American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-07-27
"There are very few persons in this State
who think that negro suffrage can be pre-.
vented by refusing to hold u Convention"
T,,laa/r.I;-np

who think that negro suffrage can be pre-.
vented by refusing to hold Convention"
Canton Citizen.
We find the above in a Reconstruction
exchange, and it has been referred to sew
eeal times by the papers on 'the other side,
The Clarion having done US the honor to
aliude to il on two several occasions.
We certainly made the admission, and if
il affords any aid and comfort to our Shal.
labargcr Sherman. bill friends, they are wei.
come to it; but we must say, at the same
time, they are 1ard pressed for comfort.
But We submit that it is not fair to quote
a single sentence from a column article,
wrench it entirely from the context, and en-
deavor to use it against our party. Our ar.
ticle was written to show that notwith,tand-
ing negro suffrage could not be prevented
.jo' the time being by refusing to hold Con-
yenlon, yetit might ultimately be; that if we
refused to engraft the odious principle upon
our State Constitution, there might, and We
hoped would. be reaction in public senti-
ment at the North, and the Reconstruction
Acts of the now dominant party in Congress
would be repealed by a future Congress, aud
the State restored to its former status in the
luton without any degrading conditions =
whereas, if we held Il Convention and made
the measure a part Of our own organic law,
it would be tfrepocajlc-fzel upon us for
eyer--for with the Radical aud Negro vote
against is, we should never be able to gst
sufficient majority to repeal it. Such was
the argument, and such will be the fact
But our opponents say that the enfran-
chisement Of the negroes and the disfran-
chisemeut of our own white citizens, is
" fixed fact and cannot be avoided-that
there will be no reaction at The North-that
the present Radical Senate will hold for six
years, and The House for two, and that even
within the latter space Of time, incalculaLls
burdens and expressions may be heaped upon
US for our contnmacy in refusing to accept
the measures OF the present Congress. 1t is
not true that the present L. S. Senate will
hold for six more years. Senator's are elect.
ed for four and six years, and Congress is so
constituted that one. third come fresh from
the people every two years, in order to
insure that their will shall lie faithfully
reflected. Then there is the "right of in-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. may be instructed to
resign by State Legislatures, and very few,
we opine, would dare disobey the will of
,la ,t,p- lafr; rna fol
Besides, there are other means by which ma.
jorities are FILTERED away, and we prefer to
trust 10 the "chapter Of accidents even,
for a change, rather than adopt and endorse
the odious and unconstitutional measures
passed BY q fanatical and radical Congress
purposely to glut their own malice and de-
grade and humiliate US. We .Eill not crouch
~ Lay on McDuf, and be damned as they
SURELY will be in /" he good time coming
The main argument of the Conventionists
is that if VIC do not accept and adopt the |
terms granted US, others more onerous and |
proscriptiyc will lie prescribed that should F!
we refuse the present dose Of snake-root"
commended to our lips, we shall have poi
soned chalice prepared for US, composed Of
SIENNA, lobeliu, aloes, NORWOOD, aud little
strychnne-just enough to PROSTATE the
patient utterly and yet not quite kill. Well,
Of this last dose we shall say, as we say Of
he present, that it is a " hell-brotb," con-
eeired ia hell aud brought forth by devils
hat the amiable doctors who now have
,harge OF US may pry open our jaws and
'orce it down us. if they can, lin which event
We may be able to expel it, but open our
mouth and swallow it voluntarily, we will
never We had rather be extingnished By
v hite. sw elling than " black-death.'
But why should Mississippians desire to /
get back into the Union upon the terms of .
he Sherman bill Who among us could |
axe the iron.clad oath Who could stand /
Up in the presence Of his fellow. men and be.
ore Almighty God, and swear Tint he never,
" word or deed, gave aid to the Confederate
suse, and that he never even "sympathised'
With our noble "boys in gray" in their strug-
lie for freedom If there is a native born
;outhron who can do this thing, we think
e is totally unfit to represent the free
white citizens Of the South. It is clear that
&c could only be represented by yankees,
egrocs, or Southern Radicals Would not
i,her of these classes misrpreseHt, rather
ban represent the people Of Mississippi /
. is patent to every one that to gain admis
ION into Congress, We would have to elect
only men who could take the s
on-clad oath, but who would vote with {
nd sustain the Radical party in 81, lis nefa- I
Gus measures. In proof Of this, we need q
My port to the case Of Kentucky. She |
Congress sent loyal Representatives. |
en- who were ready 20 taxa the test oath u
t they were rejected! And Why Simply U
cause they Eere not Radicals. Can Mis- u
ssippi, rebel State, hope for better treat. '
ent than was awarded TO loyal Kentucky
hoover thinks so should be cut for the I
simples' "
The Sherman bill is moustrosi,y, dirty c
ing, presented in the Cest light it may be, f,
ID NississiPpians should not touch il q
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