Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1851-185?, 1852-05-19

sever the teSs as 4 trust IL never may
shall prefer to see it dore peaceably.
If language means anything. the gentle
mans party in Mississippi was about as far
committed to secession, by their resolutions,
as was my party. shall hold myself rospon-
sible for the resolutions Of my party in gener-
al convention, and ask the gentleman to as.
sumo no higher degree Of responsibility him.
self
Ny colleague complains that Democratic
Senate in Mississippi elected Wing (Judge
Guion) to preside over it This was not the
first time that such an event had happened,
and therefore it was not even singular In
the palmiest days Of Jacksonism, Col Binga-
man, an old-fashioned John Quincy Adams
Wing, was elected both Speaker of the House
and President Of the Senate; and / heard
nothing said against it, 1t caused no political
convulsion in the State. Men and parties
moved on just as they did before. 1t was a
tribute to his high character and exalted worth
as a gentleman and a native Mississippian
A Democratic Senate did the same thing for
Guion, than whom Mississippi boasts no more
noble, generous, and talented son. If Demo-
cratic Senators were willing to waive their
claims TO the Presidents chair, and the DEM
Ocratic party made no objection to Guion's
election, pray, sir, who else had right to com.
plain But, says the gentleman, "When
the Wing President was elected. the secession
Governor (Quitman) resigned, and placed that
Wing President Of the Senate in the Office Of
Governor" / can appreciate my colleagues
"afliction Of soul at the accession Of a Wing
to the gubernatorial chair but | hope he
may find consolation in the fact, that the Wings
have done him some service in their day and
generation.
Ny colleague cannot. l am sure, mean to
convey the idea that Quitman resigned with a
view Of conferring the Office of Governor on
Judge Guion. My colleague is very familiar
with the facts attending Governor Quitman's
resignation. He knows how be was charged
with participating in the FIRST Lopez expedi-
ton to Cuba lie knows that whilst others,
who confessed to have been at CaraeAaS, were
permitted to visit tlis city and to travel
everywhere, without molestation, Quitman was
hunted like a common felon, and finally forced
to resign the Office Of Governor He knows,
too, that when he presented himself in New
Orleans, and demanded a trial. the prosecu-
tion was instantly abandoned. All this my
colleague knows. There is abasement enough
in it for our State, God knows, without making
the resignation Of the Governor the pretext
for further charges.
The gentleman speaks Of standing
army" projected BY Governor Quitman, and
recommended BY him to the Legislature.
And this, he says, was a part Of the "seces-
sion scheme" / have heard Of this stand
ing army" before, and / will exhibit the
monster in all its proportions. Some years
back, when the gentleman was Attorney Gen.
eral, and was Governor of Mississippi, the
subject Of recognizing the militia was dis
cussed. 1t may have escaped the recollection
of my colleague, but it has not mine that we
concurred in the opinion, that the militia sys-
tenn Of the State was a nuisance. According
", in preparing the Executive message, |
brought the subject to the attention Of the
Legislature; but nothing was DONE My sue
cessor, Governor Matthews. took up the sub
ject, and pressed it on the attention Of the
Legislature; but with no better success.
When Governor Quitman came into power,
he took it up where Governor Matthews and
myself had left it. and, like ourselves, he
failed in getting the favorable action Of the
Legislature.
I always regarded this standing army
as one Of the humbugs Of the campaign. l
had the fullest confidence in the wisdom and
patriotism Of Governor Quitman, and con-
fess, therefore, never to have examined criti-
cally his scheme for recognizing the militia.
But if / am not mistaken, it will be seen by
reference to the record, that he was following
out substantially tho positions taken by me,
and which / had no reason to suppose met
the disapprobation Of my present colleague
and the late Attorney General Of Mississip-
pi:
II there was not much more in this stand
ing army " than | have supposed. it Is mine
claim it by right Of inveAtioS. It was my
squadron; first put it in the field. But as
the relations Of Mississippi with the Federal
Government were at the time Of most pacific
character, not extending beyond dispute
about very small fraction Of the two per
cent. fund, and as the compromise had not
been heard Of, l hope to escape the imputa-
ton Of harboring hostile designs against our
relative, "Uncle Sam. /"