Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-08
WRANGLING RAIDS.
The L0w-Tax Republicans Hold a Con.
VentiOn Which is Broken Up by the
the Disorderly High.Taxers.
Ed Shaw Hit Over the Head with an I'm.
brella While Trying to Quiet the
Rabble.

/ About 300 Low-tax Republicans assem-
bled at the Exposition building yesterday
morning. About IL o'clock Colonel T.
| A. Hamilton, chairman of the Repub-
| licsn County Executive Committee, called
| the convention TO order. Colonel Ham
ilton stated the call, and said that it
| was his desire to say few words for the
| good OF the Republican party; but that be
| was not able TO say snythiDg, as he had just
| got up from a severai-days' prostration; that
| the first business would be the selection of a
| permanent chairman.
| Mr.. Shaw nominated Mr.. J. F. Norris for
permanent chairman. Carried.
Mr.. Norris, after a few appropriate re-
marks, stated that the first business was TO
| elect secretary.
Mr.. A. Forman nominated z. F. Petway
and L. Jennings for secretaries.
COMMITTEE TO SELECT DELEGATES.
Judge Bigelow moved that a committee of
| five be appointed to select thirty-nine dele
| gates and thirty-nine alternates to repre-
sent Shelby county at the Somerville con-
vention, September 14th. J. w. Moore
moved to amend by making the committee
nine. The amendment was accepted by
| Judge Bigelow' and carried. The chair ap-
| pointed:
| J. E. Rigelow, Colonel T. A Hamilton,
james Lott, Overton Gardner, VIM. Moon,
| w. F. Price, NJ. G. Anderson, Rev. Burr ell
Lee. and Geo. W. Cole.
| After the committee retired loud calls
were made for Ed Shaw. Mr.. Evans moved
that Mr.. Shaw address the convention.
| Carried.
SHAW CAME FORWARD
| and without ascending the stand addressed
| the convention. He said that he was prond
| of the movement mnrl n
the numbers present but because it showed
that there were many thinking Republicans
| among the colored people. That Hawkins
| was crammed down the throats of the party
| by convention that he (Hawkins) had used
his official position to pack in his own inter-
est; that the extra session and the conven-
| ton were called in the interest OF Hawkins +;
| that Russell represented the Bourbon element
| OF the Democratic party-the same that
| little Gibson and his allies had
cheered so Justify for when Gibson
called for three cheers for the State-credit
Democrats in a Republican convention last
| April; that those old Bourbon Democrats
and The ofice-holding Republicans had
UNITED AGAINST THE PEOPLE
in an endeavor to make US pay a railroad
| debt we do not owe. Shaw reviewed the
State debt, and said that the bondbolders
had sued the railroads in 1879 to recover
past uuc AutcIcsl Ou LuclT UOuub, anu tndL Ile
railroads in 1880, with the use of money and
| other corrupt means, had elected Legisla-
ture that, after the use of free passes, wine-
suppers and other corrupt means, had been
| induced to vote for a settlement o: the rail-
road debt dollar for dollar, that only few
years before they had pronounced fraud,
and said: "We do not owe dollar of it. Let
| it alone, the Democrats will repudiate it,"
voted for ffty-and-four. Eaton, Smith and
. HIS fOllnWara voted fba
debt was fraud. Don't you think
THEY WERE BRIBED?
Free passes to Washington, wine-suppers
and other aud more substantial influences
| must have been held out as inducements to
men who four years ago pronounced this
debt fraud on the people of Tennessee
Shaw said he could see no sense in the haste
that the Bourbon Democrats and Office
holding Republicans were making to secure
settlement of the STATE debt. That so far as
he was concerned he would be willing to
leave the debt to the decision of the Supreme
Court, but that was exactly what the rail-
roads were afraid of. The law in the case
was on the side of the people. Hawkins and
his followers are endeavoring to make the
people pay this debt, and think the colored
Republicans are going to follow him, but 1
know that there are thousands OF colored
men who
WILL VOTE AGAINST HAWKINS
and his allies. The old bosses say l am g
Democrat, and that j must be put down.
Well, If am a Democrat have done more
for the celored people in Tennessee than
ever the bosses did. Shaw here went on to
show that it was by his efforts that colored
teachers had secured places and tn at the ring
fought such men as Prof. Sampson and Lott,
on the ground that they were not competent,
when il is well known by all intelligent pee
pie OF Memphis that Sampson and Lott are
lar better educated men an any member of
the ring. And if there was any truth in the
cry that l am Democrat perhaps
IT WOULD BE BETTER
to have few more Democrats. Shaw
charged the old Federal bosses with being
the enemies of the community in which they
lived, and said that by the reports they had
so industriously circulated of outrages in the
South, they had kept thousands of people
and millions of money from Tennessee; that
while he knew that outrages had been COM
mitted the blame lay at the door of those
corrupt men that fell here after the war like
wounded pigeons, and that while they have
been allowed TO remain here and hold Office
they have never failed to misrepresent the
people and
ENCOURAGE RACE ANIMosITIEs
for their personal and political interests.
Shaw said that only by more liberal policy
could the Republican party ever expect to
regain control of any of the Southern States
The remainder of Shaw's speech went 10
show up the work of boss rule in politics and
its present evident effect in the North as well
as in the South. In reply TO Hawkins's
speech on the bluff, in so far as his incen-
diary remarks about wading in blood to Sc
cure free vote and fair count, his expert
ence with those fellows had been that they
WERE TOO cowARDLY
to go TO the polls on election day 10 see to |
anything; and that when a free vote and a |
fair count was secured it would not be by |
time had come when the honest people had |
that the Bourbon element in both parties |
would have TO take back seat.
At the close of Shaw's speech, which had |
been loudly cheered throughout, calls for
Evans and Carter Harris were made About I
this time the committee selected to report dele
gates TO the Somerville Convention appeared.
Prof. Lott endeavored to read the names of
the delegates, but was prevented by the
crowd headed by General Williamson, United
States marshal, and Carter Harris
Chairman Harris here endeavored to
THROW OIL ON THE TROUBLED WATERS.
He said that he did not see any before
him but those he recognized as Republicans;
and that while he knew that there was an
otber so-called Republican convention called
oy another committee styling themselves
Republican Committee" thar he did not
zee how any honest man could participate in
his convention and expect to take part in