Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-31

inc community aAu bub O~oNbtnlAGnt
AN ORIGINAL SUGGESTION.
am asked how 1 would dispose of the
~cOnvicts, as the ~penitentiary system was
wrong. I say dispense with your peni-
/ tentiaries dispose of you cOnvicts in
some other way. If We can do nothing
else, I would divide all offenders into two
classes. First, ] state that I believe man
can be elevated, physically, mentally and
morally. Then, instead OF sending crimi-
nails to the psnitentisry, where they be-
come the competitors with honest me-
chanics,I w~oulddivide all offenders in two
classes. The first class I would hang, The
second class I would deprive Of the power
of prOpsgsting their species. Tins, in q
few centuries, man would become, indeed,
the image Of his Creator; we would have
q new and better race of men,
BIS PUBLIC LIFE.
1t is meet that I should, as I retire from
public life, make my last speech to the
mechanics. I thought as I commenced
with them I might close with them. 1
have been in public life a long time, And
after running my l~ife-cOurse-a mighty
course 10 has proved can truly say /
have violated no pledge, sacrificed no prin-
! ciple, Another thing I am proud of. In
going along the great highway Of distinC-
ton, though amid 1reqnent and bitter
persecution, / thank God, I made my
j LANA AAA4A ~ aAA AAee ~
is not paved with human skulls. It is
not filled with the maDgled bodies Ofmy
cOuntrymen, When / look IN the right,
there are not OlEOthas, on the left, no
POtter's Field. 1 had rather thus wear
upon my face the burrows of care snd
Well-eXecuted responsibility, my hands
Drowned with honest toll and my gar
ments sOiled with the shop, than wear as
badges of distinction, the gilded epau-
lettes, and the sword dangling at my side,
the insiguias Ofour brothers blood. IL is
with pride and pleasure, then, that stand
ing here today, I can calmly review my
| public life. / have never been influenced
by a desire for gain. lean in all sincerity
inquire, in the language Of Samuel of old
WHOM have I d~efrauded? whom have
| I oppressed? or of whose hand have I re-
! ceived any bride to blind my eyes there
With?'
h PUBLIC DEBT.
To return-in what condition is the
capital of the country? What kind Of
currency have you? Of what d0esit con-
sist2-in the main of Government securi-
ties, that is, Government lands. The Gov
eminent owes $500, O10,00 The interest
on this is $3.50, 100000 at six per cent.
Hence there is taken Of the labor of the
country $50, 900, 900 annually. Who has
it to psy2 It comes out Of the labor of the
c0untry-ths men in the shops and on the
aaLLAa pay sAAa AAaHAEaaH 4 aaaAlAAG HlAU no ]
nation yet. in the history Of nations, hes
ever paid any large public debt without
reputation. You maytakethe debt Ofthe
revolution. II was nearly all repudi-
sted. I assume further that no nation has
sny right to make a large public debt per-
manent in its character. You found the
soil here. After you have enjoyed it. it
should pass to your children and your
children's children, We have no right to
make 2 debt to exist longer than an aver
age life. Regarding own public debt,
aud the subject lies right at the bottom of
the welfare u prosperity Of the work
ingmen, I repsst we have no right to
make it permanent. Every proposition to
fund the debt, and when the amount falls
due, to fund il over egain, thus cOntinu-
ally extending the debt, is wrong. The
funding Of this debt means nothing more
or less thsn making it permanent. l as
sumo still further, that there is no nation
now free on the face of the earth that has
made its debt permanent. The instant
you decide to make your debt permanent
you destroy your liberties. $50, 10000
Interest is to be paid every year.
CONGRESS PURCHAsABLE.
Think Of it, and that Congress is almost
an article of merchandise, as purchesable
as any other commercial commodity. 1
passed through the ordeal, and.
thank God, my hands have never been
gDLnaAAAAalNNs III TIC AuLAEtF II I can I
have my name inserted as one who has
honestly tOiled for the people, il will I'LL
my ambition.
THE REMEDY.
Are we prepared to pay this interest?
Let US examine this principle. Two bill
lion five hundred million dollars now in
the vaults of this country and Europe.
Here they lie, q stack of printed papers,.
extracting from the labor of the country
$50, 600, 900 u the cry is still "taxes" {
Now, ! have a plain proposition to make. :
These bonds are made the capital Of {
National. Banks that prey upon the Z
country like so many harpies. Let the
country have a greeuback circulation and q
thus be relieved of paying so much inter- {
on the bonds. Now let this $3.50. 0OO,- !
boo Of interest Of each year be considered (
3s an annuity paid on these bonds, and in
sixteen years the amount would be paid
interest. Under this plan the r
oondholders will be made to take $780, \
)OO,OVO each year, on the payment of their L
bonds, and as it will not be profitable for c
hem to re-invest in bonds, they will look {
the country to find out where to in q
rest to advantage, and thus his caDital {
Drovements, instead Of being in safes, cor =
Odlng and eating up your substance. q
and power are as male and female, L
wants protection as the female o
Ices. Money and power are always i'm k
.ressed with each other. They form a %
and then power is absolute. Hence E
Is to the interest of the lsbOring portion -
I the community TO see that this debt is y
to produce, not to cOrrOde the indus VI
Of the country.
Mr.. Johnson then read literal extracts Y,
rom his Annual Message to the Fortieth OF
in recommendation of specie II
aymeuts. He also elaborated the argu- ",
lent concerning the injustice Of the pay =,
Of the b~0ndhOlders in gold, while the "
soldier and the widows Of Union ,
1ldlers are paid in deprecated paper. ~
johnson continued:
THE CONSTITUTION.
We will have prosperity when the coun- ie
y Is well governed. And to this end We nj
uRht 70 Keep the rude hand of the de. fO
oo1ler on the Constitution. come from IA
hat source it may. If the Constitution NJ
as accumulated improper pr0visjons II -.
lould ne corrected as pointed out by the -
rinciples Of that sacred instrument IN
ubmit to it until the timo comes when ID
le Constitution can be amended and the w
lious provisions stricken out. in
GRATITUDE DEFINED. M
The W~Orkingmen Of this country should 81
the virtue Of gratitude, and remem- ed
with their favOrs the legislators who
,uraReously advocate their principles, ~ ~
lOugh this thing called gratitude is get ID
no To- be a good deal like disinterested te'
,nsvolencs-little Of it. Gratitude is
sI defined as a lively sense Of favorB to
me. Az we come across the men whom wi
! have done the most for, we find them IN,
forgetfuL But this does not at all ~.
the principle. M,
BY THE CONSTITUTION. -
us preserve the ConstitutiOn Of our Ds
untry. Let the laboring man erect an Al
lay the Constitution on it and join ella
g together, standing around the COM 90
on altar of our country, swear to God ma
stand by the Constitution and the -
mon. Give me the Constitution. It is a.,
Q only safety. Do not trust 10 the dis Iui
euon Of Congress. Cling to the COnsti- pO
tlon as the ark Of your safety. Cling to we
the mariner cllngs to his last hope, ter
PARTING WORDS. fro
MY last words TO you, admonitiou or 49,
4rnlng, as you please to term them. are nLe
preserve the Constitution OF vour cam sue
Z. In preference to ANYTHING morfeI fat
me g written COnstitution'S re vo15 thu
rvants violate il, hurI them from nouseT mo
1 trust / have inside my speech 80 81 ~ cen
alnly Indicate TO you my ideas in reIs- a.
n TO b mechanism and eonsfifn- Nv
nal government. i may not sneaE 70 he
d again. 1 feel grateful to my counfrv- mo
IN that they have given me opportu1i- He