The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-07-01

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Joined.
In recent number of the Pilot, the or
gan of the Eggleston faction, suddenly
discarded its foreclosures towards the
Liberal Republicans, and assured them
in submissive tones that there no longer
remained cause for separation between
them and It's own faction. They were
even assured that if they would go back
on their own record against the Proscrip-
tive doctrines of the Eggleston party, the
latter in consideration of their surrender
of principle, would prepare for them In
the mansions of the Disfranchisers joy
Gus feast and robes of linen and fine pur-
pie.
The offer was not accepted. The pledge
of the fatted calf, and fine robes, did not
answer its purpose. 1t was not accom-
panied by guarantee that the Bitter
Enders would abandon their anti-Repub-
lican dogma of Prescription and Disfran-
chisement for past acts and for present
opinions sake.
The rejection of the offer Of reconcil-
iation on this condition is not strange to
those who are familiar with the cause of
separation. Originating in principle, it
is evident that the breach is not to be
healed by promises of ''feasts and
''robes."
The fact was palpable that the Repub-
lican organization as it existed when the
Convention of 1868 assembled, contain
ed germs of dissension which were irrad-
icable. The Extremists had secured
large majority in that body, but notwith-
standing they piled the party lash vigor-
ously, there were Republicans in the Con-
yention who refused to be lead by them
into the support of the atrociously vindic-
tive, DISTINGUISHING clauses of the Constr
tuition. OF these, Hon. j. w. FIELD, Of
Eowndes, is a conspicuous example
Many Republicans who sympathised with
his opposition to these provisions, at last
yielded reluctant support to the instru-
ment as a whole on balancing the good
of having our State restored to the Union
in the hope of speedy modification of
the Objectionable clauses, against the evils
of prolonged military rule. But when
it was attempted by the COMMITTEE OF
FIVE. in violation of truth, honor and
decency to set aside the popular voice
Il sol 81
the Constitution, and to force the reject
ed instrument and defeated candidates on
the State, the spirit of all fair-minded
Republicans here in Mississippi, as it sub
sequently did in Washington, famed out
against it. This Committee proclaimed the
election OF the Eggleston ticket-the rat
| ifcation of the DISTINGUISHING Constitu-
tion-and they decreed that the votes of
Carroll, Copiah, Chickasaw, DeSoto, La
fayette, Rankin and Yallobusha, should
be thrown out as ''illegal and void" in
order to effect the result thus announced.
In the Legislature called to be assembled
in this Proclamation" those counties
were omitted. 1t was not designed that
they should be represented at all.
Rev. Lester Williams, Grant elector of
the Third District, and Spiritual Adviser
of the Convention, truly testified to the
Congressional Committee that this pro-
ceeding was most foul and iniquitous.
The programme of the Republican
Convention of Nov 25th, 1868, was
born of this infamous Proclamation.
A majority of that body passed resolu-
tions declaring that the DISTINGUISHING
| Constitution did receive majority of the
votes, and that the State ticket, (the Egg
gleston ticket members of Congress, and
members of both houses of the Legisla-
ture, who received the same vote as the
Constitution, were elected" and Com
mittee (the Committee of Sixteen) was
appointed to petition Congress to enforce
this declaration with the bayonet
This was the feather that broke the
camePs back. Mr. Wofford, in behalf of
the minority, presented report earnestly
protesting against the proceeding, and
warning the INSCRIPTIONS majority of the
consequences. He denounced it as bad
in policy, worse in faith, and utterly I'M
true in its assumption of facts. The
minority sent Committee to Washington
to oppose the scheme of the Extremists,
and to protest in the name of the people
of Mississippi, against the fraud For
tunately Gen. Grant, after weighing the
testimony, and hearing the arguments on
both sides, approved their course and re-
commended its adoption to Congress. |
His recommendation was approved, and
was embodied in the act re-submitting the |
Constitution to the people with the privi-
lege of separate vote on the obnoxious
clauses. During all this fierce contest
the Moderate Republicans were assailed
by the Eggleston party here and in Wash
ington with unparalleled ferocity; but
they did not relax their efforts until the
victory was won and the great deliver
ance was wrought for our people. Such, |
in brief, are the causes of the breach and |
its progress. These causes still
exist. On the one side, the most
malignant purpose of prescription Gas IL
Illustrated by the recent wholesale expul-
sion of men from office not because they
could not qualify under the law, but for
opinions sake is displayed. The other
side carries on its banner, peace and good
will to memo proscription-no disfran-