Mississippi index. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1865-18??, 1867-07-30

may Oe.
This very scheme was attempted in
Rome by much better men than you
Radicals are, and for a much better rea-
son than you give. It is not original
with you. You are but plqgidrising
traitors at best, and get your scheme
from the criminals Of long ago. If
did steal, would try to steal something
better, and from a more respectable
source.
If you will examin, and compare with
former times, the productions Of such
men as Stevens, Phillips and Sumner,
and their lesser followers and second
hand plagiarizers down South, you win
6ni all their Iaisefable jargon about
aliberty and equality The natural right
of man, and the "born right Of man
hood Suffrage" are borrowed from the
men who lamented social and civil wars
in Rome, and which have been repeated
in every age since, by those who have, mo
craftsmanship but the devilish ability of
exciting ignorant men to cut each others
throats. Republican Rome had an i'm
mense number of slaves and freedmen
and non-vOting citizens. She had a
landed aristOCraoy embracing compare
lively few of her people.
An agrarian law was proposed and
for a time was immensely popular, but
it failed and its first author was slain
His brother renewed the law and en-
larged it by proposing suffrage to the
slaves and freedmen with equal political
rights. 1t was said "there could be no
freedom without equality But the
brother also perished Then a great
general became the leader of the Radi-
Gals of that day, and he had more fame
and merit and ability and honesty than
all the Radical party of this day COM
bined, but be also failed. And why did
they all faili Because they we're at
tempting to engraft a government Of
force and robbery upon republican forms
attempting the absurd task of making
equal things which God had made une-
qual----attempting equality by taking
that which industrious and frugal men
had made and giving it to thriftless vag-
abOnds, and by depOsiting in the keeping.
Of ignorance and vice, e,pOwers and trusts
which intelligence alone can know how
to exercise and preserve.
But by the struggle Republican Rome
Rerisi1pd and never knew liberty again.
Nor was this all; her history from the
beginning Of the Agrarian attempt was
one of blood, and faction, and waste, and
ruin, until the goal of Empire was reach
ed. In the social and civil wars which
marked the struggle, more than seven
hundred thousand of her best citizens
were slain, and, besides these, whole pop
ulOus territories were exterminated.
1t may be that we Ofthe United States
have been so crazy in leaving the con-
stitutiOn----the only ark of safety----that
our Heavenly Father has doomed US to
perish, but am gratifed with a hope
that tits not so. If not, there is but one
method for our rescue, and that is by a
prompt restoration OF the constitution.
Will it comet Will we escape an
agrarian war, with resulting despOtism,
and save our institutions for our chill
drenf hope we shall; l believe we
shall. Though great effort is being
made----a designed effort----to destroy us
as Rome was destroyed, / believe the
effort will fail. l have great faith in
the AnglO-Saxon blood l derive great
encouragement from Anglo-SaxOn his
tory. Our liberty was not born in a day.
1t is not the work of one generation. 1t
is the fruit Of a hundred struggles, and
its guarantees have been perfecting for
eight hundred years. Many have been
the efforts to destroy it. Often the En-
glish Constitution was trampled on. Of
ten traitors sought to substitute arbitra-
ry will for we'll ll-established law, and Of
ten have the people for time been mis-
led. But thus far they have always
walked up and called the traitors and fac
tiOnists to account. Charles l. tram
pied on the Constitution. He had
judges who decided that his will was the
law, and all who resisted that will and
defended the Constitution were punish
ished as dislOyal. And it did seem as if
his power was irresistible. No doubt
if you weakened Radicals of the South
had lived in that day you would have
said, 'the Constitution is dead and we
must consent to what we cannot resist"
But John Hampden would not consent
He resisted. He was tried as aoriminal
for resisting and was condemned. But
what was the sequel The people final
ly asserted their power. Charles and his
ministers perished. The very judges
that condemned Hampden were them
selves tried and condemned as criminals,
and the very officers even the sheriffs,
who executed the orders Of Charles and
his court, were sued by the citizens for
damages, and had to pay nearly mill
ion dollars for executing the processes
of void, unconstitutional law For q
time traitors held the power and trampled
on rights, but vengeance came, and per
petual infamv followed