Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-12
THE CANVASS
An Old and Ardent Democrat Responds to
"Front Street"

E4ffoys AppeaI: 1 read in your last
Sundays issue a communication signed
- Front Street." which You state " comes
from a gentleman of intelligence, who has
as much interest in the city as most other
merchants, and is worthy of attention.
/ regret that I csnnOt, with you, indorse
the article of " Front Street" or coincide
with you now in the belief that we should
accept every nomination for Office made
by the late convention. And you know
that ] also ave some interest in the
city" and a Democrat of the ~straightest
Sect your friend and subscriber, and
think l should be heard as well as Front
Street, Indulge me then, a little.
And, first, IL must be admitted that,
tslnpofd mttdnteT 81 nos n%tUtdHtur cum
iLis, but principles are eternal. I have
ever believed that circumstances alter
cases, and tina there Is no rule without
an exception. Well, at first / deter
mined TO go for our whole ticket, how
ever much regretted the omission upon
it of the names of some of our best men,
and the substitution of others far inferior
to them; but since then Major Strange
has been brought ont, In a manner that
might make any one feel proud, and yet
the call on him has been assaulted by your
correspondent, !" Front Street." / am no
me-e party man, n never was, although
al uncomprOmising Democrat all my life;
and / was so because the word has a
meaning-regard for the Constitution las
it was as the fundamental law Of the
/ land, and opposition to ali measures Of
" exBediency and necessity"
Now. we are trying to build up a party
again on these principles, and we have
been inviting Wings and all Conserve
tives to Join us; have we not? And how
are we to succeed? Is it not by proving
BY acts that all worthy and compe-
tent men who enter our fold shall psrtiGi-
pate equally with US IN all our privileges;
! You VIII answer yes, of course. But you
may point me TO the fact that the Wings,
etc, have had no cause to complain. l
/ suppose this is so; but here is a case that
is SUt genegis. II stands alone, so far as I
know, both as to the number and charac-
ter Of the men calling out Major Strange,
and the modesry and trauscendent worth
| Of the man. And strange to say,the mod
esJv Of the man in not Offering himself as
a candidate before The convention met, IS
alleged by some as a reason for preterring
the " regular nomineei Modesty used
TO be considered a virtue, but now II seems
It should be punished o teHlpOTG! O
HtOTeS!
But if any are to blame, surely they
are the friends Of Major Strange; and
should he suffer for their neglect let
them see to that. I had always thought
LAHL NlE man " 10 d. EDuEuE DF OAlltE
was more to be trusted than the one who
hunted it.
A Convention is resorted to, professedIy
for the purpose Of ascertaining and Civ
ing expression to the wishes Of q MAORI
ty of the responsible, law-abiding, tax
paying citizens, or for the nomination OF
the most popular, talented and worthy
men OF a party. A Convention got up
for any other purpose by men professedly
conservative would be a lie and a fraud,
and would soon bring contempt upon
this means OF ascertaining and redecJing
public opinion or at least upon the party
go abusing it.
Now, whilst I admit that the Conven-
ton did well IN nearly all the nomina-
ions made by It, there are, confessedly,
several OF those nominations which do
not meet the expectations and wishes OF a
large majority Of u party. The ques-
ton then Is, shall l and the many who
agree with me swallow the whole ticket
presented to US, or shall we epdeavOr TO
correct at least one error of the COnvsn-
! reply, correct the error by SUPER
ssdi1g Mr.. Reilly, and l so answer be-
aus be is but little known among US,
and tina. little knowledge of him, it is al
Legged, is not much TO his redit. l am
not aware that Our people owe him any
thing. If he acted well as a deputy I'M
der Mr. League, he was well paid for IL, /
for I know Mr.. League to be an accom-
modatirE gentleman. and bis salary was
ample To make himself and all his clerks
comfortable for life. But if Mr.. Reilly
continued with him as deputy clerk.
fulfilling well bis duties as such. with
out adequate reward, he has shown him
self tc BE exceedingly green, n evinces
no little assurance now to ask our people
to mollify his s~elf-inticted wounds. By
birth Mr.. League IS an lrishman, and so.
I believe, was Mr.. Reilly. Shall men Of
foreign birth 0oaOpoLise one Of the most
lucrative offices in The gift of our citizens?
Must an Old, tried, talented, popular, ma
tive born citizen give way TO an irish sue
ceSsiOn? Have not our Irish friends land
among them are some of nv truest and
BEST, their full share of the city and
county offices? Look over the list of ON
Cials and their subordinstes and then an
sWer me, not only for the present, but for
past years. l believe, Messrs. Editors,
that a majority of our intelligent and lib
eral IrisA fellow-citizens would not only
acquiesce in the election of Major Strange,
but will vote for it, for they are a mag
nanimous people, know hat they have
had their fun share Of public favors, and
are too shrew6 to forfeit their pres
tige by unreasonable demands. We hear
no s~crambliDg for office by our French,
English or Italian fellow-Citizens and but
seldom by our German friends; and they,
Lullhr nave ldu SDLllE Cause 10 EOLlDldll- !
any believe that our Irish friends will
svince less mOdesty than our citizens from
other countries?
l cannot see how that the friends of
Major Strange could be chsrgeable with
throwing up and d~isavOwing the action
Of the convention by emitting "a nan
or two out of a dozen nominees" Il will
be claimed that m convention is in
and the people can only keep their
conventions nearly right by exercising
over them a reasonable control and max
exceptions to such of their acts as are
demanded by public or party SEN
.iment. And could a more decided ex-
preston Of popular favor be given than
Das been given for Major Strange? In a
hours some four hundred Of our best
signed a call for his acceptance OF
the nomination for County Court Clerk
a thing unprecedented in view of the &C.
ton of q convention. Flattering, how
sv6r, as was this call on Major Strange.
il would have been much more 30 had
time been given for action on the part of
bis friends and the day Of election win
show it.
The greater part of Front Streets com
munication consists OF gratuitous remarks
about men of modesty and worth, who
soc office, or Obtrude themselves
upon their ~neighbors, but who, uDfor-
Iunately, for their country, yield to feel
uEA Dl utAlcdCy dA0 stay away rom
primary meetings" not from motives inn
puted by Front Street, but because mod
asty, patriotism, and talent have but few
representatives IN most Of those meetings,
and for this good men are culpable; but l
inpute 10 them the low, unworthy
alleged by Front Street, nor in
dulge In his Gd c~ap50Hdum slang, by
he admits the weakness of his man
The appeal TO our fears by Front Street,
as TO what the Radicals Will do if we run
Major Strange, Is simply a Raw Head-to
some from acting out their con-
v~ictions it Is, however. his best argument.
If Front Street shall ever ind a rule
without an exception. or shall realize all
bis expectations by following any onven
ton in eyery thing and against admitted
north and popular ydUOT, he viii be more
fortunate than has been
FAIR PLAY.
THE REVOLUTION DOLLAR STORE will
to-day, at 2I3 Main street.
MILToSIAN REvIvAL.-By.a very gen.
eral desire of many persons, who were
unable to visit the great London Mil