The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-11-01

TO Ihe People Of the First Con.
@ressEonnl District of ~
Tennessee.

Eariy III the canvass the people I
gave unmistakahle evidence of II
strong preference Of the Hon. A. A.
Taylor.
He iind horn the standard Of the |
party nohly, grandly and galAntly, |
eight years, ago as Dist. Elector for
Hayes and Wheeler.
Two years later, although the choice
OF large majority Of the party, he was
cheated and defrauded out OF the
nomination for Congress by Pettibone
and his cohorts.
Two years after this, he laid aside
every personal consideration and ac-
cnpted the nomination as Elector for
the State ut large on the Garfield and
Arthur ticket and made one of the
most brilliant canyasses ever made in
the history Of Tennessee, and two
years ago, MS is well known, the party
managers such men as Judas Iscarriot
BroWnlow and Ananias Reeves, and
they representing that colossal fraud
A. H. Pettibone, solemnly promised
and pledged the race to Mr.. Taylor in
1884. Acting upon this promise, nc
cepting it as made in good faith Mr.
Taylor and his friends entered hearth
~ into the support of the ticket and
by their effort secured the election
OF Pettibone, which otherwise would
have been impossible for the reason
that he had secured his own election
two years prior to this by promise
Bolemnlv made Mt the Greeneville con-
.yention that he "would never again
ask nomination at the hands of this
constituency"
Now after all this hard work for the
success of the party by Mr.. Taylor
and his friends, the fruits Of which
Pettibone and his friends have enjoy
ed, how have they rewarded
Mr.. Taylor? Have they kept
their promiseY The history of the con
test shows.
A call was made for a convention
and the Republicans met in their re-
spectivecounte to choose delegates
to that convention and it is fact well
known that the Pettibone men delib-
erately entered into Il conspiracy to
organize and did organize bolts i'll all
of Taylor's strongest counties, thus
to carry by fraud what they could net
do openly and fairly.
In Mr. Taylors native county, Petit
home was present in person to see that
tho work OF injustice WAS done Tay-
lor's friends numbered 604 men count
cd by ,Ins. w Orr the leading Petit
hone man OF the county and Petit
homes friends seeing that they did not
have half this number refused to
count, hultcd and appointed a scoerat,
list OF delegates with Pettibone present
leaking OH and sanctioning this gross
outrage and injustice being done
Mr.. Taylor
Al Jonesboro W. +. Drownlow and
Tom Reeves loltcd with only sever
men besides themselves ont of con
y"ntion numbering one hundred nnC
eleven delegates.
The fraud thus commenced in th'
county conventions was continuct
NJ the Joncrlmio convention. !
lot Of holtcrs and fraudulcn
delegates under the leadership o
Boss Brownlow, Boss Reeves ant
other Bosses of less note organized
in opposition to the regular conven
ton.
This action on the part Of Pettibon
and his men we charge was the resul
OF deliberate conspiracy to cheat
wrong and defraud A. A. Taylor on
OF the nomination for Congress an
we have proven it to be preconcerte
plan by the sworn statements of A. j
Bowman, r. NJ. X. Deakins, Zac. Pel
and others.
But this was not the end OF thi
dark plot Boss Brownlow went I
Nashville and tried to get the Stat
Committee to set both convention
aside and order another convention c
Primary Election which he finall
succeeded in having done. And no
comes the darkest page in this foules
of political crimes. No sooner ha
they arranged for the Primary tina
every ofiee-liolder and Petty-boss b
longing to the ring begun to food til
Dist. with money and whiskey an
the result was that the will of the pc,
pie was defeated and this corrupt an
abominable ring triumphed over 0
was accomplished by the corrupt III
OF money and the prostitution of of
cial power.
Not only this but from the begi
ming Of this contest Mr.. Taylor al
his friends have been slandered al
abused by this hireling throng, eve
to the extent Of attempting to blackt
private character BY the basest falls
hoods and some OF them under Il
sanctity OF an oath. That spirit
patriotism which forms the true ha,
Of American citizenship has been ct
rupted and debased by this ring
vile and unscrupulous men and t
cause oi liberty and good governme
has received deep and lasti
wound.
The ballot which is the cham
through which the great prerogati
OF government flows from the peol
has been polluted by bribery and pc
ular government III our midst rend
cd farce.
All this calls for decided action
the part OF all patriotic men especia
on tie part OF the friends Of him W
has been so grossly wronged, outrag
crushed and defeated by this y
corruption.
And now as the friends Of Mr.. I
lor We appeal 10 those who honor a
respect him and above all to th
who love the cause for which we |
tied to rise up in their might and j
hands with honest and patriotic n
everywhere to overcome this corr
ring Of political vampires that
eucking the life blood out OF the /
nle af Ills Dist. Mhat chance