Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-03
CARD FROM ROBERTSON TOPp.

anime your ticket.
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a CARD FROM ROBERTSON TOPP.
MEMPHIS, November 2, 1874.
To the Citizens u Shelby COUNTY
During the past spring Il think it was
: IN Aprilh an address was prepared and pub
llshed 70 The people OF Tennessee, urging them
Win reference TO State affairs, to ignore party
politics for time at least, and to elect Cow
, eTnof and legislature pledged to the repeal, rs
FAR as The same could be done, the funding
law, the assessment and tax law, ana a sweep.
, ling system Of retrenchment with regard TO an
2 ofhces and expenditures OF the State. Tie
address referred 10 contained tits pledge
We pledge Ourselves 20 make JOto tdSeE and re-
tTeHehnlent paramount % all other issues tOith0tG
regard 30 its effects upon the fate Of parties or
- t'qso'G G ~ Wasfslgned ny
y, NJ. Apperson, James I. Leatl, William A.
| Blckford, John 0Verton, r. ]. Rawlings, r. q.
} chant, and by many OF the largest properly
owners lawyers and business men of the city.
With others, signed It. because 1 believed
then and-How that 1t was right An
two years ago, to have laws passed pro-
viding for some of these reforms, particularly
TO reduce the enormous salaries Of some OF
the Off ciaIs OF the state In two days time
the officeholders from all quarters Of the
state crowded Into Nashville, and by their
iHf5aeTlce prevented legislation. Apprehend-
lug the same would be done again, Joined
| in the address which proposed to bring these
matters before the people. 1t Is said many OF
those who Joined in that address will disre-
gard IL. shall be slow 10 believe it. At any
| rate, will not. l have this far in life on
public measures thou Eht and spoken for my
self. mean to do so eourteously, without
the slightest regard to whom IL pleases or dis
plesses. am the more determined TO adhere
| TO this course, because the Democratic con-
venti0u recently convened at Nashville, not
only pledged themselves aid their parry to
i nav the Interest on the bonded debt and cur-
1 Fa11 70 NEuO htrrn
dred thousand dollars annually, but stepped
out of their way TO indorse the sdministra-
shall not support the Exposition nomi-
| nee--called regular nomtnees-because|
| they stand on the same platform,
and have much reason fo- believing their
nominations were largely Influenced By lead
| Ing office holders and q contemptible set OF
ward politicians and wtre-worKers in our
competent men-among others may mem
ton Judge Archibald Wright, Minor Meri-
xether, and John 3 Robinson-were before
that convention. They were known to be
avowed champions Of reform; for that reason
they were rejected, not even getting a decent
vote. The shape Of the track shows which
emit ticket, composed of highly competent |
men-Hen heretofore acting with both par |
refofIns-has been nominated. I shall vote |
for them not because they are Democrats or |
Republicans. deem it not inappropriate for /
nae here to say am neither Democrat nor |
Republican. l trust the day Is not dis /
tsnt when new party, and 8 |
ruins ruins OF both. the Old parties have outI,ved
their usefulness, il they ever had any. The 4
contest now going on is about q name, as will |
~ by the candidates for congress and COVER
nor. There is now no issue before the Ameri-
can people upon which the Democrats, as
party, and the Republicans, as party, are
divided. On all measures before congress, for
the past two years, the leaders Of both parties
are to be found voting side by side. That be-
ing the case, do not hesitate TO disreg ard this
small scramble for Office, and turn my atten-
ton to grave rnatters-Cf State. wish tOavert
an Impending calamity, shall take what
action or opinion OF others. 1t is charged, !
and extensively circulated, that Mr., Etherdge
and myself are attempting 70 aid the Repub-
ucaus m line simpletOr1s VINO make this
charge had have inquired, they would have
learned that on all occasions, publicly and
privately, we have both said we should vote
for Porter for governor and Young for con-
greSs. For expressing these sentiments, Mr..
Etheridge and myself have been unnecessarily
aud ruthleSsly eSsailed by Colonel Thomas II.
