The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1847-08-28
Rom The Pauld,ng True Democrat.

Ehe convention at MOnticellO--Or an
impartial history of a partial Caucus.
The public press is entrusted with a great
and important duty. Sustained by the people,
to the people only does it owe its allegiance;
and by the people only can its conduct be con-
trolled. The public is the great tribunal of
appeal for thepress; and when its liberty, even
its existence, is threatened Iby the demagogue
whom its independence and incorruptibility
may have surprised and augered, to the people
it securely turns for a triumphant verdict in its
favor.
II has gone forth to the people Of this dis
trict and of this State that Gov. A, G. Brown
was nominated Shy reclamation" at Monticel-
los that all rival candidates yielded to the tow
ering superiority Of the genius and personal
claims of his exCellency, and that, in very
shame and wOnderment, the hHLe Ellows for
whom the rabble multitude had audaciously
expressed a preference, coweringly skunk away
before the dazzling pre-eminence Of the only
great man in Mississippi-the Thomas Hart
Benton of the State. "No opposition was Of
fered, says the official report of the Monticello
convention, and having no opponent, Gov.
Brown was "nominated by acclamation."
Strange reclamation indeed. Why, from the
fancy sketch Of the secretaries in the official
report, one would imagine that the roof Of the
Monticello Courthouse was being rent by the
thunders ofvociferous voices, united in a pwan
Of praise to Albert, emphatlcally "the Great"
And yet the roof Of the venerable courthouse
was not even endangered by the deliberate ut
~terance ofaf few voices that claimed the scarce
ly audible Gay" which announced that Albert
Gallatin Brown was the "by acclamation''
choice Of the Monticello Convention. There
was no enthusiasm there-no evidence that the
heart was in concert with the tongue; but on
the contrary, the most palpable proof that in
action and disgust pervaded the assembly.
The plain truth is that a majority of the dele
gates who were legitimately empowered to
act for the people of the several counties in
that Convention, went there instructed against
Gov. Brown, and prepared in obedience to their
constituents, 10 support a man to which there
was no objection and could be none on the
ground Of ineligibility. To their astonish-
ment they found themselves called upon to
participate in a packed convention ,-packed
too, by the Industrious minions of no less
man than that impersonalion of the pOlitiea
virtues, the Benton of Mississippi, who in mod
est imitation Of his illust,ious prototype, limits
his term of public service to q quarter of a CEN
fury. And now for the evidence that A. G.
Brown, through the authorized fundamentally
of others, didpack the Monticello convention,
thereby fraudulently securing his own nomina-
ton and thwarting the clearly expressed will
of a majority of the voters of the 4th Congress-
ional District.
Gov. Brown, in his affected anxiety lest the
people of this district should not be fairly rep
resented in Convention, sent forth an address
in which he adiured his friends to speak fol
him in the convention, and declared the malig-
nancy of foes who were about to deprive him
of the opportunity to throw off the "swaddling
clothes" Of the nursery and put on the gar
ments Of political manhood. The governor
was very pathetic in his illusions to himself
and, indeed, an involuntary tear must have
coursed his cheek, when reverting to those
who were seeking to compass his political ru-
in. An astounding fact, too, that "challenged
his belief" was oficiously revealed to him by
some indiscreet ''source,n which should have
had more consideration for the tender sensible
tiles Of the first executive officer Of State. We
cannot do Justice to the meritorious sentiments
of Gov. Brown, which, no doubt were promp'
ted by his high sense of political rectitudc
and led him to embody in his incompara'
BILE address the following sensible protest a
gainst any attempt TO pack the convention:
81 have heard from a source that challenges
my belief, that efforts have been made and are
now making to pack a convention. | do not
know that these efforts have prevailed or will
prevail to any extent, But l protest against
all such conduct as UNFAIR and UNMANIY, calcu-
lated to break up all political harmony, and
DESTROY ALL CONFIDENCE IN THE CONVENTION sYs-
tenn"
Right, sir, your theory meets with our cor
dial acquiesCence, and your sentiments would
do honor to your head,-had they only a res
ponse in the heart. As it is they are highly
discreditable, for they unveil a deep d~uplicity
"a gross inconsistency between sentiment aud
action. Can it be possible that the man who
penned the admirable truths we have jussquo-
ted, has been the first to incur the guilt Of their
infraction to signalize himself as an instance
of consummate double dealing with that peo-
pie whom it has been his boast to reverence;
and to brand himself-as broad, and deep, and
inehaceable as brand could be-with that most
unatonable of all political crimes-wilful hy-
pocrisy, premeditated deception Of the people?
No less painful than imperative upon US, is
the task Of unmasking the late fraud called a
convention. 1t is due to the people that they
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