphis with
the death of tie late lamsnted Colonel
Birney Marshal has bean driven further