Bogwood. Upon Mr.. Etheridge he has opened
the hoodgate of vItuperatfon and the lowest
blIlingsgate. Mr.. Eeheridge has forgotten
more in one day than LogwOOd ever knew
do not suppose he VIII notice him. Mr.. Log
wood has not hesitated TO drag my debts,
taxes and private affairs before the public. 1t
Is possible this Is all he IS able or capable of
speaking RbouR. He says owe the city,
county and Stale eighty-seven thousand dol
lars; that half OF this debt is for taxes, some
of IL running back as far as 1860. Suppose this
Is so. What has the public TO do with my
debts, or taxes7 Do they have anything to do
with a principle? II 1 am unable 10 pay my
taxes, does that prove that the present tax
avs. which turn women and children into
Am to be deprived of the privilege Of speech 4
because am In debit I am jnstihed in saw :
ng that before the war was worth near, IL l
lot quite, one million dollars, made by my
)wn exertion. By the war which Logwood
i1ded as Tar as he could in his small
way in bringing on, I have been ruined, Q
nj mo = - mil ut he
is said to be en- adept in searching T
eoords. perhaps the only thing he IS an adept
y. II he had inquired more particularly, !
he would have learned that the taxes for
property in 1850 were on lots which 1 sold r
many years ago, which do not own, and the
axes on those lots are wronglully charged TO J
ne. If he had inquired somewhat more care
ully, he would have learned that much of Z
ne charges for taxes on the GayoSo was
rho was bound by The terms OF the lease TO
Qy these taxes, who died without paying
hem The only property l claim or own in
helby county, is the Gayoso. On that Log j.
FOOD says the taxes are forty thousand dol
srs. Ifit is so-as that property could not be s
old for more than thirty thousand do 'laTs-it
own with taxes which must very soon, If I
ct changed, bankrupt and ruin the people. r
me word about the bonds of the corporation,
D which he refers. These bonds were loaned q
= the corporation TO the Memphis and
hlo railroad company TO be used
hey were SO used. During the war they were 3
eturned 70 me, as the former president of the
ompany, BY me they, were placed in the
2nds of James Wickersham as my attorney, :
ilth instructions 70 return them to the cor 4
ora0on, al the same time 70 procure from
ppropriated of mine, an old outstanding
ebt due on a contract by the eorporation
nd likewise debt due me by the Memphis
nd OHIO railroad company. Mr.. Wickersham
led without doing anything. The bonds of
I'd other papers were returned to my family, 81
; had been m Memphis but seldom from bC
a
" planting operations in Mississippi, width Sc
had gone with the vain hope las IL turned 81
~ Of reeuperating my fallen fortunes. 1 di
rote my son, Edward i, Topp, to sell any, on
ling had TO raise money. Finding these 10
)ndH with my private papers, and suppOsing ca
le en- mine, ne sold them. AS soon as heard re
u returned to Memphis, to undo what h.
mad done. IL was loo lRte-the bonds had OF
,eq sent 70 New York. Having no money, ID
giving aided OF trust On the GayosO. This 50
UGH for Dogwood's inscriptions charges. 20
ould not have noticed him or his speech II de
J had not published them in the APPEAL, / az
cOmpaDiea by fuIsome eulogy by the ed NJ
u OF that paper. Before the public can | be
dye OF the value of a speech they should tn
axes IL. I propose to instruct them by let or
~ him speak for himself l Gull these ex- nj
acts from the speech which the editor Of the I'M
Robertson Topp Is the lget nurse If not the ne
dsty OF the movement" tee
He hoecLs throughout the county Il have ne
~ made one specify about the burdens OF AT
cation" da
Now, If this hireltslg advocate for low taxes me
IN earnest, Andrew johnson should feel fol
" much coBll1iimeated 70 know that Elmer
J Etheridge, who has been hls most severe
liter and G6ltseT and worst enemy, now
1che0 oettceen has legs Ike gelLOtO cur,
fQzn9 and whining for the crumbs OF Office"
The proud eagle Of StdtesDldnshfp, Andrew vO
anson, compelled the carton crow, Emer- q
Etheridge, and others OF that ticket to W
lueh al his feet to get in little Offices" ars
rom this You will know Uh0 lockwood is, ~
l lghot he Is, Judge him. dlsn1iss him and are
speech being well satisfied that Il is not -,
his power 70 iDJure me IN the opinions OF 81
whose good opinions were worth anything. N,
ali others I care IS little as l would fer VIA
barking OF dogs. ROBERTSON TPoP. go,
tLEIsHMANNS d Co.'s compressed
st, the best article offered IN the market.
sale By all grocers. ASK tor directio
ATTEND Robertson's Business College, "a,
The next congress will count the Z
esidentisI vote Of '76, and by the daS
sent Joint rillo this NAV hiring ont o