Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-01-29
PUBLIC LEDGER.
GEN. ALCoRN's SENTIMENTS.

Hon. j. L.. Alcorn, senator eiec' rum
Mississippi, addressed the Legislature
at jackson last week. A report OF the
Clarion shows that, as matter of pol
;cv. be thinks the Southern States should
ratify the Constitutional Amendment
We regret to see a public man OF Gen.
Alcorn's prominence and influence take
this course. No good will come of it to
himself or the Southern people Such
language as this, coming from such
source, will surprise the reader;
He had been accused of having said
that he would rather affiliate with the
Radical than with the Democratic party
of the North 1t was true. He asserted
that the Radical party we're better friends
If the South to day, than the Democrats
over have been since the secession OF our
representatives from the Halls OF the
National Capitol-he spoke OF the fact
that Democrats, as we'll as Radicals,
we're arrayed against us in the late war,
and that the old leaders OF the Demo
cratic party in the days of Ions. ago,
we're now influential members OF the
Radical party-said that the people OF
the South had nothing to expect frem
the Democratic party of the North-that
Il would ever desert them in the hour OF
need.
Most extraordinary language Wepre'
sumo that Gen. Alcorn wishes to obtain
his seat in the Senate. BY whom is he
kent out of it By the Democrats in
Congress? No. If they possessed the
mower. the members from the South
would be admitted at once The Radi-
Gals whom he prefers to Democrats, bolt
the doors of Congress and tell him and
his colleagues to stand back. Is it pos
sible that he prefers Stevens, Sumner,
Wade & Co., to Doolittle, Cowan, Sauls
bury and others? We are amazed. An
other part of the speechis reported thus:
Can we ask, as honest men, that we
shall 90 back into Congress with larger
representation than before secession
can we demand representation for one
norton of the freemen of this State and
refnse them the right of suffrage? DO
Won ask different rule of representation
in the National Congress from that which
Won adopt for yourselves in your owR
State? The Congress of the United
States -even the Radical party of the
North, proposes to give you the same
representation that you give yourselves
and say you shall not be allowed repre-
sentation for the negro unless you allow
him 70 vote If you would be successful
Won must be logical, and to be logical
Won must be Just, and he asserted that
he was willing to adopt an amend
ment to the Constitution on Just
and logical grounds-stated that we
were now in the midst of a
reyolution-that gentlemen seemed to
think that we were in the Union, but that
we were only a surrendered people,
awaiting the decisions of our conquerors.
The people of the North were preparing
tho conditions, and if we treated them
with contempt we were not acting the
mart of wise men. True, the President
had offered propositions but he was only
the Executive. Congress has proposed
an amendment to the Constitution of the
limited States. Sixteen of the Northern
States nave alreduy TdtlHSu IL, anu tHp
others would followin their train. True,
he had objections to portions Of the pro-
pesed Constitutional Amendment, but it
was now q question of diplomaey-we
have 10 meet tits not for us to decide.
The march oEradicalism is ever forward.
Does Gen. Alcorn attach no import
ance to the decisions of the Supreme
Court? Has he forgotten its recent de-
cisions which arrest the forward march
of Radicalism ? Is the Executive power
nothing? Is a million majority of
the American people nothing2 Are tho
Summers and Stevenses everybody and
everything Is nothing to be expected
from revolution in public sentiment
He tells his constituents that they must
be logical. We trust that they will not
descend to the logic of negro suffrage.
We have great respect for him person
ally, but are compelled to think that his
speech is most unfortunate for himself
aud the people of the South. twill give
a new impetus to Radicalism in Con-
gress, and delay, rather thar forward,
the restoration Of the Union.