Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-03
TIE DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
WILLIAM =. BATE, for eOvERxoR.
..Sonlhern Democratp


Ia July, 1880, the following sweet
scented document, purporting to be
genuine, appeared in the Avalanche:
EDITOR AvALANcHE:-I can congratu-
late you upon your return to your old
correct position in politics again, the only
position la which an independent paper is
10 be tolerated in the rOuth-that of bat
ting for the supremacy ofthe Democratic
party. That party recognized u rights
Of property in our slaves, sympathized
with US in the late war, and has steadily
fought with us against any reconstruction
in which the negro was recognized, and
we Of the South were base ingrates indeed
If we were not devoted to its triumph.
The fact is, before we can expect the pros
perity of the good old days before the wal
in the South, we must have the same
homogekity Of public sentiment. AS re-
CARDS questions relating to the negro, we
must have but n party, and that the
Democratic party. White men who dare
TO avow themselves here as Republicans
should be promptly branded as the bitter
and malignant enemies Of the South. The
name Of every Northern man who, like
Eaton aud Bigelow, presume in this com
munity TO aspire to office through Repub-
lican votes should be saturated withstench.
We can spare all such, and would caution
such as these who think Of coming South
to keep away. You, Mr.. Editor, must
hang out again your smallpox flag and
rid our community of such yermin. You
may think me a little bold in using such
language upon the anniversary Of our
flight from the yellow fever in 1879. The
North, TO be sure, sent US some money,
but we scorn the imputation of beggary.
The North but returned a little Of the
money it stole from us during the war.
No, sir, we must put an end forever tothis
shameless effrontery of Northern men or
Republicans aspiringto office in the South.
They must keep back seats, and very quiet
ones, or get out. / was glad TO see you let
your correspondents loose upon that
blatant Radical, William r Moore. The
whole lot must be rendered infamous and
odious. As for the negroes, let them
amuse themselves, if they will, by voting
the Radical ticket. We have the count. /
don't allow myself tn be annoyed by wor-
rying over the possibility ofthat p%estifer-
Gus Ed. Shaw's being elected. We have
a%thousand good and true men whose bal
lots will be found equal to those Of five
thousand vile Radicals.
SOUTHERN DEMOCRAT.
July 10, 1880.
The appearance Of such an article
raised a storm of indignation. 1t
simply purported to be the expression
Of a Southern Democrat, and was
inserted without comment. The
author knew where to send it to Sc
cure publication. He knew how to
get it before the public. 1t was de-
veloped soon after that Mr.. Krekel, a
Republican, took it to the Office. The
head editor thought it would be a
rich thing to publish, and it came
out the next morning. Krekel
finally got tired of resting under the
imputatiOn Of the authorship Of the
article, and avowed that be merely
took it to the Office by request. The
next development was a card
from an illiterate cranky kind
of a fellow named Gill evad-
ing the responsibility Of the card.
Gill had a weakness for writing, but
wrote in such a weak style that his
stuff had to be worked over in news
paper Offices before it could possibly
be placed in the hands Of the printer.
Those familiar with his manuscript
know that be could no more write the
Southern Democrat" scroll than he
could have written Paradise Lost"
or Seneca's "Morals." The night his
card tearing aside the veil aud shout
dering the responsibility went to press
he went to a train and skipped the
and he has not been back here
since. The real author who, doubt
less furnished the funds, was still in
the background. snA no doubt writes
Tor the press yet. He has been 60
well located that his identity is no
a matter Of doubt, and has not
been in many months. This same
Southern Democrat" is understood
to be a Republican candidate for the
Legislature now, and when in the
country among the more ignorant
colored people to be heartily in favor
of the repeal Of the four mile law.
The colored pec-1g in the dark cor
ners do not object to a little cheap
whisky" like their allies in the city,
and they object to walking four miles
before breakfast to get a five cent
drink. Southern Democrat" is a
trump, but is turning up once too
often.