American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1865-11-23

Notwithstanding this decision thus EN-
phatically made by an umpire selected in
part by herself, Great Britain halted, hesitat
ed and refused the result of which was, that
a new convention was concluded at London
in November, 1926, represented on the par
of the United States by Mr.. Gallatin, and on
the part of Great Britain by Messrs. Huskis-
son and Arlington.
The effect of this third negotiation was the
payment of one million, two hundred and four
thousand, nine hundred and sixty dollars, to
be divided amongst those whose slaves had
been carried off by the British forces. The
sum was ample, the compensation complete,
and the owners who had lost their slaves
during the war Of 1912, received it, with feel
ings of gratitude to the government for its
noble and successful efforts in their behalf.
What we have written relates to the past
to an era in the history of onr country, when
every man within its broad limits might just
" exclaim, "Thauk God, / too am an Ameri-
can c%itizen.' To an era when the "Star
Spangled Banner"-the emblem of a nations
birth and greatness-protected on land and
water the rights of every citizen of this once
glorious republic, whether rich or poor, high
or low, and when there was no shame in ex-
claiming with the poet
"Forever float that standard sheet,
Where breathes the foe but falls before US?
With freedoms soil beneath our feet,
And freedoms banner waving DER us"
But of the present what shall we say ?
Four million dollars worth of property taken
from the Southern people by the simple stroke
of one mans pen and the fortunes of war
Not war carried on by the British, as in the
war of 1872, but a war of invasion and OPP
preston prosecuted by those whose forefath-
ers With ours asserted the heaven inspired
principle, tu"t al so'ciun'"' N
lust powers from the consent of the govern
ed"
Cities sacked, towns and villages burned,
cheerful old age aud smiling infancy spit up
on and outraged, and-but we forbear.
Is there to be no compensation for all this
loss2 Are the widows and orphans Of this
poor, bleeding land, and the old men and
non.combatants, whose property has been
ruthlesslv snatched from them, to linger out
a life of penury and want2 Is that govern
ment which from 1914 to 1927, persistently
and successfully prosecuted the claims of its
citizens against Great Britain, for the de-
portatiou of a few thousand slaves, going to
become the robber of those whom it claims
to have always been within the Union2 We
think not. We hope and believe that a bet
ter day for this poor, down-troi1en Southern
people is comlng-a day which shall cousign
to everlasting lnldHIi ulsH'"SV "i"
the whining sycophancy Of New Enganit Pu-
ritanism, and elevate to power, with Andrew
Johuson-the representative man of the true
American people-at its head, the great
Democratic party-the party of liberal views
and enlightened patriotism. When that day
arrives, compensation in some shape will
come, hut not before.
And until it does arrive let US "contain
orr souls in patience obey the laws of our
discharge all the duties of good
citizenship, and prove to those who are to
come after US that we had not lived in vain
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The Memphis papers are greatly horrl-