Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-10-12
The Issues OF the Canvass Fairly Stated
The Legislative Record Of the Inde-
pendent DemOcratie-Republican
Candidate for Governor.
The Benefits Of ThOmas's Proposed Re-
daetiOn of Taxes Federal Tax Ex-
&C ions The Wing Party not
Represented by the Radical.
!peciaI to the Nashville American ]

speech closed up all divisions on that
q1es ion. Colonel Thomas was unWill.
ing for MsjDr Sykes to Laws a rej1indef,
and CC|'y consented for the mejor 10
speak at all because the D5mocrs ts OF
Sumner insisted ppOn hearing him.
NJ i2r Sykes vas unwilling to consent
to the arrangement unless Colonel
Thomas would give him the reply 81
| Columbia; but this Colonel Thomas re.
| fused. Although the arrangement was
u ju9t 20 MsjOr Sykes, finally he con-
seutsd to speak, at the Urgent sOlicita-
ton of his Democratic friends. The
| discussion wee courteous, and although
there was some shaI p shooting about the
terms Of the DEBATE, everything went of
pleasantly, Tie Democracy wee de,
lighted with the result.
|
Synopsis of SykeS's Speech.
FELIOw-CITIZENs-I am here by invitation
| of the ate Democratic committee. to defend
| the princi is and organization OF the party
| against ali open foes or aDtacCnistic friends
| mat cOmmlItee proposed 10 Mr.. Dorsey B.
| Thomas who. although claiming to be a
| Democrat, is, by running against James d.
| Porter, the regular nominee OF the party, do
| ing ali in his power to disOrgGni1e, divide ard
| defeat the party-that he shOuli make fair
| and equal division of the time with sneaker
| reprez enting the party. This he re used; but
| he cannot thus escape a discuss on of the ques-
| ion. A man who mas a strong cause, and Is
| well fortified with facts and arguments, never
ie trS 10 meet any opponent, whether small or
g. eat. II M. Thom sis a Democrat why Is be
| Iunnlng IN Opy yCsiJiun TO the chosen candi-
date of the party to which he says he be-
| longs? II ht is Democrat, why did Thomas
| A, Hamilton, Of Memphis, a leading Repub-
| licsn, declare in republican convention at
| Memphis that the Republicans should make
| o nomination for Governor, and should
| support Thomas? Why did A. A. Freeman,
| OF brownsville, declare in the F7ee Press tnat
| the Republicans should support Dorsey b.
| homas? Who Is A. P. Freeman? The Re
| publ :an candidate for governor against John
| z. Brown Ia 1872, an advocate OF the funding
| bill, which Mr. Thomas so much denOunc c5S,
| nd one of u oSe wEo did so much TO secure
| iIs passage. Why, if Mr.. Thomas is a Demo
| Graf, is he supported by Emerson EtheIldge,
| the only bio Idy-shlI orator of Tennessee who
| cOu and did support Mr.. Seymour in 1865
| upon platform declaring the constitutional
| amendments revolutionary and void, "a ID who
| now says that the Democratic party is the Sc
| cessiOn party, animated by the spiSlt OF rebel
| lion when tAat party declares IN favor OF the
| acceptance and faithful execution OF these
| anne ndmentS7 These are the men who al the
| warm supporters, If no the bringerg-CUt of this
| Democratic candidate, Dorsey B. Thomas. For
| bis benefit, and with the hope of dl-
| vidiDg and destroying the Democratic
| party, the Republican stale convention
| was induced, against the judgment and
| wishes OF its WiS=st and best men, TO refuse 10
| nominate cand date for governor. The
| movement has been iailu e. They are
| hoistsd by their own petsrd; the poisoned
| chaliCe mas been returned to their own lips
| Igstead or disrupting the Democratic party +,
| they nave dlsOrsaulZ d and demOralized the
state, who 1yh at their ,aJfO; M ays,
| "thRJ they are opposed to repudiattOn in ey1. y
| shape and torm,' can never be coax or
| driven iUto the support of a candidate who.
| under the name OK low tsXes, is supporting g
| virtual TepudiGtiOn. Aud who IS this low tax
| Candidate? A man VINO was member O.
| the legislature, ia 1855, that created large
| portion OF this debt; man who in 1870 voted
| Tor this resolution;
| Tpod a - Y o n V ar yUtf q
| honor and good faith of the State demau d
| that the in e.eSt Il FOn the publ debt be paid
| at the earliest practicable moment, and its
| .rinCipal securely provided for at maturity;
| and 10 these ends, under careful re- ench-
| ment and rigid economy in sl other pecis.
| he entire available revenues and resources of
| the late should be faithfully appl eI, as they
| Ia honor are pledged.
