Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-29
MEMPHIS APPEAL
FRIDAY, /: SEPTEMBER 90. 1882
THE MISSISSIPPI PLAN.

THE MISSISSIPPI PLAN.
The tyrants of old were inspired by a wan
ton love of cruelty toward the unfortunate.
Men were arrested and punished on the
most frivolous pretexts- Despots spent
sleepless nights in devising means not Tor
the amelioration of the condition Of their
subjects, but to invent instruments for tor
turing them. Their victims were not al
lowed the poor privilege Of moaning under
the most excruciatIng agony, for w'ilings
we're silenced by death. Even during the
present century men could be arrested and
made prisoners without crime. Only
few years since a debtor could be arrested
under the law for the crime OF poverty,
and in this article we intend to show that
Gen. James e. Chalmers, candidate Tor
Congress in the Second Mississippi District,
. proposed 10 arrest snd imprison negroes, his
constituents, for the atroclous and dlaooilcaI
crime of attempting to emigrate from the
State. During the excitement which fol-
lowed the wild African exodus to Kansas in
the years 1879 and 1880, one Parson Con-
way, sometimes called Gen. Conway, q mis-
cradle carpetbsg adventurer, who had hg-
ured conspicuously in the politics OF Louisi-
ana, visited Washington, and in company
with Rev. John Turner, Of st. Louis,
called upon President Hayes, to tell him Of
the manifold wrongs and expressions in
nicted upon the so-called "colored emigrants
along the Mississippi river" Conway and
his co-Iaborer told Mr.. Hayes that there
were "now encamped along the Mississippi,
especially between Vicksburg and Natchez,
thousands of emisrants who have money
enough in their hands 10 pay for their trans
portation Northward, but are refused by the
steambostmen because of the terrorism en-
ployed over them by the planters or their
agents; that as d consequence these poor
people we're left in condition of
great suffering and helplessness, from which
there is no hope of deliverance except BY
charlering boats especially for the purpose
of going to their rescue; that the steamboat
companies have been warned by the planters
that unless they stop carrying the colored
people that they will Withdraw their patron
age; that twenty-five leading merchants in
st. Louis-men engaged in doing business
with and for the plaDters-have petitioned
the Steamboat company to so increase the
price of deck-passsge that the negro emf
grants would be unable to pay It," Conway
also told Mr.. Hayes the following cock-and- |
bull story, to which ih,tfrandulent function
airy listened with commendable gravity: Gas
a further means of forcibly hindsripg these |
poor people from going out of the South,
sheriffs of parishes and counties have re-
sorted to the issue of blank writs of attach
ment for debts, to be filed up BY deputies
at the various landings, and served on such |
of the negroes as might be found on the |
boats; that by this process hundreds have |
been elected from boats after they had paid !
their fare to st. Louis; that some of the plant
ers or their agents have, BY letter or other
wise, threatened to destroy the steamboats, if |
they did not ceaee carrying the emigrants,"
etc. There was a great deal more of the /
same lying balderdash INDUCED in by Con-
way, and the next morning the National Re
publican published at Washington, spread
the interview before its readers. The object
of Conway WAS potent and obvious. He
desired TO FIRE the Northern heart, and in
augurate a bloody-shirt campaign for the
presidential contest then drawing near. The
result, however, was failure. Conway was
known to be a clerical blatherskite and
political and financial fraud of the first
water, and no one was found silly
enough to believe his stories, or
to take stock in his emigration
steamboats,. The public, as well as the Re-
publican party, sat down on Parson Conway,
and but for Gen. James r. Chalmers, he and
his mythical steamers would have been re-
legated 10 the limbs OF exploded and for
gotten humbugs. Gen. Chalmers was then a
in Congress, and when he {
read in the National Republican the account
Of the interview between President Hayes,
Gen. Conway and Brother Turner, he was
the only individual in the country, so far as I
The returns have been received, who was dis l
Iurbed in the slightest degree. Upon him, !
OF Conway e
produced the same effect that the waving of q
, red flag is said to have upon an infurated e
title bull. His soul was in arms, and with
is eyes in a fine frenzy rolling, he took his
en- in hand and indited the following letter
, the Hon. John NJ. Stone, then the able
nd patriotic governor of Mississippi:
WASHINGTON. May q, 1879 Il
on. J. NJ Stone, Governor of Mississippi:
DEAF GoYERNoR-The inclosed slip shows a il
nspiEaey to revive the exodus excitement e men, IN
e United States government to take the negroes 8
Isy, and they viii flock to him. Our people
40 have fed the negroes all winter will resist, F
d there will be trouble. saw the President to-
and he denies: eyasively, haying authorized
ud be well for you to protest Il fO%sly to the
r n n meantime IL DOeSlble. get
civil process to arrest the whole party and i'm n
son them for attempting 70 incite insurrection cr
-'-'-' 'ii' A--'''' JAMES R. CHALMERS. a.
Comment upon this letter is unnecessary. y
be amount OF wiFdom, statesmanship and =
,erality, embraced in so small a space, is
ny rarely witnessed. We commend the ~
ter to the colored men of the Second DIG
ct, to whom Gen. Chalmers is now 60 .
rnestly appealing for their votes. The 9
hit TO emigrate, the right TO change ones :
me, no matter what may be the object, is :
g inalienable prerogative attaching TO =
cry free man and woman in all this broad
I'd, and neither the race, the color nor the
svious condition of the individual can i'm
II this Gcd-given privilege. Gen. Chal-
ID tnUuSut3 III 1917 tndt ucSIO Hdu uO
ht OF emigration which white man was IN
Ind to respect, and hence he appealed to an
v. Stone TO earnest and imprison the MI
ole party" Ifevery negro in the Second WI
ssissippi District does not now vote early iea
often for Gen. Chalmers, that gen. oe'
nan may we'll exclaim against 4"
ingratitUde OF colored Republicans =
lway reported that the President had The
missed to protect his emigration boats, if in ,
opposition was encountered, and Gen. wb
ilmers's counter proposition looked TO inn,
'ct conflict between Mississippi and the inc
tied States government As matter of Ele
rise, Cover nor Stone paid no attention to
scheme of this modern Don Quixote. !
is a
.nUrrpp.~rn nvua. stal
ckness and disease are caused by adul
ed food and are increased and aceeIer- "HA