Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-29
| Messrs. Vhitsitt and smith Tell what
they Claim to be Facts Concern
ing that Democratic Meet
ing Held in Marion,
Arkansas

EDITORS APPEAL-Mr. G. J. Powell pub
| lished a card in the Memphis Aralanche, of
May 18th, in which he charges Whitsitt,
| Smith, and others, with having made state
| i'll reference to a Democratic meeting held in
Marion, Arkansas, which were malicious
falsehoods, perpetrated with malice afore-
| thought" which assertion he proposed to
prove by the testimony of Cdttenden county
Democrats of unquestioned veracity." We
shall not handy scurrilous epithets with any
one, or use language unbecomlng gentlemen
in the discussion of this question. The ar
ticle so boastfully referred to, as in proof of
the charge made against US In Mr.. Powell g
card, not only fails, but it does not even un-
dertake to sustain his assertions. It is moder
ate In its tone; admits most of our statements
to be correct, and, without denying, makes
objections to some points, which objections
we shall now examine and briefly reply to-
We quote from the article in question: ''They
have correctly stated the proceedings of the
meeting until they say that the principal
cause Of the disadvantages the attempt of
Republicans to force themselves on the
Crittenden'" Had such an attempt
been made it could have been east
ly prevented by striking every chal-
lenged vote from the list Now there
was either an intrusion of Republicans who
wanted to vote for Major Crittenden or there
was not If the gentlemen who have under
taken to correct our statement intended to
assert the negative, why did they not do so
in plain terms? We reassert the affirmative,
and will give the reasons on which we predi-
Gated our original statement:
First-We saw the Republicans In Major
Crittenden's line of men when the secretary
was taking the list
Der of names ON that list to be ninety-two,
when it is known that Major Crittenden's
Democratic supporters did not exceed sixty
in number ON that occasion.
Third-At least thirty Republicans cheered
as enthusiastically on Major Crittenden's So
called nomination as did any of his Demo-
cratic friends.
Fourth-We heard Republicans who stuck
to Major Crittenden throughout the meeting
like cookie burrs, say afterward that they did
not pretend to be Democrats, but they wanted
to vote for Major Crittenden.
And yet, on making the statementIbased
on the foregoing facts-that Republicans
forced themselves on the meeting in order to
cast their vote for Major Crittenden, gentle
man who write FOR the purpose of removing
wrong impressions, with an air of innocent
simplicity which is perfectly charming, ap-
peal to us in this wise: "Had such an at
tempt been made it could have been easily
prevented by striking every challenged vote
from the list
Well, the opposition to Major Crittenden
tried for about two mortal hours to prevent
''such an attempt" but it was consummated
In spite of them. They protested, they re-
monstrated against Republicans being per-
finally, they made an effort to organize
Democratic meeting, but all to no purpose.
For the heterogeneous supporters of Mayer
Crlttenden-not the cOnDe1ltiOn-took "the
bit in their teeth and voted according to their
good pleasure" We are obliged to the gen.
tlemen for this apt fgnre of speech, so strik-
ingly Illustrative of the manner in which the
spurious nomination was effected. The ger
tlemen, who have undertaken to ''remove
wrong impressions" say that it was agreed
that the opposing lines should be formed in
the courtyard, that being the only way to
secure a vote at all. Who agreed? we
cheerfully admit that 'Barkis" was 'willin','
takes two to make bargain. They proceed
to say: 1.-The chairman and secretary called
on all members Of the convention who wished
to vote, to come forward and do so.
But did the Earle men wish to vote, under
the peculiar circumstances existing at the
time? and did they come when the chairman
and secretary called them? They did not,
for the very sufficient reason that the larger
portion of them were In the courtroom, en-
gagged In an attempt to organize meeting
which should be truly Democratic, and it
was at this critical juncture that Mr.. w. F.
Maddox, friend of Major Crittenden's, sug-
gested that they had better return to the
courthouse, for fear the Earle men might do
something wrong" Whereupon, they hur-
rled into the courtroom, when, to the aston
lshment OF everyone not in the secret that the
Crittenden party had taken the bit in their
teeth" the chairman announced the advent
Of his political bantling. We are asked by
these gentlemen, as If injured innocence felt
aggrieyed, and had called on them to become
her spokesman, What alternative had he %
We answer, he had the very sensible alter
native, if he felt impelled to announce any,
thing, of announcing the fact that, as the
Earle men absolutely refused to have list
of their names made out by the secretary,
the attempt to decide the matter by taking
list Of names had failed. We are told
that we should have protested at the
time the pseudo-nominatlon was made.
or else forever afterward hold our peace. We
shall, most assuredy, in a case of this kind.
claim the privilege OF choosing our own mode
of redress; and we certainly shall not permit
the gentlemen who, by the help of Republi-
cans, took the bit IN their mouth and voted
according to their good pleasure, " to dictate
to US the manner In which we shall manage
our case. The secretary's report of the pro-
ceedings, as published in the Forrest CITY
Courier, contains statement that the dele
gates named for Major Crittenden were
nominated on the first ballot Now it
would seem that the gentlemen, who them
selves admit that no ballot was taken, should,
while engaged in the business of removing
wong Impressions" have attended to the
correction of mistake so very obvious as
this, since it legitimately fell within the scope
of their undertaking. Since writing this
communication we have seen the list of names
on which the chairman based his announce
ment that Major Crittenden had received the
nomination by an almost unanimous majority
of the meeting. 1t contains the names OF
sixty men, whom we shall for the present ad-