Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-03-16

are ne1eOy 8u0lOulSneu 10 MAKE al puS'
sible dispatch, as we must report before
adjournment. II you will give US the
names Of any witnesses for whom you
desire subpnnas issued, or subp9Das
duces tecItnl, we will at once issue and
have them served. We await you and
your answer at Nashville.
VIM, A. QUARLES,
Chairman senate Committee.
J. L. M'GLATHLIN,
Chairman House Committee.
Without being hypercritical, we may
observe that the above displays rather
more of what the ancients called ytrOSn,
and we call cheek, than any small effort
recently brought under our notice. Be
so good as 80 remember, gentlemen, that
you are on trial, not the Times. "Wit-
ness for whom you may desire sub
poenasn That is to say, the suspected
parties, or their agents, constitute them
selves court, jury and prosecuting attor-
ney, and ask witness to plead guilty
or not guilty. Abstractly speaking,
nothing could give us greater pleas
ure than to investigate the Ten
nesse legislators, but to do so in
the manner suggested by Mr..
Ouarles and Mr.. M'Glathlin, would sub
iect us to an inconvenience out Of all
proportion to the duty we owe our es-
teemed sister State. Nor can we per-
NIT those gentlemen to put us in the at
titude of defendants in this controversy.
We published, as an item of news, a
paragraph which we believed then, as
we do now, to be at least not unfOunded.
1t contained no "charges" whatever,
but may very well have suggested the
propriety of charges to those who We're
more deeply interested than we. Per.
ceiying in the Tennessee legislature evil
dences of an indignation which we re-
garded as spurious, we volunteered to
lend them all the assistance in our
power, which was considerable, If they
would proceed with bona ttde investi-
CATION. Whereupon they all with one
accord proceed to throw themselves into
attitudes in a very furious and funny
manner and scream, "Come on, M'DuH."
This wont do, gentlemen. 1t SOUNDS
more like buncOme than ever. We pro-
nose to keep our promise, but we do not
propose to frame charges with the par
ticnIarity of an indictment and then
proceed with the role of prosecuting
attorney before q stocked jury. We
urged the committee to go to Memphis,
the only place where the case can be
properlY Investigated. Instead of that
they sit down in Nashville and request
us to bring Memphis to them-quick,
too, because they want to 60 home. We
presume Tennessee is recOnciled to their
going home as soon as possible, and in
order not to delay so desirable consum-
nation, we hasten to give them some
suggestions which, if acted upon, will
greatly facilitate their labOrs. First,
they might examine the Nashville banks
and the books of the Union, and the
First or German national bank, of Mem
phis, for transactions connected with the
expenses of the late election. The banks
may tell the committee that private
transactions through their officers
are none of the committees business,
which viii be correct, from the bank
standpoint; but it is the duty of the
committee to find them out il they eau.
To this end they might call upon Mr..
TYLER, Mr.. Rhea, and the city editor OF
the Ledger, and get their information
concerning the facts that transplred
during the canvass bearing upon the
question of "infiuence." The names of
the Messrs. LOoney are suggested as
competent witnesses, and possibly Mr..
Green, q cotton brokEr, Messrs. Log
wood and Hill, attorneys, EX-Sheriff
Wright and a gentleman named Doyle,
could furnish something in the way OF
interesting testimony. They should
be questioned in regard to
what they know about the
"cigar-box pledge" and whether or
! not that was what elected the Shelby
nine. 1t is proper to state that we use
the names Of the above gentlemen with
! out their suggestion, but on informa-
! ton that they are in possession OF i'm
portant knowledge in the premises. The
nature of the written "pledge" of the
Shelby delegation, referred to In the
| paragraph, was that if JohnsOn's friends
would secure their nomination, which
was equivalent to an election, they
would vote for him solidly for United
! States senator, as they afterward did.
| The committee should examine the gen.
| temeu who were the officers of the
nominating convention at Exposition
building, and get direct replies from
them as TO the pledge obtained from the
Shelby delegation by gentlemen who
were then laboring for Mr.. johnson.
] Before the examination of these gentle
/ men is finished, the Times expects to be
able to forward other names to the com.
mittee, of persons whose evidence should
| be obtained. We have not charged thal
Mr., johnson and the Shelby delegation
were guilty of corruption; though we
have been told so with such corroborat
ing circumstances az induce US to pu
credence in the statement. We diC
not psy much attention to the mat
ter at first, because it did not direct
Iy interest us; but since the leg
islstuTe have taken it up, we desire u
see them go through the business non
estly and thoroughly. 1t is their affair
not ours; we have enough rascallty
home to attend to. II the committee in
vestigate fully and fairly, and then fin'
that our Information is not correct, W
shall be glad to publish the result. Thel
proceedings thus far do not look mucl
like a desire to investigate. or on
thing they may rest assured, now tina
our interest is to some extent aroused
10 wit. that we will not allow them t
kick up a dust and run of Il
the obscurity of the same with
out making their action right exten
sively known. We have no feeling j
the matter. We know nothing person
ally Of the Shelby delegation. or Nj
Johnson we know more than we admir-,
though we indOrse many OF the prlncl
pies he advocates with ability and efIec
But as be goes to Washington with
flourish OF trumpets, and as the aveng'
of corruption and the high priest Of II
constitution, he ought, in all conscienc
TO 90 there with skirts freerer from di
reputable practices than We are able
, believe his to be.
A telegram from Berlin says tn