Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-29
ALCORN.
His speech at the Exchange Building
Last Night.
Grant, and not Greeley-BOutWelPs
Financial Policy Sustained.
a Radical Speeeh-An Ouf-and-Out Rad
ical Speeeh-An Radical.

spectaeIed to be peering through tn
semi-glOomy atmosphere, trying I,
make out the visages Of those around
We managed 20 recognize in the Opaqu,
closeness Of the room Colonel u. Z
HAYNES, Pat Winters, Robertson Topp
General Ruffin, John Miller, Judg'
Smith, EnOch EnsIey, Napoleon Hill
Mr.. Williamson, Miles Owen, Pontoto'
Powell, from Mississippi, Squire Oils
son, Judge Carmack, Mr.. Fontaine
Colonel Greenlaw, jr., *. c. BrlnkIey
Mr.. BurlesOn, Squire Chase, COlOne
Frazer, /. NJ. Hill, Mr.. Steel, Wm- l.
Stewart. John BrOwh, Colonel W. K
Moore and a number of other distin-
guished citizens.
About eight o'clock the crowd was
pretty numerous and manifested their
impatience by sundry rapping on the
floor with their hob-nailed shoes and
boots and the ferrels Of their sticks.
/ There were perhaps two or three nun
dred people present at that time-mostly
all of the respectable class Of people.
I Some candles having been procured by
/ Mr.. Moore which served to throw a
! pleasant light on things, Judge smith
/ rose and said he had the honor to in
/ trOduce Governor Alcorn, Of Mississippi,
+ who had been invited to address the
/ citizens Of Memphis, and who would
/ speak to them on the issue Of the times.
Governor AlcOrn at once proceeded TO
Z speak. He said be would do injustice u
himself il he did not express his graft
tude TO the gentlemen Of Memphis who
had invited him to speak. He said he
cheerfully responded to the invitation,
be came to talk to them as friends, not
with gushing eulogy on his lips, but to
speak on the questions which pertain TO
the cares Of the people. He confessed
he was not q politician. He did not feel
himself possessed Of the peculiar quail
ties which go to make up a great politi-
clan.
THREE CLASSES OF POLITICIANS.
There are three sorts Of people who go
to form politicians. First class-meu of
leisure and means who have the time
and inclination to study the art Of gov
erning and the lawsand rules OF govern
ment-men who can devote their minds
to it and bring the best results Of their
education and study to the great ques-
tions that rise up in the politics Of ma
ton, and deal with them upon high
principles and according to ancient eZ-
ample and long experience; men whose
means enable them to devote their lives
and attention to matters pertaining to
government, with whom it is at once a
pursuit, a devotion, pleasure and a
business. The second class is composed
of men who are frugal and who can live
within the limits of the salary offered
by the place they may attain to-hOn-
est, professional politicians, devoted to
their calling, full Of good intentions and
patriotism, who pursue politics for love
as much as the man Of leisure, but who
nevertheless must make living by il;
laborers who are worthy Of their hire,
and who work conscientiOusly for the
best interests intrusted to them after the
manner Of their understanding. An
other class is that large set Of fellows
who 90 in for money; who 60 to office
not for the benefit of the country, but
the benefit Of themselves; who attach
themselves to politics for the sake Of
making money; whose views are intro
spective-lOOk always to number enc
first and afterward look, If convenient,
to the public.
He did not belong to either Of the three
classes named. The question then
arises, how is it that be stood before
them in the character Of a politician?
" AEAA NAaE " Al NA11NA AAG AoAAAA AAAAAAoNAA
in a position that required him to state
his opinions. Those opinions were not
in accord with the feelings and senti-
ments of those around him. He felt
himself impelled into public life. He
was kicked as it v ere into politics. The
condition of the country after the war
was the immediate cause OF his going
into the business. Not his own choice
or inclination.
NOT A YANK.
He was accused OF being a Yank. He
had not one drop Of ankle blood in his
veins. His people were Of South Caro-
lima, was born in Kentucky, was an old
slave-owner. He was not across the
Mason and Dixon's line until he was
forty years Of age. He was with the
South. He learned TO love the cause Of
the South. When the war was over, his
son, the Benjamin Of his home, did not
return. He was cold under the sod of
the battlefield. Another son returned
MANNED for life. He himself fought in
the field for q time. Surely he was en-
titled to hold opinions which he er-
garded as the best to be held for the
South. He was accused Of beating the
South, of deserting his people. He
claimed to have the right to talk IN be-
half Of the people Of the South, and he
had a right to think for himself and TO
express his views Of what was best for
the South. He referred to the time
when be was
SELECTED AS SENATOR
from Mississippi when there were no
colored people IA the Legislature Of that
State; when there were eN-Confederates
by the score in the House at Jackson;
when the men who selected him were
nearly all COnfederates. He went TO
Washington, tut be was not then let
in TO his seat. He then referred TO his
subsequent candidacy for the Governor
ship Of Mississippi, when he got ma
jority Of forty thousand votes, when
there was only ten thousand majority of
negro votes in the State; and when he
went before the Legislature Of Missis-
sippi as a candidate for the Senate he
got every single Democratic vote that
sat in that Legislature, He mentioned
these things to show that he could have
no bitter feelings in his heart toward
the Democrats Of the country. He
would say nothing TO them that could
give ofiense. he then. reverted TO the
occasion on which be was sent TO
COngress-to the Senate uRder the John
sou reconstruction.
THE SOUTH AND THE AMENDMENTS.
He could not revert to that event
for the purpose Of KakiDg up any slum-
bering animOsities; lie would not re-
vert to the action of the South at
that time, because the action Of the
people OF the South at that
time was natural it was the
action Of mel who had come back from
a disastrous war to hnd their home IN
ruins, to find all their hopes biastcd, and
every circumstance calculated 10 rouse
up the bitterest feelings. 1t wss natu-
raj course the course they pursued, but
it was not the wisest course. When
those Southern men went 20 Washing
ton they were asked how they stood and
how they felt, and what were their sen-
timents In regard to the payment Of ma
tional taxes. The people Of the south
could not listen to q proposition TO tax
them for the payment Of the war debt.
They thought that would be an outrage
not 10 be borne by freemen-the pay
ment Of taxes resulting from expendi-
ture made 10 crush them, 10 trampie
them down In defeat on the battle field.
They were robbed and ruined already,
and they thought that punishment
enough.
What was their sentiment in relation
to paying bOuntes and pensions and
giving honor to the soldiers Of the re-
public, the men who had fought against
them for four years and walked over
their ruined homes and deserted fire.
sides? The men who had sent their
friends into bloody graves and MANNED
the survivors for lifeg At whose hands
they had suffered defeat, and BY whom
they were conquered? 1t would be
the last thing in the world
those Southern people would think
Of to give pensions and bOuDties to these
people. They could never see the jus
tice Of that They would never consent 1
to thai. "Well, - the Yankee said, My
friend, yoa are not yet ready to take q
place in the legislative halls Of the
country. You are not yet reconstructed. I
We VIII LET You remain O8Laia0 of the
legislative balls Of the nation y httle
while longer And they proposed the
fourteentb amendment to provide for
the payment Of the national debt. That
amendment was proposed Ia order that
the payment Of the expresses Of the
war should be made a fixed tbilg a
sacted obligation which the eDatiOn could I
not ignore, end that the losses Of the
rebels could never be assumed in any
shane whatever. They fonnd il neces- !
sary, in view of the tone and teslper OF
the people down here, to have the con-
stitftb0n 90 changed. President Johu-
son said that the North would not IN
sist on the conditions OF The fourteentb
- -, ,..o,t. that fha r.aoala asyhau Il