Southern telegraph. (Rodney, Miss.) 1834-1838, 1838-02-20
MISSISSIPPI REPRESENTATION.

MISSISSIPPI REPRESENTATION.
It's rather the lac!s of representation @
which we come to speak; and would tina
we could do so in s''hon .hts that breathe
arti words ,hat burn" The sovereign State
ot- Mississippi has been insu'ed, degraded
disGanchscd, srurned from the door o.
Congre ss--by the "small voice" Of Speak
er Polk.
sscan such things be,
And overcome us like Il summer Cloud,
Without our special wonder.'' ..
Amusement almost paraiyscs indigna-
.,,cp. We arc nstounded at the hgh-hand
cd, impudent tyranny. Evil indeed are the
fines upon which we have fnl!en, that one
mere 'sman of wax''-a puppet stru'tng IN
the shreds aud patches of brief authority
should deprive thousands of ireemen of that
e riaht, without which, they are not free.
Re,r;butiou must now become our very re-
Tnion. Vengeance is duty we owe to our
ancestors. our country, ourselves. rosicrity.
Where sleeps the Iong-hushcd spirit of 'l6?
Where rests the 1.-Two thunder OF liberty,
that, forty years ago, would have rode on
the wbiriwind to crush these slayish meni-
as of power?
II there be one man Who can mock the
feelings with which the bosnms OF those
Wings arc filed who honestly believe that
in this last blow, they see the most
deadly one ever aimed at orr institutions,
we can pass over what we would consider
The errors Of his head. bnt we despisc his
heart. Washington, Jefferson, and Adams
deemed the love of liberty tho chief lesson
10 be laugh, in a republic, and, if it be per
mitted to their blessed spirits to watch over
the transitory things of time, what must
they .l,ink of those who sheer at what taeg
.,.r,, tho counterfeit patriotism which pro-
longs the burst OF anger throughout '.'e
whole State An honest man may easily
belong 10 a dishonest par'v-tor he may he
daceiyed-but Justice should arm herself
with whips of scorpions to ':lasI, the rascals
naked through the worio',' who, for the
corrupt lust of power, wouid treacherousy
surrender those principles of unbougtit, I'M
trammelod franchise, it has been our boast
20 I'm adnsring world, are the characteristic
marks OF our government.
In September, Claiborne and Gnolson,
elected expressly for the special session,
are voted in for the whole term by many
members, who thought that unless they
were permitted thus to take their seats, the
State (oh! how delicate were they Oil this
poin, hcn) would necessarily be without
repres entaiion. Influenced then bv .heir
attachment to the inaienable right of pari;-
cipa,ion On the part OF every State in logis-
lation. they make these men representatives.
fer time longer than the State intended
ttey should act in that character under the
July election.
In November the regular biennial cleo
ton is held--Prentiss and Word received a
largcrvote than ever was gwen in the State
for members of Congress. Tins it is prov
ed that the others were not chosen for the
Wnoie tOfirfeSS. I HeN present themselves,
claim their seats; their credentials, regular.
" authenticated, are referred to the proper
committee, who report 'sall the facts ia the
case," and upon their report Claiborne and
Gholson, are ousted. Then, without an;
objection to the time, the legality, the for
mality, or, in my way, to the certainty o.
the election of Prenfiss and Word wi.hou
any denial of their qualifications short
without assigning any reason, the House
nnmakes the trnc and only representative:
Of The State
If Preniiss and Word were .not member:
Of the 25'h Congress-" Claiborne aI.e
Gho!son certainly were; and if the House
had passed Its last resolution first, there
would have been no necessity Of passing
one at all in regard to Claiborne and Ghol
son. Er nccessitate rel, they were tht
members of the 18th Congress from Mis-
sissippi-
We look upon the decision as null ane
void. The Constitution of the u. States
the only authority, says-"Each House
shall be judges of the elections, returns
and qualifications Of It's own members.
No objection is made to the clectinns-the,
were held at the proper time, proper pIac
-