Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-07-01
0DITM FLECgTON va
TIE


+ GsiIl have no e~ontroqersy Will ;lo
editors of the APPEAL. Controversies ale
unplsasant, and I am sttfe-are 40 more
desired by the editors of the APPEAL than
by myself. If in a brief conversation
with the senior of the APPEAL on Main
street, near the Peabody Hotel, he did
not, as between Judge Swsyne and my
sell, assume a position of neutrality
then either he was unfortunate in his
language, orr very much 90 in my COM
~prehaBsion of his meaning. He says 10
has not sssumed such a position; the lat
ter alternative must therefore be- true for
| know that he is incapable of pre-
vsrieatiOn or duplicity. Now, as TO
my mistaking the intent OF the
Sunday mornings issue, the edi-
tors Of the APPEAL know well
That it is rule of law, and of sound phi
losophy, too, that a man shall be taken to
snteld that DhSch is the usual and ordinary
erect Of his act. Whatever may have been
the secret or private intent that prompted
the article, its effect could not be mis-
taken, and the editors may be sure that L
was not alone in my construction of by
many. But the APPEAL says that l lost
much praise by running off in a huh ana
.'defying Democratic opposition" As l.
do not propose to play second In the race,
l hardly think That a complimentary
e-ommendatiOn of nay capacity as a law
yer or my merits as a gentleman, would
be- likely to do me much good, Of
fered as a sOlace for deteilt, after
the election. But l "defed Democratic
opposition!" Now is not that a
strange construction of acsrd-the very
eravamen of which was a complaint of an
attempt to create Democratic opp9sitioni!
Why, the Very reason why ] wrote was to
avoid, if l could, a Democratic rally
against me. It is true 1 am not q Demo-
cratic candidate, nor do L wish to be a
Democratic Judge. / want ND party
claims upon me ON the bench. l desire
TO hold the scales of Justice with a firm
and even balance without the weight of
an atom from any source except my
responsibility to Goo and TO the people.
With the best feeling in the world for the
editors of the APPEAL, and an earnest de-
sire for their success, politically and pecu-
niarily, / will close this brief card by
simply saying / shall not appear in the
public papers any more during this can
P. T. SCRUGGS.
MEMPHIS, June so, 1870.
In our Wednesdays issue we said
in reply TO a card of Judge Scruggs,
published in tie ArdlGRche of the day
before, that "neither to Judge siwayne
nor to himself have we ever come
under any obligation to be neutral, or
to support either against the other.p
Our meaning in the conversation re-
ferred to, the words of which are not
now ~recoIlected, we suppose to have
been that we were not then prepared
to take ground as between the four
candidates. To say that we should
not thereafter, is a different matter
altogether. Judge Scruggs doubtless
understood us as intending to support
a nomination if one should be made.
In the absence of a nomination
we certainly never intended to pledge
him that we would remain
neutral throughout the canvass. If
Mr.. Steele should be strong In Hay
wood and Upton, Flippin in Fayette,
and Scruggs and Swayne equally so.
in Shelby, a nomination or cOnnbina-
ton in some form would seem TO be
necessary to prevent a Radical being
run in on u.s.. In case that is so, can
we count on all or any of those candf
dates submittingtO a fair nomination,
necessary to a concentrated vote? An
answer to this question may be neces-
sary and proper. If there is no NOM
ination we hope to have a united
Democratic vote on one candidate,
and expect to support one, since we
cannot well support more than one
for the same Office.