Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1840-04-18
SOLDIERS RErREAr, April4, 1910.

/ SOlUlLkN ut III 4t ! pill = l7tA'
| GrNTlEMES: Your note reached me Jus, rs
| | vas preparing to leave home, or | would have
| responded to It IN person at the contemplated
( meeting. would cheeruy acqulesce IN your
views, but business transactions, and the desire
feel to meet the liabilities incurred for others az
well as for myself forbid acceptance Of any po-
| liical station whatever. have the more readily
come to this concluslon,n not from any abatement
of zeal but from the conviction that Sparta has
many older and better soldiers" than myself Was
| master of my own time | would enter into this
contest wlhall the enthusiasm Of NY nature, for
there never has been period when the democrat
lc principle required more aid from It's iuends.-
We ave IN great crisis. The financial system
which IN all civilized countries is closely blended
with the public liberty, has utterly exploded, and
we cannot nov clam to have circulation based
ellher on the precious metals or on credit In
Europe such state of things, in this CONNER.
ciaI age, would be followed by immediate reyo-
luton. Neither Proclamations, nor bay0net4,
nor the dramatic representations Of legislative as
sembles, would prevent L. How nearly are we
approaching such state Of things in the United
Saes!--Nlen's minds are all anoat; there is an
utter want of confidence between man and man;
we are at sea without a chart dismasted and
flounderIng, with shoals on our lee, aud breakers
right ahead How we got there it is not neces.
sary TO say. feel persuaded, however, Ihat
nothing can save us fiom rapid deteroratlon--
nothing will stay our downward tendency to dis
organization, so visible in all quarters, but the III
umph of the Democratic Principle. We must
again steer for those great landmarks provided by
the Trainers Of the cOnstItutIon-thOSe conserya-
tive doctrines that limit the power Of government
to the strict letter OF ITS grant, and we must a
bandon those projects of theoretical development,
those artificial, hot bed plans of forcing the coun-
try through IFS adolescence INTO fail grown maturi.
ty, by expansion Of credit we have not resources
to malntain The philosophy of history shows
that IN a government organized like ours, there is
little danger Of revolution, for the people being
essentially with the legislative power in then own
hands, have no occasion to resort to violence -
But If we continue to drift in The current which
Is sweeping US along, we of the south must incv-
llably become the victims Of exhorbitant taxation
and unnatural trade The government must have
revenue, and the tariff ten tunes more calling
than McDuflie ever supposed it, will he rveled |
upon the producer with clamps Of iron, and IN
der the forms of tree government we shall suf- |
Ter all the evils of depotlsm. Are you willing |
TO submit to a bondage such as Ihls, for the sake
Of what is styled the credit system We must
resist it for the south--lor our homes and alnls
which will desIroy--tor our loved aud beaull-
III whom 1t will beggaI-- for our young but no.
'lo Sta'e--"our own green land forever "
Land OF the beautiful and brave
That ireemans hOmethe martyrs grave
Oh never may son oil thine,
Whereer his wandering steps incline,
Forget the sky which bent above
His childhood, like a dream ofluve--
The Stream beneath the green hin flowing,
The broad-armed trees above it growing"
Our great object in the present contest is to bring
,ack the government To The starting point, and TO
eform those systems that have broL ght upon this
country the evils Of bankruptcy; destroyed the
public credit, and lowered among all parties, the
standard Of morals. In this great war Of pInc-
lies, as said before, there is loud call on MS for
'ctvity and vigllence. | speak particularly in ref
renee to our own State. The Wings Of Mssissip-
u have proud array Of lofty talent, moral worth
md generous enthusiasm and in our own commu-
iIy many OF them are endeared TO us by assocIa-
IONS and attachments stronger than party bonds*
" see them on all sides preparing Tor action, and
dHUNult VI SuCCCSb. Dul Intlr cries OF ufHunCe-
heir shouts Of exutaton will hurrah up many a
democrat now sleeping at his post. We have one
treat advantage in this contest.-We have hereto
ore fought with all the influence Of The banks a.
salnst us. But these institutions are now paraIiRcd
ma Ike the people OF Paris, on the downfall oil the
oaSllle, We can now see, unterrlod, the sources OF
nat tremendous tyranny which has so long afflicted
he country. II was never believed that their pow
n to do evil could so far transcend the magnitude
u the country. No one ever deemed that the
ranks would become such instruments of oppres-
non, But 1t is now conceded that in respect 10
hem we reSembed huge animal in the coil Of
| Boa Constructor" which must he gently uhrca
ed untit can be safely gorged. lis fate was hut
'rotiacled the moment OF iugurgtalion comes at
asst, and when the stated monster lies down TO d.
pest his prev, those who have looked on and pedg-
q themselves To the lnIpraclicabIhy Of the feat,
II d That It IS not only practicable, but actually ac-
omplshed After the dreadful results that we see
round MS, the panorama of distress and ruin and
insolvency tina Is passing before u.s. trho can doubt
ne INJURY inflicted on Mississippi by The banks
Noi one Of these banks erer had a legal or coaai-
Wionat existence. so declared when as the rep
esenatye Of this county in 1879, | protested on
he journal against the Incorporation of the Planters
'ank. Like brood OF Shiny reptiles fIom the Mis-
sSlppt HEY crewled into existence through
reeas'e OF the constitution but now, thanks be TO
'od they are fast Fastening to dissolution. Their
Iand'ng army Of agents, employers, brokers, job
erS, pumps panders, DULLES and merCenaries which
ere quatered through The country, is now disban-
"a, and they are 10 De stalking about Ike dis
1ntented ghosts, whose shinpaslers will not ferry
lem across the Styx
An Athenan orator once proposed that instead of
me magistrates they should annually elect nine
AMBASSADORS, chosen from the poorest citizens, Who
light be sent to Persia, and return rich This sar-
ism on the corruption of that day has been realz-
IN ours; for throughout the Union we see bank q
hcerS, chosen without capital, swell at once into
- q
u allude 10 such men as Colonies Wilkins aud n
ngaman, gallant soldiers IN war and public bcne
ctors IN peace. never compGmented these gen
'men when was in pursuit Of office, because my
oiltSs were .labic d Lalscanstruciinn hnt now