The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-09-10
Skaters Reply to BsasIey.

=" 1he coiumnS OF the rankin C0un-
ty News of last week appears an article
which l republish, to the end that both
sides may have hearing. The article
IS from my friend, Hon. Jno X Beas-
ley, and l have little time or space to
say as follows:
John, my way Of showing friendship
tor YOU may be queer, but it is honest.
And YOU love honesty. don't your
Now, "hy oil the gods at once" 81
meant no harm," and ] hope you are
not mad You say I"aigmatise" youas
u "crank.' To stigmalize, according to
my reading, is to brand, Us if you want
ed the world to know you had been
guilty of some great crime that would
stain or destroy the reputation. John,
! meant no such thing, and | here pub.
llcly avow that | do honestly believe
you are as honest a man rs breathes the
air Of Tennessee.
You say called you crank. Well,
think you are. All mechanics know
what crunk is, hence the application in
business or politics, where men make
politics their business. Webster says it
is obsolete to call crank a cheat or an
impostor. As to you, l agree with the
great photographer. But the word was
used by me. ms by Webster, to mean
"any bend, turn, or winding" Polili-
cally, then, | thought you crank, hut
honest. IT. fact, ! would be proud of
you as Congressman, and | know you
are capable. honest and worthy. But |
was surprised at your assertion that you
were running as an "mdepemdem Demo-
crlt," and because Of your asser-
ton, when you accepted the Grcenback
nomination for Governor, that the
democratic party had all the rices but
none of the cirtueS Of the Republican
party"
Now, Mr.. Beasley, you are mistaken
in surprising and asserting that "ingc-
niously appeal to the political prejudice
of every Democrat in this district for
the purpose Of exciting it against you,"
because ! said you were for Butler for
President of the United States. ! tell
you now, publicly, that | would rather
see you President of the United States
than B. +. Butler, for you are n far bet.
ter man, and have sense enough to call
around you far better Cabinet than |
believe Butler would. Hence it hurts
me to see you quote that Wendell Phil
lips said that benjamin Franklin But
Ter is one of the grlndest characters in
American history. and that there are
millions of men in these United States
who entertain tine same opinion" But,
you say know the Southern people are
prejudiced against Butler, and, in order
to destroy your chances of success de-
lihcratcly put Butler on your back. Not
n bit of it, John. Twill be your Siubad,
and extricate you from all trouble ifyou
will only stick to Democracy. Butler
has not done so Why, sir, in his
speech in Minneapolis, the 9th Of this
month, on the political situation, he de-
nounced the two parties, Republican
and Democratic, most unsparingly. You
see, John, he was mad because the Chi
cago Convention did not nominate him
instead of Cleveland. or some other
man.
Now, as an independent Democrat, /
wish to ask what you meanl DO you
mean that after having refused to sub
nit your name to the Convention at
Tullahoma, where James ID. Richardson
was nominated, as Democrat, that you
consider should support man like
you tell you that if you had been
the nominee instead of Richardson
would have supported you, because you
are Il man worthy and well qualified
If the people should select you,
will feel that we have good, intclli
gent man. And you will have another
Independent Democrat to run agains
Col. Matt. Martin. Now, you know
how warmly you supported Col, Matt
Martin years agone, aud | would glall.
give my vote to Col. Martin. There
is, also, Major Lands, an independent
Democratic candidate. | would bt
pleased with him. In this fix wha,
shall do but support the nominee
Tell me-are you Democrat IN toto, OIL
Democrat and Grecnbacker both
Your frierd,