Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-01
A PLAIN sTArEMENT WILL po.


A PLAIN STATEMENT WILL DO.
An item from the New Orleans Times
appeared in the LEDGER Of Saturday
from the scissors of the news editor to
the effect that the news was going
around that Andrew johnson had
bought" the support Of the immortal
nine" from Shelby county III order to
hold them to him through thick and thin
in the recent Senatorial race for the sum
of $4,000. Both the city morning
papers of yesterday republished it-one
in substance, the other in whole-and
he Appeal,, in commenting about it in a
sort of a duck ft," calls the "imme-
diate attention of the Legislature to an
investigation Of such charge. There is
really no necessity of any such proceed
ings on the part Of the Legislature
That body has already fooled and trihed
away the greater portion Of its time on
Ron-important matters, and ought not to
waste any more Of it, which costs the
"pee-pul" some six hundred dollars per
day. The Appeal don't believe that the
"immortals were paid a cent
Of money for their support Of
Andrew Johnson, neither does the
LEDGER. Nor does any intelligent
voter or citizen of Shelby county be-
heve it. We have a personal knowl-
edge Of every gentleman who composes
the delegation so has the Appeal. We
viii make a plain statement of what we
knoao to be the cause of their action in
supporting Andrew johnson, and we
hops the Appeal viii do likewise so as to
set the matter right forever without the
aid of a Legislative Committee. They,
these immortal nine, voted for John
son because they wished to obey the
voice Of about fifteen hundred Irish-born
citizens which Mike Waldron made them
sign a paper to do, on the preteDse that
he carried that number of such voters in
his pocket previous to the election,
and because be told them il they refused
THEY WOULD BE DEFEATED. AS they held
being defeated" of greater detriment to
themselves, or the State, or something
else, than they thought was their duty to
obey the will Of a majority Of the party
which nominated and elected them, they
did not hesitate to sign the Waldron
bond and involve their word by so doing
too far ever after to listen to the protests
Of an outraged and misrepresented con
%stituency. And right here we will do
these gentlemen the justice-and we
have ever done them that-to say that
we believe when they attached their sig
natures to the bond it was not done in
tentionally to misrepresent the mass Of
the party which placed them in office;
but they did it with the hope at the mo.
ment to avoid being defeated as Wal
dram aud his gang tor there vas a small
gang connected with it) had threatened
or strongly urged would be the case; but
once having signed it, all that was
nominated in it had to be done, no
matter whom it %wrengsd, betrayed or
misrepresented, thus at the outset show
ing themselves too weak Of purpose to
represent their constituency untram-
meled by any pledge which their nomi-
mating convention did not require and
demand. They never intended to do
wrong, but have simply proven them.
selves to be exceedingly imbecile. That
is their only sin, and the charge CT init
nation Of bribery against them, we re-
peat, is base and slanderous. 1t is said
that by weakness Adam fell from the
state Of innocency," but for that weak.
ness be had to pay the penalty Of being
driven forth from power, aud SO will the
nine" This is a plain statement Of the
whole matter, and if our neighbor
of the Appeal viii make q similar one,
there will be no need for investigation
by the Solons of the State. Mike Wal
dron, with his secret paper and little
cigar box, did all the bribery" that was
done, and the Immortal nine" were
nothing but the "nincompoops'' of the
trick. Waldron, this o sole proprie-
tor Of the present available "stock in
trade" Of the Democratic party Of
Shelby, hal some helpers in the trans
action, but it is not worth while to pub
lish Just now who they we're, but we can
and will do so at the right nick Of time.
The Democracy hereabouts will call for
all the facts and overhaul the whole
thing in proper season. We hope The
New 0rleaUs Times will correct it's I'M
called for statement at nee.
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ARD FORCE BILLS.
On Saturday last, the United States