Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-12
Gen. cssln.r.,. Letter.

10 the Ed;to-,.s .r-aaners's Letter.
,,s lave ess czlled on frequently, in
,1ro.s,,t be interviewed as to my
Ri a. ~ ,,os - s@ iuture political course,
e. ths lsnr ~. VI C be held responsible
80 mv.sIf uhers, I prefer 10 write
the late CANVAS Ven 6noted agaiust me on
the stump BY my o.,s,'s,,. CT Msnnine /
trust you Will pubSS ,bi1 in vonr widely
circulated paper. 'Ais ID yout
In 1872, when p,,-;,.. n,.,o.,atz in
Mississippi had decii-.j ~. 1os;tion as
nominated as an eiec,sr for Horace Greeley
and performed the dsiiss assioned me in the
canvas me New York 7Efbume was then
getber I. a. ~ .....,-s .,--7--'<-;5l- &
Greeley, beeause bsiS-s5 - ~ Us LEADING
in the direction OF one,,v and reform.
When became an Inispendent Democrat
and endeaVored 10 lead Ni.sissinni into the
path OF honesty and reis,r, in eIsc.ions, Won
assailed me bitterly fa what Won suppesed
l had been Ia the past / forgaye Horace
Greeley and the 7Eibszz for ,vhst + he1;sved
to be their sins Of the p:,i. in the hone n A.
they would do better ID he futnre. but vou
refused to extend the s.se chsrity 10 me.
Yon wrote as il you feasd / was ahout 10
become Republics and that Il
would pollute The .pany By my touch.
think IL would be time enough to raise
snch an lsSue Wnen s.<ln be taken into the
Kepuolcan church Jpn the present time
plated no srch action. L. tbe nat T have
acted INDEPENDENTLY When.fer / tbought il
right to do SO. In letter d Rsvsrdv Jobn-
son, in 1867; l was the ara Confederate peu-
eral who advised the Sousk to accent the Re-
construction measures pronptlv. For this I
was denounced as a Republican. Ia the
FACE between Gen. Ames and Gov Alcorn. for
governor of Mississippi, decIined 10 follow
my party for reasons then dated nv me IN n
published letter, and for This again nv De-
mocracy was suspected. In sDeecb in til q
House of Representatives, On the Texas Pa
cife railroad bill, gave nosice 10 Northern
Democrats that if they refsssd to aid ms in
the material development Of the South. we
would seek other alliances, and for this was
assailed both by Northern aud Southern
Democrats For four years stood in Com
gress appealing TO Democrats to protect Nil
sissippi from the devastating overfiows of
the Mississippi river, but without success;
and when a Republican president recon-
mended it and Republics Co1ress appro-
priated money TO protect ns, / declared that
II reelected 10 Co.3gress shond. in frati-
tude, vote for Republican Speaker, il he
agreed with the President on this question.
For this | am again called Republican in
localities where it is supposed this would
ipjure me.
For reasons satisfactory 10 myself, and
published 10 the world, L Determined 10 be-
come an Inde dendeut candidate iat Congress
IN the Hecond District of Mississippi. Ia
this districi, by the State census, there is a
msiority of 500 white voters; bat the Re-
publicans and Greenbackers, when united.
have an undoubted majority, and get they
were hopeless OF getting fair count in any
election in that district. / believed the peo-
pie of that district would give me a fair
count, and / offered myself as an Independ-
ent candidate, stating that l would retire
and support their nominee II the Greenback-
ers and Republicans wodld unite Upon any
other man they preferred TO me. These
parties met in their separate conventions and
indorsed nay candidacy under my promise
that ] could and would secure Tree ballot
and fair count. You hays profsssed
to deeire this for years, aud 5st have
denounced the Southern Democrats because
you said they Wonld not permit the ,I-E &c 10
vote unless he voted as they wished him.
This fair election 1 was endeavoring 10
secure, and when il was nantes, from their
action in convention that. the Republicans
Of the Second Mississippi District desired to
vote for me, you rallied at them for 50 doing
and gave daily aid aud comfort to my Dem
ocratic opponent. You urged the Republic
cans to bresk their faith plighted to me in
convention and vote for III. G. Carter, whom
you and others like you, supported poHil-
nally; but TO the benefit of Van III. Man
ming. You charged ME with having been
the head bulldozer and ballot box suffer IN
Mississippi. If this were true, / bad Is
much right as the New York 7ribnss 10
change my course when / saw i.. Bot
have refuted thsse charges often, and can
prove to-day that 7 received the support Of
leading white Republicans, and a large
number of colored Republicans, When | vas
a Democratic nominee in the old "5hos-
string" District, and largely on account 81
my position on the Mississippi levee qBss-
tior.
You charge me with being the butcher Of
Fort Pillow; but you forget that the Ecu
York 1iib,.ne said this charge shotld NO, be
brought against me after denlsfided an IN
vestigation of the charge BY Union soldHrA
You forget that Gen. Garfield said Oh tho
floor OF the House that Ben Wade was con-
WINGED before he died that injustice had been
done to FORESTS command in the report on
Fort Pillow. You forget, also, that some Of
the best and truest Republicans Of Missis-
sippi; like Capt. Gorge NJ. Buchanan, Of
Marshall; Capt. +. W. Turner; of ITALIA
haichie; George Z Aicorn, Of Coahoms; I.
G. Woodson, of Tunica, the Hayes and
Wheeler electors in 1876, and many Others
could mention, were with me in the storming
Of Fort Pillow. We have all claimed that
no man was killed at Fort Pillow outside OF
he rules of war, and you have long since ior-
given them, while you condemn me. They
are Republicans aud / am an Independent
Democrat who sustains a presidsn, In his ef-
orts 10 protect the valley of the Mississippi.
Democrats assailed me for saying the
south had more TO hope for from Republic
ms than Democrats in building up and pro-
Getting the material interests Of our section,
md you aided them 10 break me down all
'ou could. They denounce me az vile Re-
publican and you as an uDpafdcnable Demo
rat, but L am happy TO state that the
,eople of the Second District of Mississippi
pstain me as an honest reformer aDd an in.
DEPENDENT man worthy of their support. 4
Tas fairly elected, and MY election demon
trates that when The Greenbsckers are taken
rom the Democrats there is a plurality Of
lepuhlicans in The district, and that Ef.al,- :
nan was honestly elected in 1880 TO the seat
'hich Manning now u1lawfuily holds. Inc
retencc that the whites were inundated
-om voting at the late election by the pres
nee OF white Mississippiausa as United States
lpervisors or deputy marshals, is a slaDder
a the courage of Mississippi DINO
iats. The ballot-box thieves, who form
ut a small portion OF our community, we're
ouBtless inundated from stealing BY the
iesence of courageous white witnesses, and
lie majority of white people in Mississippi,
no are honest and tired OF the corrupt rule
election bosses, are rejoiced at the result
was counted out of my certificate, and
~ blindly> partisan Democrats and a few