The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-02-08
1fom tsse It.fofa mercury.
The Opposition Address.

attentive perusal #f
3 From che Oxford Mercury.
The Opposition Address.
1t was with very profound regret that we
observed, in late number of the Yicksburg
Wing an address to the people of Mississippi,
bearing the signatures of ten gentlemen, who
style themselves the Opposition State Cen
men of prominence in the ranks Of the oppo-
sition in this State. The paper in question is
marked by no very distinguished ability, and
is little likely, we think, through the force Of
its arguments, to produce any very deep i'm
preston upon the popular mind at home. 1t
Is utterly powerless, as we conceive, for any
good purpose; and we would gladly believe, if
that were possible, that it will prove equally
impotent for mischief.
The high character, position, and antece.
dents, of the gentleman whose names are ap-
pended to this remarkable address, alike for
forbid us to question either their patriotism
or the sincerity of their belief in the suficien.
cy Of the reasons they have here put forth
for the political faith that is in them; but,
without meaning anything offensive by the
remark we must be permitted to say that, in
OuI OpiuiOuI tACJ 41dNC o1diJ CilCu Jug"
ment, and that their address contrary as such
. result win be to the intention of its authors
can only be productive Of evil consequences
to the cause of southern rights, by afording
aid and comfort to the Black Republicans.
Let US briefly notice some of there errors of
fact and of judgment with which this ill-timed
document abounds.
Not the least among the various objections
that may be urged against it, is its lack Of ar
gument--its shallow, specious sophistry. If
it had presented stronger case against the
Democratic party, so as to have removed the
appearance Of q mere pretext for opposition
from its face, it could not as plausibly have
been pointed to by the Black Republicans as
an evidence of the fact that they have aflies
in Mississippi who are content to hide their
real purposes beneath only very transparent
veil. fgs 80 =
In the North, there are but two parties
Democracy and Black Republicanism Inthe
South, there also two-Democracy and Oppo-
sition or South American, the latter of which,
if it could carry every southern State, could
neither elect President nor command ma
iority in Congress. 1t is utterly unable,
therefore, to cope with Black Republicanism,
whose purposes will be-nust be-promoted
10 the precise extent of the success of the
South Americans, or 0ppositionists, in their
| struggle with Democracy. The sole object
openly ayowed-of the address we are con-
sidering, is, the destruction of the Democratic
party. Have theauthors of that address, in
their blind and furious hatred of Democracy,
ever paused to contemplate the consequences
of the scheme they advocate ? Do they not
see that it would leave the government in the
hands of the Black Republicans, and does not
every body know that these latter regard the
Democracy as the only obstacle in their path ?
Can those gentlemen protect themselves from
responsibility by pleading that these conse-
quences are beyond their intention? If these
consequences are inevitable, are they not res
ponsible? .....-. +--....z.-..r
In the present state of public feeling, who
believes it to be possible to interest fifty peo-
pie in Mississippi by discussing the questions
of tariff and internal improvements The
Central Committee, by seeking to raise up
again these dead and buried issues of long
forgotten Past, implicitly admit that they are
simply looking about them for pretexts for OPP
position, and that they have not the remotest
idea of presenting any living, actual, practical
question, as an issue before the country
They are mere Architects of ruin" and do
not propose any practicable thing as q substi-
tute for what they would fain destroy. Let
them but glut their lifelong hatred of Democ-
racy by accomplishing its ruin, and they seem
TO care not what shall follow. 3d.
As specimen of that fairness of reasoning
which distinguishes the address, let our read
ers contemplate the following: "A distinguish
Democrat in bold candor, lately pronounced
this the most corrupt government on earth /;
and his testimony, being against his party,
must be regarded as reliable" Possibly, it
was supposed that there might be found,
somewhere in the dark corners" of our State,
those who are green" enough to be affected
by such a caricature of Argument. If it be
true that it is in the power of any renegade
Democrat to pronounce final Judgment
against the party and consign it, by 0 single
phrase, to irretneVable disgrace, it must be OBJ
vious that this cannot be,entirely one-sided
game, and that from the mouths of those who
were once Wings, Know. Nothings, Oppose
tionists, ETC., it would be very easy to convict
the party of the authors of the address of the
very corruption they charge upon others.
A great outcry is made upon the subject
the expenses of the general government, and
the Democratic party is held responsible for
every dollar thatis expended. Or course, it
was not convenient for the Central Committee
TO state how many millions had been voted by
Opposition Congresses for purposes of internal
Improvements and other unconstitutional and
unnecessary measures in many instances,
over the vetoes Of Democratic Presidents
Neither was it convenient to let the people
know, through this address, that the Opposi-
tionists, though they were always prating
shout economy and retrenchment when they
were out of power, have never yet, when they
happened to be On power, made their practice
correspond with their preaching on that point,
but always made it a rule to 20 a little be-
yona their Democratic predecessors in scatter
ing the public money. But, supposing that it
were true that the expenses Of the government
are too heavy. Is 1eisa time to be casting
accounts and haggiing over sixpences? When
that bold robber-Black RepubIicanism-
stretching forth its hand, feeking with the
gore of our fslloW-citizens of Virginia, to strip
us of our al, does it become us to quarrel
with the only friend. who can. protect us
against our foe upon paltry question of dol
lars and cents
In regard to our foreign policy, the address
assails the Administration equally without
measure and without excuse. It is strange
that it should have been reserved to the gen.
tlemen who concocted that address to discov-
er the enormous mares nest to which they
call the attention Of our people, when they
declare that the Administration has made "a
costly and degrading settlement,-oneinvolv-
ing the sacrifice Of our country's honor--of
the question of the right Of search, assertedby
Great Britain. Upon this point, we have on
~ to say that we fear the Central Committee
have been imposed upon by some remerseless
Bag, who has practiced upon their simplicity
by passing off bogus documents upon them.
The address touches upon the slavery aues-
ton IN such terms as cause US TO regret rs
Mississippian, that we find gentlemen of posit-
ION among us who hold such doctrines. They
deprecate the discussion of the slavery, ones.
ton, and intimate that the South is lust as
much to blame for It as the North. "a few
fanatics at the North, . they saw. and "a fesv
alarmists and disunionists at the South. keen +
(the discussiOn) up for their own purposas ;,
The Black Republican party, Controlling near
" every northern State, and able, nrobahiv
It this moment to elect President and taFe
possession Of the Government, to be smoker
Of, by Mississippians to Mississippians, as "a
few fanatics p Every man in the country,
who knows much, knows that the South never
commenced the agitation Of the slavery ques-
ton. and that she never engaged in its discus
sion until she was driven to do 80 in sheer
dor <R,nun