Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1853-06-18
From the Ticksburg Sentinel.
Reply to MIR. James PheIan.


hearing before the readers of the Sentinel" and
ask in return that my answer. which shall be
courteous, shall be published in some paper of
general circulation among the people, where you
say, 1.-THE dark shadows of coming events are
lengthening."
From the first portion of your letter, one would
infer that | had done you injustice" in saying
that you were prominent actor in the conven-
ton. - and that you professed that "you and your
friends and Col. Reuben Davis friends, attended
the convention in good faith" also, that did you
injustice in saying that you were warm in your
structures upon some who stood in armed hostility
TO the Convention" But further on you admit all
ever thought of avering. All you seem to con-
tend for is, that did not understand you to say it
in the convention ); although You did say it in n
certain caucus (of members of the convention
whereby hangs il tale" Very well. l am glad
that no longer have to rely upon my inaccurate
remembrance of facts" nor my readers upon my
'carecssness of composition" in this matter, but
have the advantage of your accurate remem-
brdnce, and of your careful notation of facts ;
which they will perceive correspond exactly with
nv own.
From a careful perusal of your letter; deduce
the following. your position: You and Col. Rtu
ben Davis entered the convention in good faith,
and intended to abide by It's decision If taIiy OBJ
tame that Col. Davis ''was at oil times willing
to abandon his position las candidate ifthe har
mony of the d, mocratic party demanded it,
Have not stated your position correctly ? If so
there are only two questions to settle. LIST. Was
the decision fairly obtained end. DID the har
mony of the democratic party require Col. Davis
to abandon his position
Before rortedng to the discussion Of these
points. will remark that you assume another po-
>itun in your letter perfectly antagoniStic TO that
just stated. to-wit, that the Northern counties had
the right TO choose tie hoater. GU do not say So
| believe in many words, but that much may
be inferred, and the news papers report YOU say
ing it directly. 1t is clear that neither YOU, Da-
Wis, nor the counties that recommended him
thong Int until alter his defeat, or YOU would not
have submitted his claims to the convention. The
fact of your having asked the convention for Il
nomination for him. Is proof positive that YOU
and he thong hit Men that the convention had the
right to chouse, and not the Chickasaw counties.
And YOU were right, for as all had to help elect
him, all had an equal right to aid in choosing him.
That position of yours YOU will readily perceive,
is manifesty erroneous. and is entirely at war with
your own former action, and the professions in
your letter. You would hardly have been so fool
ISL, nor would Col. Davis as to have asked the
decision of convention in his favor when that
Convention had no right TO decision in the mat
ter and when he thought, as he SAYS, that it
would vicnlze him.
Admitting. then. the jurisdiction of the convcn-
ton, as YOU have. do. and must, we will inquire
now whether or not the decision fairly obtain
ed ? You say that it was not but that ''prong,
Insult and outrage" was committed upon Davis,
his friends, and almost the unanimous body of the
Northern democracy" This is a very grave
charge, and | ask in what does the 'wrong in
suit, and outrage" consist? Where. when and
how inflicted Your only possible answer is that
the North claimed the tloatcr. / answer she got
him. But you would say that she had a right
to choose him. But then you have just acknowl-
edged that the convention had the right to choose
him. and proof of your belief you sought the
decision of that convention in his favor and fail
ing to get it, you set up this claim for the first
time You go I'm to say, that ''the secret (of his
defeat) was withheld from him that he did not
want to be thrown before the convention and re-
jected, and all with whom YOU converled, thought
his election CERTAIN" until Capt Barksdale told
you better. That was surely time enough for ii
prompt man. and one sensitive MS Col Davis seems
to be-. to act. But low does this charge of score
cy comport with what you say, about "a certain
caucus, whereby hangs tale % In the "care-
leSsness of composition. YOU forgot that you had
Just written. that, when the proceedings of that
''caucuS" had developed enough even for tho an,
initiated to that its oheCt was the selection of
.Stote Rights man for Gocernor, and a Union man
far Congress-" DC. All You one of the unini.
tioted and yet perceived that much Wonderful
powers of penetration. certainly. Then, after ali
! Won ,-ota peep under the curtain 1t could moi
have been very vii guarded. or you compliment
yourself very highly ~ !, US then no secret
to vou ''uninitiated' YOU were, tnGtt the State
Rights men had determined to have the governor
and were willing for the sake of harmony, to give
the Office of tloater. to the Union men. What right
have you therefore to complain of secrecy ? Sure
! " none But the fact is there was no secrecy a.
bout it; it assumed the shape of fixed fact, u
when the convention first organized; so salts.
fed was of it. that persuaded my friend, Col
| w. II. Johnson. not to link of the office of Gov
ernor, rs no Union man stood any chance of get
/ ting It, The State Rig hts men claimed it, AS il
was the leading place upon the ticket and The Tn
ion men assened TO it, inasmuch as the State
| Ri. hts par the dominent one. ! certainly
did not receive nor mpart secret in relation Il
the convention, during its session, nor have
! since 1t there were any secrets was very
much sighted in not being initiated" but Meth
er ''wronyed. nsulted. outraged" thereby
But again you and Davis knew that If A. State
Rights man was chosen for Governor, that he stood
little if any chance TO be selected for Congress-
believe it you who proposed to select the
candidate for Congress first. The proposition was
made and voted down, and we learn that YOU and
Col. Davis felt assured from that moment, that he
stood no chanc, especially after State Rights
man was selected for governor. If he was SO anx
ious avoid defeat. and felt that defeat was GER
tain. and we are told that he openly declared that
he thought it then certain, why did be not with.
draw