A man who, under the solemnity of al
| oath, voted 10 levy a tax OF eighty cents upon
| the people TO pay these bonds; man who
| aid, IL 1870, that 1.-THE Siat5 was pledged ~
| the paw menJ of these bonds, and that with
| out the guarantee uf the State you would not
| HlVe a copper cent for the bJpds; that no
| fraudulent bonds had ever been issued :" a
| man who voted TO allow railroad companies
| to Dpy bonds at from twenty to forty cents on
| the dollar and return them into the State
| treasury dollar for dollar, as The pnraSe goes,
| or al tae;r face value. Mr.. Thomas now COM
| plains OF he D mOcratic platform, and yet,
| Ia 1874 he was candidate for the nOmina-
| LiOn OF governor by the democratic party up
| IN platform in spirit Identical with the one
| adopt ID in 1876, and to which he now SO
| mucn objects MIR. Thomas say he gave these
| votes In 1870 because he was afraid OF recO l.
| stIuction 1t he should happen 10 be gov
| ernor, Cf which there is not the remOtest
pr sgs bilty, mi Sht he L OF become again afraid
| + rscCnsti uctiOn, and then advocate an
| eighty cents AK anu the payment OF the last
| collar, principal and interest, If it r6quiI ed
| all "Lhe entire available revenues and re
| S-urcsS OF the StaJe?' What q man does
| when member CG a legislature or as gov
| ernor, acting under the solemnite3 of an
| oath, is mUcu surer index of his real leel-
l FfDnnr nTG % h ka
| candidate seeking Ofiics. Mr.. Thomas says
| in regard TO The 1uLd .ng bill:
| "By It's adoption the obligation 10 pay the
| debt, regardless of the inherent rigns of the
people, was sougGt to be established, and any
compromise was thereby sought to be pre-
| cluded."
He seems ID forget that the funding bill
| aid, provided, tuTJher, Unat the provisions OF
| this act shall not embrace but especially ex-
| cIude any and all bonds known to have been
| stolen or puriOiued from The state, or b nos
| wnic have been fraudulently issued or oh
tsihed." 1t is not Uue funding act of 1873, bur
| it is the resolutions and laws voted for by
| dorsey B. Thorn IS in 1870 which takes from
| his people their equitable Onzets" against
| these bonds, II they are taken away at all
| The Recognition by the legislature of iS69-7O OF
| all che bonds issued since 1855, except the VAL
| ley Cf Nirginia insurance company, which
| did not amount to Ong-fourth million OF dol
lars, was the fatal step in our legislature, and
| if anything precludeS Our lnquiring into the
| validity of the bonds 1t Is That legislation OF
| wni. Lorsey &. Thomas was warm sup
And what relief doss Mr. Thomas now pro-
| pose? A reduction OF the tax to about
| twenty GEMS on the hundred dol are. AO "
| mach Wou This be on an acre of land worth
| twenty dullars? Ii would be four cents; on a
| hundred acres, four dollars; aud this Is his
! great relief. WEaJ tram parent sophistry with
! which 10 attsm pL 10 delude an lnteItgenC
| people VINO can make their own calculations,
| The Stale tax il Tennessee 9mOuIts to one
| dollar and w enty cents per head. Mr.. Thomas,
| with his king cure-alI remsdy OF a
| twenty cents Tax, proposes TO save sixty
| cents per head, and tnis Is the great question
| upon which he pToeosls to build up party
| that is 10 give him what he mas so long de-
| street.-The Office of governor. But is not even
this relief deceptive? suppose you, as Nj.
| Thomas saws, "reduce taxes to an amount
| lust sufficient to detT6y cufTeaJ expenses and
| school interest, and. at this time, TO je5 the
| debt alone" That would give no permanent
reieI. IJ would only be pOstponement, with
| accumulated debt al the rate of a million
| ana half dollars per anuuIn, or twelve mil
| lions in eight years, or ntIeen millions Of at
| ditIonal debt in ten ears. Who can stand
| this? 1t would bring luln and disaster upon
| all our igdusJTieF, and would go lar toward
| destroying The value OF all cur ptopsrty. This
| debt will be paiJ, and the soouer we make an
| equitable arrangement 10 Iquidate IL u OOn
! fair terms the better for Us anu our children.
| Mr.. Thomas says:
"IhgG oul state, while it is rich in varied
| resources and products, Is poor as regards the
| production o! articles TO BRING money, as COM
| pared with Tue OLhec States. In cotton she S
| excelied b. all the southern STATES : IN grain,
! by all tue northwest; aud IL manuia ,tuIes by
! all the northern Stats who have capital and
! skilled laUOr. HenC- oar capacity 70 maze
| money is very limited"
| This, 4 true, offers a poor inducemeut for
| men 10 immigrate to Tennessee, / might,
| with more prOpgIety, say We make more LrS ia
! and tobacco than they GO in the southern
! States, and more cotton and tobacco than they
/ do in the northwestern States, and therefore
: our capacity to make money is greater than
in any Ot them, t,T where there Is he greatest
/ diversity OF pIo1ucts there j. the greate=t
| pro: per.ty. As a matter OF TACT, Tennessee
! has lower taxes In proportion to The value OF
! her agricultural products thau any state in
the Mon, north or south. Mr.. Thomas says
tue va4us OF our proc uctS has been reduced
| Cne-haf by the contraction or the currency
| Does he know how much the cur Cy
has been contracted since l.7O? He certGiny 5
| does not, or he would never have made suct
/ an q 81 rtiOn. The vUIume Of currency ia tne
: hanCs OF the puOic in IS.l was S57l ,752 52O and
I IL WAS in 1875 S554 65O,GU2. The increased pro
I duCtlon ia Tennessee last year and this hat
] more than mada uD for Ihe decTeas ed price