Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-18

accomplished and courteous journalists.
In your last issue Oath inst.) you repub-
lish as news scurrilous attack on me by
Colonel Hodgson, of the Mobile REGISTER. 1
could not, if | would, answer all the newspa-
per assaults made on me, and 1 shall not
attempt it, but | ask the use of your col
umns for the statement of few facts.
SOME OF FoRREsTs CAVALRY,
who went with me through the battles of
Franklin and Nashville, will remember that
quite number of faint-hearted gentry sought
surgeons certificates and went to the rear
when we started on that desperate campaign,
and Colonel Hodgson was one of that class.
When he came TO me with his surgeons GER
tifcate L refused 10 approve it, and he went
to the rear against my order-for which he
was arrested and tried. He was the colonel
OF an Alabama regiment of cavalry, and my
information is that, through the kindness of
| Judge McKinstry, of Alabama, who was
president of the court-martial, he was per-
United to resign TO escape conviction and
sentence for deserving his command in the
face of the enemy. He has never lost an
| opportunity since the war to assail me, in
the same scurrilous style, through the
columns of his newspaper; but, as / have
not regarded him as a gentleman, have
taken no notice of his attacks, and simply
| make this statement because his article has
been dignified by insertion in the APPEAL.
WANT OF BACKBONE IN THE DEMOCRACY.
1
You republish, also, an article from the
| Augusta Chronicle, in which this language is
used:
Legally, we think General Chalmers had a title
TO his seat; but there was not backing enough be-
/ hnd II OF a moral nature to warrant prOtracted
| party struggle.
This proposition was stated in somewhat
different language in the Democratic caucus
by Mr.. Hewitt, of New York. He said if it
was contest between two white men, they
| between a colored and a white man, the
| Northern Democrats could not afford to do it.
| Again the same paper says:
Had General Chalmers ventilated his Spite as
reported. little sooner there might have been no
against his party and its associates under the cir
| cumstances, We do not see, unless he has allowed
he should have been mortified indignant is nat
ural; but nothing done can justify his recreaney.
This implies that the Democrats were not
honest in voting for me, and would have
voted otherwise but for the concealment Of
my Indignation. This l believe to be an
| unworthy insinuation against the Democrats
who voted for me, and it is certainly untrue
so far as it implies any copcealment on my
part. Whether L had sufficient cause for my
action or not, shall leave the people to
decide. had been what was called a
GREENBAcK DEMOCRAT,
and had publicly expressed my differences
with Senator Lamar. My Greenback friends
had for more than two years been telling me
that the Lamar Democrats were assailing me
in private and were determined to put me
down. When the question Of marked ballots
came mp, they increased the war against me
in private conversations, of which l was in
formed, and some openly assailed me in the
newspapers. And therefore, when / saw
their gerrymander of the State, did not
conceal my feelings, but at once published a
card in which l said if their action was
Democracy, | was not Democrat and that
| should not support them at the next cleo
ton; but had not then determined to oppose
them. 1 was at once urged by friends, who
were opponents of the Democratic organiza
ton, to become an independent candidate for
Congress, and invited TO come into three diff
ferent districts.
Before determining whether l would re-
main inactive or become an active opponent of |
the Democratic organization, awaited the |
action of the Democrats in Congress. When |
Mr.. Hewitt, of New York, said, in caucus, |
that if it was a contest between two white |
men they could flibuster for me, but it be- |
ing contest between a colored and white |
man, the Northern Democrats could not afford |
to do it, and when the Democraticicaucus,b by |
its own action, sustained him in this view, |
my mind was made up and 1 did not con-
ceal it. When the caucus was over, Colonel |
Hatch, of Missouri, as noble specimen of |
mduUOOu Us ever llVSu, WAS luuIRudQL at It's |
action, and said to me:
GOODBYE, CHALMERS"
I replied: Goodbye, Hatch, and good bye |
to the Democratic party" and / made SINH
lar statements to other Democratic friends |
before the vote was taken. And why should |
], or my friends, any longer stand by the
Northern Democracy when they thus refused
to stand by us?
For years we have endured the bitterest
prosecutions because we sustained the North
ern Democracy, and what have we gained |
by it? Many believe we have sacrificed the
material interests of the South by our solid
support of the Northern Democracy. We
have run the risk OF going to the peniten-
tiary in fighting colored mobs and in other
efforts to preserve the civilization of our
race, and yet when we presented a case
clear and unmistakable in law, we were told
by Northern Democrats that they could not
sustain US in a contest with a colored man,
and some Southern Democrats were equally
timid. But it is said nothing can justify
his recreancy." In what am 1 recreani? 1
stand on precisely the same principles adj
vocated when the nominee of the Demo-
cratic party. The only difference il, l stood
then inside and stand now outside the or
ganization. The Democratic organic ation
in Mississippi, as represented in the last
legislature, deserted almost every principle
of Democratic faith, and prefer sticking to
the principles and leaving the organization.
When the children of Israel forsook the ark
of the living God and bowed down before
golden calf. they called themselves still the
children Of God. But they were about as
far from it as when the opponents of national
banks and the advocates of the silver dollar
bowed down before
LAMAR AND HIS GOLD STANDARD
and still called themselves Democrats.
1t is said that l an office-seeker,
and 1 am always honest enough to con-
fess it when / want an office, while
many dishonesty deny it. But it is a
little ridiculous in the Lamar Demo-
Gratis, who say l cannot possibly be elected
in the Second district, to say that came here
through lust of office, when 1 was urged by
them 10 run again in the Third district, and
assured that | could be elected there as cas-
lily as l was in the old Sixth district. Ny re-
ply to them was that / would not aid their
organization by running their candidate
in this district. My reply to my personal
friends was-as my letters to them will show
that would not again subject my friends
to prosecutions in the United States courts,
and myself to the open charge from Republi-
cans, and the silent acquiescence in the
charge of Democrats, that / was elected by |
fraud. for seat in Congress for life. 1t has ,
always been my boast that | received more
open and honest colored support than any
1CmOCidt III DOulu, anu the ClO5tSL 5C1u |
tiny into my recent election failed to disclose
any fraud. But neither Republicans nor
Northern Democrats believed l was fairly ,
elected because there was a large colored
majority against me.
IF GO TO CONGRESS AGAIN
wish to go with an undisputed title from
a district having majority of white voters.
again, it is said 1 am helping to put Repub-
licans in power. As L understand it the
Republicans will help to put me in power.
II there is anything wrong in my receiving
such help, it does not become the Lamar
Democracy to complain of it. l cannot
prove 1t, but ! believe the friends of Mr..
Lamar made a combination with Lynch !
when he was contesting my seat, and when
It was feared that BaFksdale would carry the
white counties Tor senator. In Adams
county Lynch's brother and others were
nominated on a combination ticket pledged
to support Lamar. In Warren an effort :
was made to nominate similar ticket, COM !
posed OF the friends of Lynch and Lamar,
and the Commercial broke it up. In every
county where combinations were made with
.olored men or Republicans it was in the
interest of Lamar. A member elected on
he combination ticket from Adams nomi- C
,ated Mr.. Lamar for the Senate, and it was
seconded by colored Republican from