The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-03-12
An Able Letter from Col. GLENN.
CuIrMAN, March I'm, 1867.

Y
lfy Dear Sir Tin the confidence of our
old and long continued friendship, l take an
hour to write you and shall write with that
candor which has always belonged to me
when dealing with friend.
This is no time for any thing but the ex-
ercise of cool and dispassionate reason and
Judgment. Men must realize the present---
few do it--men must look II straight in the
face--too many shrink from IT. 1t is my
nature to look at things as they are, and to
act accordingly and at once.
have read Gov. Browns letter very care
fully and considered it well, and painful as
are many Of his conclusions, 1 cannot an
swer or gainsay one Of them Bitter as the
thought may be, he is right, and we ought
at once to adopt and follow his advice.
In six months negro suffrage will be forced
on us by the bayonet if we do not ourselves
adopt it. But bad as it is regard it as one
of the least of the evils which impend over
us, and ifw act judiciously we may make
it an element of strength instead Of weak
ness. Our first duty now is to educate the
white child and next the black. Let us ed
ucate them ourselves. Let US encourage
Southern men to do 1t aud aid and uphold
them In doing SO. Our Legislature has re-
moved all civil disabilities of the negro and
by wise and careful conduct do not doubt
but that we will establish such community
OF material and industrial interests that this
element of our population will do us no harm.
The question is simply will we yield the
point and make them friends or shall the
same DO forced on us by Yankee bayonets
with every circumstance of aggravation and
insult, making thonegro our lasting enemya
am one of the DISTINGUISHED classes and
view It with Indifference 1t is a wrong
which in my opinion will soon right itself
but if not, better SO, than to expose our peo-
pie to the dangers which lie ahead
The first of these is the complete and final
absorption of all State authority in Federal
Despotism, If we now stand obstinately
still, of course we remain powerless and only
furnish inviting subjects for the consolida-
tionists to work on. If we act at once and
again enter Congress, we at least reach a
stand from which we can make some resis
lance to this, now the great and permanent
danger in American politics and from which
all our future troubles may flow. Andiu
this resistance we would then have the CO.
operation of many of the ablest Northern
men and might be able to scotch the snake
if not to kill it.
The next is, we may be able to ward off
a general and remorseless coniscation ofall
Southern property 1t is useless to say that
the Radicals will never commit such an
enormity. From time to time they have
done things equally outrageous, without any
hesitation, and in this instance avarice and
lust Of plumber will come in aid of revenge
and hatred.
Many Of the best men in the South will
naturally revolt at this, but we must be
governedby facts and not by feeling. 1t is
said we Will compromise our honor; no
more in my opinionthat when the Convention
of 1865 abolished slavery, or when the Leg
islature of 1866 permitted negroes to testify
and admitted them to all the rights of free
men. Each and all of these acts were based
upon necessity and are the results of the
final and total overthrow Of the South by
arms onthe battle field
Ihave no personal interest to govern me.
l am one Of the "disfranchised rebels"
have no property to confscate. But have
deep interest in the recuperation of our
State. Iwish for quiet in her borders.
wish industry once more to resume its labors.
wish to see her widows and orphans fed
l wish to see her growing children educated
| deprecate further lawlessness, misrule and
Generalization. / deprecate, above all
things, permanent military rule, and SO long
as plank floats on the troubled waters up
on which safety may be secured, would
seize uponit and make the effort
Your friend,
ID. G. GLENN,