The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-05-06
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES -

recent federal appointments, mention,
two from his State as specimens. o.
OF them, said Cameron, was a constit
uonal drunkard; the other constitution
al thief.
some OF the appointments in this in
mediate section are positively scandalou
that Of Peyton, Of this county, to II
office Of United States Marshal of III
Southern District Of Mississippi, for e,
ample 1t is known that he cannot trutI
fully take the oath of office. 1t require
HIM to swear not only that he has neve
voluntarily borne arms against the Uni
ted states, but has ''not given aid. coun
sci, countenance, or encouragement t
- persons engaged in armed hostility there
to. This oath has once been taken by
Peyton, and it led to his Indictment fol
perjury. Conviction would have beer
unavoidable because the facts were unde
nlable; but through the cIemeney of the
United States District Attorney the case
was dismissed.
If Peyton had plead that he was draft
ed and served as {. private soldier, there
might have been an extenuating feature
in his defence. But the pitiful plea Of
his having rendered Involuntary service Is
taken away by the, fact that he sought
and obtained the place Of Lieutenant
Colonel which-was proof of his willing
( ness to serve
His acceptance Of the present office IN
wolves a repetition of the discreditabIe
act for which he was once indicted
We have no idea that these facts ever
came 10 the knowledge of Attorney Gen
eral Hoar, in whose Department the APP
pointment originated much less was Gen.
Grant cognizant Of them But the pub
lie don't hunt for excuses for the mistakes
Of officials; and the Administration, or
the party of which it IS the representa-
tive, viii bear the odium.
In like manner, it may be said that if
any motive exists to build up the Radical
party in this part, by means Of Military
appointments, the work has moi been well |
done. As Il cotemporary, the port Glib |
son Standard,) truly says, mo party, |
however powerfully backed by extra
''neous influences, can hope. to succeed, |
whose local leaders and representatives
ARE without character or influence, and
care despised by the great body Of the
people If Gen. Amcs has been as sue
''cessful in the choice of his instruments
I'm other portions of the State a. he has
''been in Claiborne county, his prospects
81 ofsuccess are not very fattering. If his
scheme works elsewhere rs it has thus
50 far worked here, he Is doomed TO a most
''mortifying disappointment.
His appointments, in this county,
" says the Standard, instead Of hatter
ing the colored men and securing their
sympathy, have only provoked their
anger and disgust. They expected,
while they regretted, that several Of the
"old officers of the county, who could not
conscientiously subscribe to the oath
prescribed by Congress, would have to
yield their places 10 others; but they
never expected nor desired that their
successors would be taken from Il class
''of persons for whom they have no re-
''spect, and in whom they have no conf
"dence."
The worst thing that the enemies OF the
Radical party could have wished to betall
it in this State was the selection of
men to administer the laws who are
are odious to the people, by reason OF
their advocacy OF proscriptive measures
and their active efforts to stir up strife
between the white and black races in or
der to aggrandize themselves. These APP
pointccs. who are a bane to any party, will
Of course be confirmed in their political
so long as they are permitted
to live upon the drippings of the public
treasury; but their support, such as 1t Is,
is obtained at the cost of the favor of the
rest of the community.
This much in regard TO appointment
a subject which is so trivial compared to
other matters claiming attention that We
expect TO busy ourselves very little about
them. The mere bestowment Of official
reward OH this, or that creature of the
hour, by Gen Grant viii not weigh a
feather against the sense of gratitude
which we sincerely feel for his rescue of
our people from the EGGLEsToN INFAMY
which would have placed them under the
most hateful despotism ever known. And
we can afford to give little heed TO the APP
pointments of Gen. Ames, in the trust
that he will secure fair play i'll the pend
ing election. The appointments 10 office
are trifling matters compared to the issue1
of life or death involved in the struggle
in which our people are. about entering,
and which should absorb their attention
to-the utter exclusion of all other public
questions.
The Valley Road
We learn from the Tallahatchian that
tho citizenS IF TaIIohatchlc county are