The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-05-24

the opinion that our people should
avail themselves of the opportunity
offered by Congress in the terms Of
the Reconstruction Act, to secure
admission into the Uuion upon the
same footing with other States. But
as his letters are devoted mainly to
the wisdom of his counsels in advis-
ing acceptance of the Constitutional
Amendment; to the unwisdom of the
counsels of others; and to denuncia-
ton of political opponents in the
past, their opinions and conduct-and
have but little relevancy to pending
questions, we have not reproduced
them in the Clarion.
The writer of this has never express
ed an opinion as to the action proper
to have been taken by the people
when the Fourteenth Amendment was
submitted; but he can well understand
that one might have advised the rejec-
ton of the Amendment, when it was
originally proposed, and still advocate
acceptance of the terms now rendered,
without mourning the charge of incon-
sistency.
was sN co Gu9bhsseditt #iREeh Of Of the Amendment
as in the case of the Reconstruction
Acts, that it would guarantee repre-
sentation in Congress and fnality in
all essentials. Nor was it coupled
with the virtual abrogatioD of the
State governments and their reduction
to Military Districts, subject in all
matters of legislation to the absolute
will of a military commando The
alternatives as then presented were
acceptance of the Amendment, and
without an unequivocal pledge of rep
resentation; or it's rejection and con-
tinuetion of the management of our
local affairs in our own hands without
other interference than such as is
authorized by the Civil Rights and
Bureau laws.
But our present object S to notice
a feature of Gen. Alcorn's letter which
meets our decided endorsement. 1t
is the impolicy of the people of the
States uniting with Northern
political parties until they shall have
the work of Reconstruction
which is now in progress. The South
I'm people are not in condition to
ender assistance to any party at the
Worth, how conservative soever; but
hey are in q condition to require that
hey should disarm enmity, and cult
ate the kind offices, of all, by strictly
tending to their own interests. On
lis subject we submit the following.
tactical views Of the Meridian Gazette,
licited by the suggestion of Gen.
1corn:
"We fully agree with Gen. Alcorn
lat it is "impolitic to unite ourselves
present with party at the North,
My so far as it is a party of restora-
on" The great living question be-
IRE the country is that of the reorgani-
ltion Of our State Government, and
lie restoration of the State. to the
Mon. 1t is very apparent that a
rye majority of the Southern whites
onestly accept the terms of Congress,
Id desire to accomplish this result.
e think this should be done by the
outhern people as Southern meas
e, and separate from any alliance
it'll the Northern Republican and !
emocratic parties. With restoration [
I'd full assurance of civil and Doliti- t
! rights to the blacks, to be estab- T
he'd in our State constitutions, the a
sues of the past would be settled, s.
d new political organizations wo I'D p
se. The questions of reducing the ft
les on cotton and tobacco, the low d
practicable tariff, and a general re e
ction Of the expenses of the Gov Il
lment, would be the policy TO COM a,
nd a party to the Southern people" tt