The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1868-06-17

lished in the Washington Chronicle,
in March last, declared that the real
object of the reconstruction acts was
to establish suffrage for all. But the
eontrivers of this sch me, in their lust
of power and plumber, have not been
guided by the law of Congress. Pro
Tossing respect for that branch of the
government, and clsmoring for the
expulsion of the President for exer-
cising his privilege to differ nth it,
they have ruthlessly trampled upon
its instructions. and have said, take
this Constitution, or reject it at the
peril Of leaving open the question of
reconstructing Mississippi, and of
hazarding the election of your candi-
date for the Presidency.
Will any man, with the capacity to
judge right from wrong, say that the
provision of the constitution on the
subject of suffrage is not monstrous
injustice? One fourth of the intelli
gent population are to be debarred all
share in the government except to
pay taxes.
The white man who votes for this
measure participates in the perpetra-
ton Of gross wrong upon his race.
Less culpable is the negro who sup
ports it, because his capacity to dis
tinguish wrong from right is limited,
and he is generally the dupe of deprav-
ed white men. But nevertheless he
does not follow his own interest, any
more than he accords Justice to the
white population, when he thus lends
himself to the base uses of those who
assume to be his leaders. Expecting
to remain permanently in the South,
can he reasonably hope to promote his
own welfare by becoming the instru-
ment Of mean white men, in depriving
virtuous and patriotic class of citi-
zens of privilege which they cherish
above all others? To infict this
wrong, or to become the tool Of base
men, is necessarily to place enmity
between him and the permanent
citizens of the community IN which
he lives.
But he is told that it is necessary to
adopt this constitution in order to
retain the privilege of suffrage. This
is misrepresentation, uttered with a
purpose to deceive. The right of suf-
frage will remain with the negro in the
southern States, under the laws of
Congress, to be regulated hereafter as
justice and enlightened policy may
dictate. The real question at issue,
then, is whether thousands of the
white population shall be deprived of
this cherished right. None but cor
rupt, depraved, ignorant or deluded
man will assert the affirmative of this
proposition. fit be said that these
thousands ought to be DISTINGUISHED
for participating in what is called the
rebellion, then | ask who constituted
the aliens, white renegades and igno-
rant Africans that com posed the ma
jority of the Convention, a tribunal to
sit in judgement upon them =?
1t ought to be known that large
numbers of those who are disfranchis-
ed have been pardoned by the Presi-
dent for the offenses they are alleged
to have committed, and that under the
decision of the Supreme Court in the
Garland case, the pardon conferred
upon them, restore to them the rights
and privileges which they possessed
before they were committed: and il
ought farther be known that large
numbers of those who are thus pun
ished were original Union men, who
| opposed secession, and who were i'm
plicated in the so-called rebellion by
compulsion of the de facto government
which was established over them and
compelled their allegiance.
But this is mere pretence. It mat
ters not what part a person may have
borne in the civil war. It matters
not how deeply he was involved in
hostility to the United States govern
ment. 1t matters not how bitter, con
f1rmed and original s'rebeP' he was
nor what office he held in the military
or civil service Of the Confederate
! government, he is patriot worthy oil
all praise, and of suffrage ard hioh
Office at the hands of these Mongre]
despots, if he but consents to become
a traitor to his race; to lend himself
to the scheme of degrading it; and to
| join the combination of knaves and
traitors who are seeking the over
throw of the Constitutional liberties
and social condition of the communi.
/ ty in which he resides
To illustrate, it is only necessary to
refer to the names which these leaders
of the Radical faction have placed
upon their ticket. One of their can
didates for Congress was an officer
in the Confederate Army 1t has been
proven that their candidate for Lieut.
Governor was guilty of the crime OF
seeking to kidnap free blacks in Can
ada to sell them into slavery in the
United States. One of their candi-
dates for the U. S. Senate was hard
master in the days slavery. Carried
his slaves handcuffed with irons to
Georgia to prevent their escape to the
Yankees during the war; and accord
ing to the carpet-bag theory, he helped
to bring on the war by voting for the
ordinance of secession in the Conven
ton of 1861. All these men are shin
ing lights in the Radical party, not