Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-05-30


Has been making an ass of himself. He has
been talking in the cantinG, Exeter-hall style
about what he knows nothing save as he
learns it from liars out of whole cloth, from
partisan toadies, or from ignorant fanatics of
his own stripe. A few days ago one General
Thomas w. Conway, of New Jersey, and
Rev. John Turner, colored, of st. Louis, had
a talk with him about the negro exodus, in
the course of which he said:
That there could be no question of the right Of the
negro to emigrate whenever he saw Mt, and that this
right would be maintained; that the interests OF the
tering throughout the western States, instead oil
crowdlng Into any one OF them; and that ne mad no
doubt, from very extensive Information on the sub
1ect but that all who came from the south would get
good employment west Of the Ohio General Con-
use violent means to prevent relief boats from tax
ing the emfgrants on board, could the government
be relied upon TO give its pFotectiOn?" The Pres-
dent replied: "Such resistance to lawful business
carried on upon national highway such as the
no doubt out that the government would afford its
protection"
Nothing more discreditable than this has
ever occurred in the White House. The idea
of even the acting President of the United
States lending himself to scheme to disor-
ganize the labor system of one-half of the
Union-allowing his inbred hate of the south
and her people to take possession of his
tongue and wag it in sympathy with two men
who plainly avowed their purpose to invade
sovereign States and break the peace under
pretexts too himsy for even an ignorant
negro. Spread them over the west for
sooth. Suppose the south was to send ennis
saries as violent in intention as Conway and
Turner to disorganize the labor of New Eng
land or the west, what would Hayes say, what
would he doP Like Grant, he would have re-
course to troops to punish as sedltious what
was simply the exercise of the prerogatiVes
OF freemen. But Hayes did not mean all he
said to Conway or to Turner. He spoke to
them in the confidence of old pals, and did
not expect that they would repeat to any of
"those damned literary fellows" as drunken
Zach Chandler termed the newspaper corre-
spondents, what was said. When called
upon for an explanation of this ipcendiary
language by Representatives King, Ellis and
Gibson, of Louisiana, he made haste to find
a way out by the movement which is so nat
ural to crabs:
he said that nothing whatever had transpired at
that Interview which could bear such construction.
His only declaration that the navigation OF the
mississippi river should be free and must remain
unmolested. The President expressed the opinion
that while any citizen, white or colored had per-
feet right to migrate from one portion OF the coun-
try another it would certainly be very unfortunate
for the large masses OF the cOOred people to proceed
TO any particular section of the country, and IL
they fit to remove, 1t would, in his opinion, be
better II they could be generally settled throughout
tue entire country. He expressed no opinion to
the policy wisdom OF the present southern exodus
Upon being informed by Mr.. King that an impress
sien was being conveJed among the colored people
of bis district that the government would sustain
there was no founGaon whatever for the circulation
OF such an idea he regarded the story as being un
fortunate, inasmuch as It might tend TO mislead
those contemplating migration.
The story is observation-disclosures for
the negroes, and may yet be equally unfor-
tunate for the Hayes administration. 1t has
already been spread abroad. among the de-
luded blacks by the cowardly agents Of Con-
way and Turner, and the wretched tools of a
cold blooded purpose to destroy the labor
system of the south are waiting on the banks
of the river, waiting for the government
boat, implicitly believing that Hayes is 60
ing to order a national vessel to remove
them to the plains, where the Cincinnati
Gd@ette'S correspondent found those prosper
Gus p negro colonies. This much as to this
government boat business we learn from the
st. Louis Republican, from the issue of which
paper of the twenty-fourth we copy the fol-
lowing:
There were no new arrivals of negroes from the
south yesterday, but from Mr. Fowler, clerk of the
steamer Centennial, some Interesting facts were
learned in regard TO the hopes and intentions of col
oIed people In the south who still expect to go to
Kai sas. 1t appears that the story of government
gunboat. reference to which has already been made
In the Republican, has been widely circulated In the
south and that the negroes at some points are actu-
ally When the Centennial
reached NatcheZ on the way up, lot of negroes
were found eamped on the leyee, guarding their
To the surprise Of the officers of the Centennial
though, there were no applications
uTally made as to the cause Il was learned from
conversation With the negroes that they had not
they thought that by waiting day or two they would
be enabled to make the trip for nothing. They
for Them and they were going to wait for its arrival
when they woald be taken TO Kansas for nothing
and protected Not one of the lot appeared to doubt
the story and when the Centennial left Natchez the
negroes still remained camped out on the leYee,
VILE MISSISSIPPI the Centennial had a very similar
experience. Here, as at Natchez, there was an en-
campment of cOlOTed people on the levee, close to
the wharfboat. and here also they did not seek
passage. as they were waiting to come up at
camped on the levee for time and the inhablt-
ants of GTeenvllle were getting rather nervous on
the subject at the time the Centennial LETT Il was
feared that with the heated so near at hand
the cIty's health would be endangered by the mud
ding tOeeth6r on the l6Vee OF large
OF negTUes, since nothing could be more likely 10
breed contagious disease; and an official order was
issued TO the effect that the encampment could not
remain In the city limits after Saturday. What the
result of this order would be could not be guessed
at. OF other groups awaiting transportation the
Centennial brings no report. 1900
These are the groups of which Conway and
Turner discoursed SO eloquently-these the
poor unfortunates who are paraded before
the gaping, sniveling, canting, hypocritical
few at the north who are marshaled by men
to whom the present peace and prosperity o
the south is as the red flag to the wild bull
in the arena.