Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-04-07
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act kellogg and his party walked into
Office. During the campaign did all
private individual could to insure the
election of the fusion ticket, and now
that its defeat is an accomplished fact,
desire to do a mans part in making the
best of our present situation. Our peo-
pie err in devOting too much of their
time i'm considering the manner of their
defeat. This is not the question that
should engage their attention. We are
defeated, and the question now before US
demanding immediate attention is: be-
! ING defeated, what are we to do to i'm
pr0ye our condition? l am assured by
a marty who seems to know whereof he
affirms, that the people can obtain fair
representation in the Kellogg govern
ment-a representation that will enable
them to control legislation, and to
nut an end to the wholesale iobbinq
that has been going on for so MANY
wears. In addition to this, every as
surance has been given that the State
debt will be looked into, and that Dor
ton of itillegally contracted pronounced
unconstitutional This will reduce taxa
ton; and taxation once reduced, real
estate will become more valuable, con-
fidence will be restored, capital will seek
our city, and prosperity once more be
ours. But suppose we act as we did
with WarInoth; resist taxation, recog-
nize in no way the de fdcto government,
and force Kellogg into the arms of the
negroes, what will be the result? In
creased taxation, jobbing in State secu-
rites, no labor on any of the public
works, thousands of poor out of employ
ment, clamOring for bread, the little
capital remaining here driven away-in
a word, total ruin. But, say the people,
congress is sure to help us in the fall;
northern sentiment will force the Presi-
dent to withdraw his support from the
de fdcto government. We are de-
ceived on this point. The people
of the north take but little inter-
est in our affairs. The other day
lumber man from Boston called
on me, and hearing me complain of
great dullness in business, which l at
tributed to the unsettled state of our af-
fairs, asked me if the people hadn't full
control of the State. This being the
cause, the question comes with crushing
force-what are we to do? Resistance
is futile. The strong arm of the gov
erDment would crush us to death if we
attempt physical resistance, and moral
resistance will bring greater evils upon
US than we have suffered in the past.
Therefore l am for a compromise, and 1
am not alone in this opinion. 1t is
shared by many. Every man engaged
in trade desires to end this unequal war
fare and desires business to improve.
Thus spoke one of the people. How
many share his opinions?
The above is no fancy sketch,
l,.aT aaft,a1I,r
took place. Cannot you suggest
some plan by which the sense Of the
people can be taken ON this important
question, in order that the place
men and politicians can be forced to act
for the people.
EDITORIAL COMMENTS.
Compromise and a reform legislature
are the only contingencies which offer a
reasonable chance of restored confidence
and prosperity to either blacks or whites.
A house divided against itself cannot
stand; and community, with ne-half
in direct political, industrial and finan-
cial antagonism to the other half, can
not hope to be either morally or materi-
ally successful. Fraud and usurpation
may flourish for time, but it viii be as
the vampire tiourishes, by sucking the
very life-blOOd of its victim. We have
had something too much of that al
ready. Taxation through fraud is now
so excessive as to absorb all the produc-
tive value of real estate, and paralyze
all kinds of industry. Until a change
is brought about there will be in this
city 80 employment for masons, carpen-
ters, brieklayers, plasterers, or builders
of any class. Who will say that it is not
to the interest of all, black as we'll as
white, that confidence should revive,
and the saw and the hammer be heard
again i'm our midst?