Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-09-12

| house OF the tnlrty-nlnth congress,
Sl65S so
| APRIL 10, 1869
Received of Edward M'Pherson, clerl
Of the hOuse of representatives OF the
United States, S165S so. ii full Of the
above account. DORSEY B THOMAS.
To which is appended the following
certificate:
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,l
| REGISTERS OFFICE, August 5, 1871.
Pursuant to the sct OF March 3, 1897
entitled an "sct to provide more effect
ually for the settlement Of accounts be-
| tween the United States and revenues
of moneys" l, John Allison, register o.
the treasury department, do hereby eer
| tify that the annexed copy of voucher
| No. 9403, and the copy of the oath O.
allegiance therto attached, filed in the
account Of Edward M'PhersoD, clerk OF
the house ofrepresentstives of the United
States, are true copies OF the original Oh
file in my office.
JOHN ALLISON, Register.
Be 1t remembered that John Allison
Esq, who certified the annexed tran
script, is now, and was at the time o.
doing so, gister Of the treasury Of the
| United States, and that full faith and
credit are due to his official attesGations
"In testimony whereof, /, w. A. Rich
ardson, secretary of the treasury of the
United States, have hereunto subscribed
my name, and caused to be affixed the
zeal of this department, at the City oil
Washington, this fifth day of August
in the yeSr OF our Lord, 1870.
civilian A. RICHARDSON,
"Acting Secretary of the Treasury"
How he will harmonlZe this solemn
oath with his circular 'to the voters OF
Madison, Upton, Lauderdale and Hay.
wood Counties" | will leave to himself;
but when he undertakes the task, l call
upon him to explain, in addition, the
application made to the present CON-
gress for payment of the account paid in
April, 1859, and to show his authority
for demanding pay t,Oice for one service.
His legislative record is not consistent
with his present position. Now he Is
opposed to the payment Of any part OF
the State debt, but, on the eighteenth
OF October, 1869, he was q member OF
the State senate, and voted for this
resolution journal, 1869-70, page 4S):
BY Mr.. Hall, senate joint resolution,
No 6, viz:
WHEREAS, Reckless extravaganza on
the part of those who have heretofore
controlled the State government, in
pledging the public faith by the issu.
ance Of State bonds, has tended great.
ly to impair the public credit, and i'm
part distrust to the minds Of many es
to the ultimate payment OF our public
debt; and whereas, a people who in all
their history have shown a scrupulous
fidelity, commercially and otherwise, to
rarIUafo nhlinafinnI TKTIaf 0nnaJRor iuGfiao
TO all pubic creditors as essential to
the honor and equity of the State
therefore, be it
Resolved, By the General Assem-
bly of the State Of Tennessee, That the
people of Tennessee will not legslize
their restoration to the control of pub
lie affairs by sanctioning in any man
ner indifference to public obligations
ReSOIUed, That expediency, together
with the honor and good faith Of the
State, demand that the interest upon
the public debt be paid at the earliest
practicable moment, and its principal
securely provided for at maturity, and
TO these ends, under q careful retrench-
ment and rigid economy in ali other
respects, the entire available resources
ana revenues Of theState should bs ap-
piled as they in honor are pledged.
Mr. Nelson moved to strike out "Teck-
less extravaganza" and insert "previous
legislation" which was accepted by the
introduceT.
The resolution was then adopted.
In the following February senate bill
No. 273, to sustain the credit of the State,
was on its third reading. This bill pro-
vided for State tax OF thirty cents.
Senator Mavis moved to strike out
thirty cents and insert ten cents.
Mr.. Thomas voted against the motion.
Senator Etheridge tried to defeat the
bill with a motion to lay the bill on
the table. Mr.. Thomas voted no, and
while this hill was pending Senator
Greene offered an amendmen- to reduce
the tax on polls to seventy i've cents.
The amsndAdeht was laid upon the
table. Mr.. Thomas voting for it; the
bill passed the senate. Mr.. Thomas
voting against the reduction of the tax
from thirty to ten cents, and against the
reduction of the poll-tax to seventy-five
cents. This bill was amended by the
house OF representatives, and returned
to the Senate with provision for the
tax of twenty cents instead Of thirty.
Senator Elheridge moved to concur In
the house amendment, and it prevailed
by q majority Of four. Mr.. Thomas
voted against it and lost the only oppor.
tunity of his life of voting for ttUenty
cents. And sgain, in 1870, at q second
session of the State senate during the
reading of senate bill No. 1873, to pro
vide revenue for the State, the bill
provided for tax of so cents, an amend
ment was offered reducing the levy to
so cents. Senator Morris offered an
amendment reducing it to 25 cents. Mr.
Thomas voted against the motion. He
voted against the motion striking out so
cents and inserting go cents, and upon
the passage of the bill his vote is record
ed in its favor. The condition of the
tax payers of Tennessee is as good to-day
as it was in 1870, and the very argument
that the Democratic party makes to-day
in opposition to an increase of the rate
Of taxation was made upon the floor OF
the senate by Senators Morris, Slsught-
er, and others, when senate bill 133, pro
viding for tax Of eighty cents received
the support of Mr.. Thomas. He was then
deaf to the cries of an impoverished
people. N0tU his heart is full of love for
them, and pity for their calamities; and
you will remember that the Democratic
platform of 1874 was recently readopted.
Mr.. Thomas was then, in 1874, a candi.
da!e for governor. His name was placed
In nomination after the adoption of the
platform. He was ready to "sccept
the nomination with the resolutions an
pexed,n and then cordially indoTsed the
policy of the party and supported its
candidates. Why this change? Mr..
Thomas has a mission to "the masses of
all parties" / learn from his Charlton
letter that he demands 1t performance
for the future. He had better heed the
advice of Jellyby, "Nsver have a mis-
zion, my dear child" and his sleep will
be sounder and sweeter. But to his let
ter, in which he announces 10 the world
that he has mission; In this letter,
which will rank its author with those
eminent letter-writers, Fitzpatrick and
FitZhugh. He says there are persons
"aUhO hGUe been fatteainQ Oft the people
of the State as IOeH as off the 6OndROtd.
s,"who wished to commune their "pec-
ulations," and he had resolved, in the
name "of the people, to break up their
schemes" call upon you, sir, to tell
the people Of Tennessee who these pecu.
lators are. Who are these robbers OF the
State and the bondholders? Give their
names, that they may be known aud
punished; if you are friend of the peo-
pie you cannot refuse, unless it is your
mission to stab regulations by innuen-
do. This is the day of whis-
pered accusations and suspi-
cions. The country has SICK
ened Of it ard demand names and
fsots. And tell the country, Mr..
Thomas, when it was you became the
champion of the people? Was it when
you voted against the proposition to fix
the poll-tsx at seventy.five cents? Was
it when you voted to levy State tax OF
eighty cents? Or was it when you voted
against senate bill No 40 1 read from
senate journal Of 1901, page 64), "to
exempt $3.50 wCrth of material In the
possession Of any mechanics in the State,
who is the head of family, from sale
by legal process" Or was it when ycu
voted in favor of senata hill No az av