The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-12
SLTERAIN'S THREAT or THE DAG
GEE IND THE TORCH.

You do me great injustice In the "heading'
which you wrote 10 my article in yesterday pa
per, when you say, inadvertently, no doubt, that
because the Republican party Is not successful in
getting control OF the South by the ballot he
thinks the dagger and the torch ought 10 be tried"
do not think anything Of the sort, and submit In
all fairness that tho most stnincd construction Of
my article could not be tortured into such mean
Ing know you will De glad to correct the mac
cumcy. Ny language explains itself
wN II MooRE
Mr. Moore Is evidently not logician or
he would have realized before he had writ
ten the letter which unpublished yesterday
that il could not fail TO be taken for an
endorsement OF Gen. Shermans threat Of
the dagger and the torch, A second
thought would have convinced him
that in this letter he was making
himself to that extent responsible for
that threat. II he had taken the
time and the trouble to fairly recall events
rs they have transpired at the South since
the war, he would have seen that there Is
not now and has mover Mt any time been
condition of wholesale suppression Of
tho ballot in tho hands Of the
negro that would justify, ii anything
could justify any such threat. Civil
war is dreadful ordeal when ii
Is in part conducted by such instruments
as Gen. Sherman, Gen. Hunter and tho late
Gen. Sheridan, who boosted that he had 80
laid waste the Valley OF Virginia that a
crow 10 make the passage Of IL would be
compelled TO carry ntions. Nothing in
the form OF defamation and destruction
could be worse than this except Crom-
wells bloody massacrcs in Ireland. But
far worse than either would be the torch
aud the dagger in the hands OF iniuriatcd
NEGROES spurrcd ON to murder and inccn.
diansm by white assas5ins, having only
what Gen. sherman himself charac-
tcrizcd ~ the ''s~,mg' Of justice for
| H. Dreadful must be the state OF
the heart that could cooly second the
writing Of such threat, aud what makes
1t worsc he is an old man, toi,cnng on the
brink OF the grave, waiting Tor the final
summons. We willingly accept this letter
100 disclaimer and acquit Mr. Moore OF
amy purpose To second or inlorsc q threat
Of 20 fearful a doom upon a people whose
relations 10 the negro are prompted by a
kindness and consdcutcncss that no man
or woman, north Of the Potomac or the
Ohio, is capable Of feeling or measuring.
We take Mr.. Moore's word for il that ho
did not intend to 20 so far, but IL no will
read Gen. Shcrman's paper again, and
read his own letter after IL rs carefully as
he should have done before he sent it to
ms for publication, lac will sec that
no other construction could have been
put upon Il but that which our caption TO
II bore, aud which be- promptly rcpudiatcs.
lie has only TO recall the fact that the ne.
grocs vote at all elections throughout the
South, and In all Of tho States hold Office,
and that they vii in many Of the Southern
Legislatures tsomc,hing they do not do
at the North, he has only to 10 this TO
realize tina, General sherman WAS prompted
10 make his threat aud suggestion Of an
assassin like vengeance, because the Re-
publican party has not been successful in
getting control oi the South and the ballot