Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-07


then, could / and y0u-if you agreed
with me-have in = mere personal can
vass between a number Of gentlemen
Why, none, Of course. One man only
can represent Us in each office,
and in order 60 succeed where
there is an opposing party, we
must have but one man to rep
resent us in the canvass, and that
selected by convention of party friends.
That delegates to tOconyentlons will some
times work harder for their personal
friends than the good OF the party is
true, and that conventions sometimes
disregard the wishes of the party Il also
true, but still it does not follow that
they should be abolished ON this ac-
count. have known bad men gotten
rid Oft by conventions. Conventions
are not always corrupt. II so, our dis
tinguished candidate ought to be pretty
well tainted, as he has, perhaps, secured
more nominations than any man in the
State. To what purpose would it be to
elect Mr.. Greeley, 4, by a multiplicity
OF candidates at home, our number of
Democratic members in Congress was
10 be reduced that it could not defeat a
twO-thirds majority against Mr.. Gree
ley's vetO2 In which, then, do we have
the most interest--a multiplicity Of can
didates, or the increase Of our Demo-
cratic vote In Congress, so that Mr..
Greeley could be sustained in the
event of his election2 II strikes
me the path Of duty is plain.
Conventions, though, should always be
fairly held, the best and ablest men Sc
leoted. Ii is true, there are districts in
which conventions might be dispensed
with on account Of exceeding large ma
jorities; but as a general thing they are
indispensable tc the success Of a party.
Business cant be transacted by the
mas, either in churches, legislatures,
parties, counties, or States. Commit
tees, caucuses and conventions can,
therefore, never be dispensed with, how
ever much certain gentlemen may be
disappointed with their results.
I VII next consider Mr.. Johnson 's
proposition to elect the President and
Senators by the people. I will not in
sist that Mr.. johnson Is q contradictions
alist in disguise, but I must confess that
this proposition looks very much to me
like converting the thirty-seven United
Republics into one single State. What's
the case presented2 Here we elect the
President directly by the people, our
States are laid Of into Senatorial dis
tricts, and the whole country into Con-
gnessional districts, establishing, at least
upon its face, a national aud cOns0lida-
ted form Of government. I have not,
fellOw-citizens, time to discuss all
the various questions that might arise
in connection with this proposition, and
will reply to it in as short a way as pos
sible. None of these questions are new;
they were all fully discussed by ouT
fathers when they framed the present
constitution, They discussed the ques-
ton OF a national form Of government,
and they discussed the question Of the
election Of the President and Senators,
and for obvious reasons they placed them
where they are. After much discus
sion they rejected the proposition to es-
( tablish a national form Of government
striking out the word national wherever
I il occurred in Ar. RandOlph's plan OF
government, and inserted the words,
Z "GOvernment Of the United States.
I And let me say to you that they ap-
preached the formation Of the present
( government as a cautious hunter would
/ approach a sleeping tiger. In its con
( structiOn they measured every step, and
/ weighed every word with the same eau
I ton that prudent physician would ad-
I minister q dangerous medicine, de-
I termined to confer no power that was no
absolutely necessary TO put the Fedora
4 government into operation, nor that il
should even acquire power by implica-
ton. They opposed every step tha
T looked like consolidation, and placing
! Of the elections Of President and Sena
tors before the people directly not being
I absolutely necessary TO put the govern
ment into operation, they were plaeeC
where they are, and where they Ough
10 remain. The object Of our father
was simply TO amend the old coDfedera
ton, and not to consolidate the state
by the establishment Of the new cOnsu
tuition. They had felt the effects Of con
centrated power; they had seen the Brit
ish Marshal, with armed men, Invad
their peaceful homes, drag forth tn
father OF the husband from the bosom c
his family, and irOned like felon, an
cast into the filthy hold Of a snip, an
waited across the ocean, to rot IN dis
tant dungeons, far beyond the cries {
his family and the comfort Of friends
They resolved to wrest their libertie
from the British tyrant, and by dint an
an iron will they succeeded. The
! tlHhtN Not Nllig Anc-A biofl-t 3.
but their lives, for in hi
case il was win or swing. Wi
then could doubt their love Of libeTt,
and who can doubt that they, in fran
ing the present Constitution Of q
United States, took every precaution
preserve that liberty for which they ha
risked 50 much; and if, in framing Il
Constitution, their chief object was
lsAr..ssr- srslsffaln
, doubt, then they gave TO the world q
: highest evidence Of their love for ma
kind, and i for one am willing 70 Ti'
: their judgments, aud that the COustit
} fion should stand as it is. It has Det
I amended too often now without cont
J buting ANYTHING to the cause OF cons
, tutional liberty. Our fathers made il
] it Is, and we ought to let il stand un
T an absolute necessity arises for chang
e Place the election Of President direct
, before the people, and what hapl
. scramble we would have. How MAJ
s ten thousand disreputable candidat
E would be out with their money trying
B get possession Of the Government.
= SIR The more difficult you make il
E attain the Presidency, the better for q
= country. The object in placing u
+ election Of Senators before the Legisl
d ture was that they might represent q
I State directly in the Senate OF q
y United States, and that they might
q under the control Of the State Legisl
= lures, but the prime and real object W
: to preserve the sovereign character
" the States. Massachusetts styled d
a Senators, her ambassadors. he III
Il pirates the loudest about the people
2, not always their best friend, but he VI
= provides them the best laws and
Il those preserves their liberties. B
e when and where did people ask the
r changes? / have heard Of no meetiu
b asking for them- Il is time enough
IS advocate them when the change Is <
D, manded By the people. We bad [
a Judges Of elections placed before the p
d pie, but when did they ask for il? I
le people made the constitution as IL
n putting these elections where Tn
q, are, and II il had not be
10 their wish in the first place il would L
have been done. NetsOme politicians
d, about trying to undo what the peOl
Of have done, IN order to please the peOp
sr II these gentlemen would only walt,
1f people themselves viii ask for whate'
le changes in the constitution in th
D Judgment might be necessary. II
10 place everything before the people
e Election. we will soon become N,
le ocracy. Why not take the acts Of ga
10 session Of the Legislature and subj
v them 10 a vote Of the people before ga
!. shall become law2 Why not each tO'
Y elect its own Speaker? Why not, VIII
Il a man is convicted Of murder, submit
e TO the people TO see whether he should
" hung or not? There IS about as mu
n reason and good sense in the one as
n other. No. SIR What the people Wanl
J. not more elections, not more ballots
)f good laws, health, strength, empi,
II menf, 3 good country and free col
lr try. Our distinguished candidate,
% proposing more ballots for the peep
II reminds me Of what ! once heard
+ Yankee soldier say He said VII
le the Southern ladies visited the pris
L they always brought things that Wol
s. comfort the Confederate s0idier;H but
l said when their aladies and preach
ID came, il was with a basket Of tracts
i was tracts for breakfast, tracts for
II ner, and tracts for supper, and VII
a- they had about tract a fellow to
ia grave, d--D me,r he said, aif III
e wouldn't stick few Of them IN his G
a. IN Tor memOry's sskei ! think,
e. loW-citizens; we have ballots en0u.
D. unless we could make better use
"a them.
al hear a great deal about people, 8
re vino constitute the people e . peliti
rs enigma that has puzzled me no liz
ad Here Is man, for instance, who We
&, sailed linen and Is penniit~ 7 VII
~ iin down ~ one af the people but 7