The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-30

he does not stand upon even the plat
form of his party. Public sentiment
was arous.d d upon his subject in 1884,
and in the platform adopted by their
own convention the Republican party
made use of these words: "The Rs.
publican party pledges inself to cor
rec. tho inequalities OF the tsriff and
to reduce the surplus" Yet Mr..
Blaine comes now before the people of
this tariff State, as it is supposed 10 be,
AID declares that he Opposes sll legis-
lstlon whatever. He wants the present
law maintained, inequalities and all
As early as November, 1888, he wrote
a letter to Charlts +. Smith, az editor
of one of your pspers, in which, speak
ing on this subject, be said: This
brings with it the necessity of re-
ducing the national revenue. The
pret ent system of taxation is yielding
more than $l00,000,0O0 beyond the
amount required for ordinary expenses
of the government. lis reduction will
soon become ar imperative duty"
This was his position, taken de,ibsr-
ately in 1883, and this is one OF the
letters that was burned. [Great msr-
riment ] We are willing to stand
upon thst came position. We
simply stand in favor OF revenue re-
form. We have proposed nothing
else. And that reform will not inter-
feie with the wages Of single labor
ing man. On the contrary, it will pre-
serve and protect them. 1t will not
destroy single industry in this
country, but it will preserve and pro-
tsct them. Mr.. Blaine has also great
sympathy for the colored people Of the
South. He tells US what / do not be-
lieve to be true, and what no investi-
CATION had within the past two
or three years has proved to be true,
namely, that the colored people
of the South are deprived of their po-
litical rights. What peculiar informa-
ton has he to which the country has
not access? / say there has been no
complaint from the colored man him
self. l say there hiss not been O Pc
fition of any sort of Importance pre-
fented upon that subject in the last
two or three years in CongreFs from
single Republican Representative in
the South. They have Representa-
tives in the Congress of the United
States. Pray tell us when and where
was it that the colo ed people of the
South, through their Representatives
set up any such calm that they have
not enjoyed their political rights dur
ing the past two or three years.,
limit it to that time because tnat is
the period TO which he has alluded.
Grover Cleveland is the last man to
countensnce that. l point to you the
fact that he appointed from our own
State an intelligent colored man
to a position in Washington, and
that that colored man was re
jected by a Republican Senate"
The speaker suggested that Mr..
Blaine go to Rhode Island, where a
property qualification is required of
foreign born citizens, and preach the
gospel of free ballot. In reply TO
Mr.. Blaine's charge that the Demo-
Gratis played the game OF politics with
loaded dice, Gov. Hill said the charge
came with poor grace from a party
which rot only used loaded
dice, but marked cards, also.
In this category he placed the
Electoral Commission, and charged
that by refusing just apportionments
in legislative districts in such States as
Pennsylvania and New York the Re-
publican party msintsined control of
the United States Senate.
The other speakers were the Hon.
Samuel J, Randall, Daniel Dougherty
and the Gubernatorial candidate, @.
Rlack