Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-03-06

/ From an Occasional Correspondent
JACKSON, Miss, February 25.-
knowing the very large circulation OF
your paper throughout the northern part
of this State, have thought that let
ter giving a birds eve view of things
about our State capital would prove in
teresting to a large number of your read
ers. Our legislature has been in session
since the first Of January. They have
wasted much time and thousands of dol
lars, and have literally done nothing,
save to pass one law OF general interest
or rather of general infamy; of which
/ more anon. Most of the time of the
body has been consumed in listening to
elaborate OTatioRs on ''pintsp of order
from sundry sable or saddle-colored
statesmen, who have abandoned the
business of bOOt-blacking and shaving
for the more lucrative employment OF
controlling the affairs of State, at the
4 moderate price of seven dollars per
day and the stealings. There are be-
tween thirty and forty of these African
SolOns in both houses, embracing all
shades of color from lampblack to pale
cream, and of all shades of intellectual
development from the Chimpanzee to
| Fred. Douglass They would delight
the soul of Charles Darwin as alfording
a magnificent illustration of his success
i've development theory. The leader of
! the band, and, indeed, the leader OF the
] Republican party in the legislature, is
your late distinguished fellow-citizen,
! Ham Carter, who is followed by the
| blacks in love and admiration, and by
/ the white radicals in slavish fear. With
| the early career of this gseat statesman
the citizens of Memphis are sufficiently
! familiar. They have, doubtless, missed
and mourned his untimely departure,
and craved some knowledge of his later
| history. Be it known to them, then,
| that when BrownlOwism ceased to rule
in Tennessee, and Aleornism began to
rule in Mississippi, Captain Carter cleft
his country for his cOuntry's good - and
casting his eyes over the fertile plains
and teeming black population of
Mississippi, he said to himself
that it was a goodly heritage and
straightway moved down to possess il.
Stumping the State with and for Gov
ernor AlcOrn in 1869, he became at once
a man of mark with his race and in his
party. Subsequently elected to the
legislature from the city of Nicksburg,
he has forced himself by his energy,
impudenee and capacity, to the leader
ship of his party in the legislature. He
possesses the unquestioning devotion of
the negro members, and backed by them
and By the consciousness that the negro
constitutes in Mississippi almost the en-
tire Radical party, be lords il over his
weak-kneed white brethren with an in
science that would be amusing if it were
not humiliating. He has jusC achieved
the acme of his greatness in the passage
- faz pofar-aI p, oh ~ a.
generally known as the social equality
bill. BY the terms of this delightful
piece of legislation, all hotels, steam
boats, restaurants, railroad cars, etc,
are thrown open alike to white and
black, and any hotel-keeper,
steamboat captain or restaurant pro-
priety, who shall make any differ
ence or distinction of race, of any
sort whatever directly or indirectly,
shall be fined three hundred dollars for
each offense, and imprisoned one year.
This law goes into effect on the seventh
day of March; and Captain Carter, who
is its author, and sundTy other negro
politicians have notified the proprietor
of the leading hotel here that on that
day they will present themselves, with
their wives and children, for board, and
shall demand the best rooms and claim
seats at the best table. This bill was
voted for by every Republican in the
legislature, including the baker, dozen
of southern whites who have ioined the
party, and who call themselves moderate
Republicans, or Alcorn nen. Its pas
sage was celebrated by grand supper
and drinking party at the governors
mansion, where whites and blacks
danced Uis UiS, and hand in hand.
Since the passage of the social equality
bill the legislature has been principally
engaged IN investigating the various
charges of fraud and thieving against
prominent Radical Office-holders, with
which the air here is rife. A committee
composed of a majority Of Radicals has
already made a unanimous report,
charging the Governor Of the State with
gross violations of law and derelictiOns
Of duty in some moneyed transactions
with certain railroad officials. The su-
ditor OF the State is openly charged with
all manner of peculatiOns, and both
branches of the legislature have adopted
a resolution TO have his official conduct
Investigated. A committee Of the lower
house has been engaged for several
weeks in investigating the most damp
ing charges against the attorney general,
and, it is said, have already discovered
that IN less than twelve months he gave
three conflicting official opinions upon
the same subject; that in two days after
be gave one Of them he received check
for i've hundred dollars from an inter-
ested party, and two days after he gave
the other opinion his law partner was
paid two thousand dollars by another
Interested party.
Indeed, about the only high officials
here who are not charged with high
crimes and misdemeanors are the negro
secretary of state Revels, who has ONLY
been in Office a few months. and the
state treasurer Nasser, who, il is said, |
is 50 honest q man that he
stands no earthly chance for renomi
natien by his party In the approaching
State canvass. Ii is now generally con-
ceded that the Radical party will nom-
mate our present senator, Ames, Of
Maine, the son-in-law of Butler, for
governor, and the negro, Ham Carter,
lieutenant-gOvernor, with the private
understanding that Ames is then TO be
reelected TO the United States senate.
and Carter is to be the governor. Some |
Of the homemade radicals will make |
wry faces at these nominations, but
they will all swallow ii, every one Of
them, just as they did the social equality
bill.
Much high-sounding talk has been
INDUCED in by Governor AlcOrn's |
friends, and, il is said, by Alcorn him |
self, to the effect that he would not sup |
port Ames. Indeed, it has been said |
that if Ames were nominated Alcorn |
would take the stump against him. |
Now, as bitterly as / believe Alcorn !
hates Ames, and as bitterly as be has |
denounced him, / have never believed |
one word of his opposing him, if nomi- /
/ venture to prOphesy, that Ames |
will be nominated, and that Alcorn will |
support him. Indeed, it Is already being I
whispered about here by Alcorn's