The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-03
ME. JAMES PHELAN's FIRST
SPEECH OF TIE CANVASS.

=
canvass, and we feel sure will satisfy
and crafty his friends and silence his
enemies, il he has any: 1t is an able !
speech, clear in its purpose and clear
in lis statement of that purpose. 1t ls
scesch that would do credit
TO any man now in Congress,
and is proof, if any were needed,
that the Democrats OF the Tenth
Congressional District in presenting
him for the sufrages of his fellow c'ti-
zens made selection worthy OF the
intelligence of the district, sand emf
nently worthy of Memphis as the
growing commercial metropolis OF the
Lower Valley OF the Mississippi.
When Mr.. Phelan's name was first
mentioned by the APPEAL rs a young
man worthy the position to which he
aspired, stimulated thereto by a
rea enable and laudable ambitloo,
there were not few who she ok their
heads in doubt. He was new to po-
litical life, he had not served in the
Legislature, 60 often degraded to the
level of moot assembly in which ig-
norance, stupidity and impudence
may find free vent for their varying
humors at the public's expense and
the enlargement of the public's
business. Mr.. Phelan had not
passed through this school. He
had not been Alderman nor Coun-
Gilman, and above all, he was not
known as a member OF any of the
Cliques or rings whose bargaining
aud selling and trading mskts
mockery of public morals and sinks
the highest interests of the people
to the depths Of the dungheap that
carries heavenward the attest Of its
strong decay. He was an untried
man, and 80 far as he bad taken a
share in local political affairs
was regarded as an impracticable
man, as dangerous to the hugger-
muggering, self constituted party man
ayers as a match in a powder maya
zine. He was liable to go off at any
moment and blow up the structures
erected at 50 much expenditure OF
management, OF cousiniug and petty
cunning and craft. He was, too,
trained and educated thinker and
was dangerous, especially from the
standpoint of the independence which
ignorance guided by ever 50 much
cunning never can reach to. While
those who threw doubts in his path
to retsrd and prevent the consumma
ton Of his ambition were planning and
plotting Mr.. Phelan was studying men
and events and preparing himself for
the tests to which he was subjected
before he was nominated and for the
supreme test to which he willingly
subjected himself yesterday by the dis
cussion of the most vexiug of all the
questions now before the American
people. No man can read what we
print of what he said of thst question
yesterday without feeling that he has
mora fully elaborated it ard more
clearly stated his views upon it than
any OF the public men Of the State with
in the past twenty years. He takes his
stand upon the Chicago plstf -rm, and
tells plainly what he would tax with
tariff, and what he would admit free
of duty in the interest of the
masses and OF American indus
tries. And he is right. Absolute free
trade, in view of the neces-
sites of the government, is an impossi-
bility. Without revenue thu United
States could not exist day. That
revenue must be collected from i'm
ports, and the Democratic party has
always held that it should be collected
from those things that are deemed
to be luxuries go that the neCes-
saries of life, those things
that enter into general consumption,
may be brought to the poor man as
cheap as possible. If in thus adjust
ing the tariff many or few industries
find protection it is purely incidental,
and is not protection intended and
arranged for as the primal OBJ
ject of tariff legislation. The
Democratic party has always been
opposed to protection as something in
violation of the one and greatest
purpose of the people in the forma-
ton of our government to prevent
class legislation; to prevent the build
ing up of IA favored few at the expense
of the many, as the Republican party
has done; to prevent the encour-
agement Of greedy monopoists VINO
would fill their pockets and live in
luxury at the expense Of the blood,
sweat, agony and lives of the laboring
masses. Mr.. Phelan's sympathy with
the misses is a plainly evidenced feel.
ing in all that he has said to the public.
A plain, unassuming man, who has
always been closely affiliated to the
people, he looks as if Of them az we'll
as for them, he looks more like
farmer, man OF the pillow, than
professional man, and his every day
manner aud speech ia like theirs. He
is a thorough Democrat, real and
not a preteniious or sham Demo
crat, with words upon his lips
and contempt in his heart, and when
ever he thinks or speaks upon the ne:
cessities OF legislation so urgent and
appealing, he thinks and spsaks as a
man Of the people, whose sympathies
are as broad and as deep as their
needs. Memphis aud the Tenth Dis
trict are fortunate in such q man, for
tunate in bin as a nominee,
every way worthy and well
qualified to represent them in
the Fiftieth CnnurAss 10 which