The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-12-21
The Appeal. 20 lthe L,g,,l.,ure

of the city of Columbia, to the Gene
raEAsaembly Of the State OF South
Carolins, praying the passage of a bill
authorizing the issue Of oify bonds.
These 'memorialists respectfully show:
That the gross misrepresentation, de.
liberately and repeatedly put forth by its
editor, Mr.. j. p. Thomas, In the columns
OF the PHENIx, q daily newspaper pub.
lished in the city OF Columbia, concern.
ing bill now before the General Assem-
bly,. asking that authorityrbe granted to
your memorialists to issue city bonds,
produced, as they believe, the protest,
against the passage thereof, of certain
citizens, met in public meeting, in Co.
lumbia, on the 10Th day OF December,
instant, and presented, or about to be-
presented, to this General Assembly.
Your memorialists, therefore, respect
fully ask leave to defend their propored
law, and their good faith in asking for it.
against said misrepresentation aud pro-
teat, in this form.
; Your memorialiste did not attend the
meeting which adopted tho said protest,
but are we'll assured that it was so
adopted. upon false statements foisted
upon it by said editor, supported by his
defamatory defamation. Your memo
rialists. however, do not intend to deny
to that rhetorical editor his right to de-
fame, as he'has ingloriously won it. Nor
do they question his readiness to retract
his ISLANDERS on occasion; indeed, he is
fruitful of such retractions, as the CO.
lumns OF. the PHOENIX show. They arc
10th. too, to disturb his indulgence in
his innate and native taste for low, per-
sonal vituperation-hidden behind O
hypocritical mask Of public duty
though it be-and would refrain from so
doing, were it not that he has extended
his well-earned license 80 far as to attack
the bill herein referred to, drawn by the
City Attorney, under instructions, upon
and flagitious measure of corrupt City
Council. Neither do your men,orialists
ind fault with Mr.. Thomas nrith metic.
He set his own sum, and has worked it
out with equal ease and correctness.
But it is the use which he has made OF
the rroduct, Of whi;!i .hoy complain.
In his application Of it, he has attemp pted
to make good citizens co.conspirators
with himself against the truth, and to
misIead the Legislature rs to this vital
measure. Hence the said protest.
Your memoriaiists will now proceed to
establish the entire correctness of their
complaint against this editor, aud the
real author Of the protest, who has
shown himself to be, not only willing,
but also very laundering inventor OF
data on which to construct on argument.
He assumed and asserted, in the PuG.
NIX, in his speech and protest, that 10
Instant with the Executive approval of
the contemplated act of tho present City
Council, your memorialists will proceed
to issue city bonds, to the amount of
SoOO, 700, bearing On interest of eight
per cent. per annum. Such misrepre-
sentation can only be attributed to will
tul blindness or gross ignorance, and, in
either case, amounts to moral criminality.
de read the bill, and could not be igno-
rant of its provisions. The first section
asks for authority to issue bonds to on
amount which, together with the exist
ing city debt. shall not exceed $500, ,O00
The inference, therefore. is natural aud
inevitable, that he wilfully and fraudu-
lently deceived the meeting which
adopted it and sent it to your honorable
bodies. 10 serve his purpose and his
party, the editor and orator corrupily
suppressed the truth.
Your memorialists further show that
this editor. in his speech and protest.
has assorted that this bill provides for
the absorption of the present outstand-
ing debts of the city. which he estimates
at 1925, 600 or 1927, 900, bearing interest
ut six and seven per cent. Here, then,
is another guilty mis-statement of the
scope of this bill, which contains no suoh
provision. No such absorption" is
contemplated by the present City Coun-
Gil, although their predecessors did re-
deem part Of the bonded debt OF the
CITY, bearing six per cent. interest, with
new bonds bearing seven per cent,
without provoking censure. But they
were white men aud Democrats, and
could do nothing wrong; while the pre-
sent City Council are Republicans
some OF whose members are colored-
and, therefore. n.e UNANIMOUSLY corrupt.
This is his dark trick-such is his dark
way.
No one can say, therefore, that your
memorialists do injustice to this "rising
young man." when they pronounce him
guilty OF n wanton and fragrant lnis- state
ment OF the provisions of the bill which
he SO much complains of. and which, by
his misrepresentations, good citizens are
induced to condemn. Originating his
fncts, and carefully avoiding those which
really exist, Col. Thomas asserts, and
circulates the assertion through the
PHOENIX, and protests that Immediately
upon this bill becoming law, the City
Council will have ut their control
S6ao, ,00o, (supposing the bonds 10 be
sold ut eighty cents on the dollar and
10 compelled TO raise, by taxation, for
the payment of interest, in addition to
the sum Of S2S, coo for annual expenses
OF the city government, the sum Of
1854, 900. If ever any one was guilty of
q more palpable perversion of the truth
than this is made to appear, your memo
rialists are not acquainted with the per-
petrator; and when they remember that
he who has ventured upon it has told us
that uthfnlneaa Ia q nri incinal olora on Z