The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-05-27

Brooke and myself spoke from this place
that / gave expression TO the same senti'
ment!
/ declare to you, fellow citizens. that in
my Judgment this whole matter OF suffrage
universal sudrage-has passed beyond the
pale of debate. liz Is out of reach, beyond
control. The late Presidential election Is q
popular endorsement of the 18th amend
ment and the reconstruction policy of Con-
gress. Negro voting Is conceded and start
ed with In all elections preliminary 10 state
reorganization. If IL were proposed To at
tempt to take 1t away, the l4th amendment
meets you with the declaration III you do
so, you cut down your votes In the lower
House of Congress nearly quite one-halE"
In my view, then, this 18th amendment
imposes no new or additional terms. Ii
places us in no other condition than that we
already occupy. Ii Introduces no rule OF
suffrage, than already obtains. Why, then,
is this 18th amendment proposed 1t springs
from the logic of necessity, aas well as par
ty policy. 1t would not do, when mems
minds had become calm and sober. when the
| ephemeral exigencies of the hour had been
subserved, to stand before the world on the
principle, that the negro in Mississippi is a
proper voter, whilst his brother of Ohio Is
not; with this difference, that he of Ohio
has had all the advantages of long freedom.
| perhaps of education, and is therefore the
better qualified of the two for the franchise.
i Colored suffrage has ever been a most dan
gero~s element in the party politics of the
Northern States; whenever submitted 10
popular vote, it has been defeated by heavy
majorities. The Republican party, step by
step, has approached, until It became final
ly and fully committed TO it.N It were ex-
pedient, therefore, to withdraw this troub-
lesome subject altogether from the arena OF
party and popular politics. The effectual
way to do this was to stow away in the form
of an amendment TO the Constitution. When
! laid away there, il is no longer open to pop
ular agitation; party is delivered from the
| risk and danger of encountering il.
The amendment will bring uniformity 1t
! breaks down the discrimination In the Chi
cago platform that there shall be one rule Of
suffrage, TO be determined by one class of
| States for themselves respectively and eX-
| clusively-whilst law of suffrage shall be
| provided for the others by Congress. Ii
seems to me, therefore, that Mississippi
ought not to hesitate to aid in commenting
| to Illinois, the precise same policy, which
Illino is proposed for her, but did not take TO
herself-and as the vote of Mississippi and
| the other Southern States, may be necessary
to carry universal suffrage, in any of the
States, who have heretofore kept IL out, or
are now disposed to do so, that she, and they
will not hesitate TO give that vote.
Before many years the colored race will
be much more ditfused through the Middle
and Western States than now. Caprice,
restiveness and business, will stimulate To-
comotion and emigration, SO that the States
north of us, will have accession of this pop
ulation, which will proportionately dimin-
ish il here.
1t does seem in the course of this worlds
affairs, that all great historical nations have
been subjected TO the scourge of civil war
History perhaps teaches, that there are some
problems that can only be solved by the
sword, and the shedding of blood Bat when
submitted to the stern arbitrament of war,
the decision is once for all, and final. In do
nestle wars, whilst raging, and when even
the smoke of conflict has first cleared of, IL
does not distinctly appear what results have
been achieved. We can now discern moro
clearly than twelve months ago; much more
so than in 1866, some of the influences per-
manently impressed on our Institutions
One is the absolute indissolubility of the
Union of the States-a Second is the free
dom Of the servile race OH the North Amer
lean Continent; TO be speedily followed by
the like freedom, on all the islands and con-
tinental States, laved by American waters
"a Third, is the incorporation of the Afri-
can race into the body polite, with the cor
relative duty of instruction-a Fourth, is
magnification of the powers of the General
Government to that degree that this great
Nation can put forth It's gigantic energies,
financially, and otherwise, as a unit, to ac-
complish grand results in the line OF its de-
velopment and progress!
Instead of debating its authority to make
internal Improvements, II has scaled the
mountains, and spanned the Continent with
Pacific Railroads. The time may come when
LHcSt lTOn Dl2uWdys VI anu
will radiate out from the center TO the cir
conference of the Republic, like the spokes
of the wheel; and the magnetic telegraph,
manipulated as the postal machinery OF the
Government, will vibrate and pulsate In ev-
cry town and village, with messages from
the heart or business.
For MYSELF | am disposed to take my
State from her isolation, and hitch her on TO
the car of progress; to place her in such
condition that the rich streams that flow out
f-o Nha oil frno may NOT Hnuf
past her; but that some of them may flow
in upon and through her; animating, ener-
giving and enriching. want 10 open wide
the door, that people from the North. the
East and the West; from Europe and If you
please from Asia, may come in and dwell
amongst us, and feel at home. | want no
more strife, or contention, than such as legit-
imately belong to the field, the shop, the
mart, and the profession. If there be any
where, envy, hate, or uncharitableness, let
it be plucked out by the roots; let every
'man do all he can at the present and cherish
pleasant, animating hopes of the future
Let there be absolute freedom of opinion Of
the tongue and pen. obedience TO and en-
forcement of the laws; and soon, very soon
our State will arise refreshed like a strong
man from his sleep. Population will pour
into eur towns and country. Cultivation
on the hill sides and valleys will open up
fructifying sources OF wealth, and the spirit
of heaviness will have passed away. and
cheerfulness and prosperity, as with pleas
ant garment.
Looking away from the present TO a not
distant future-and there arises to the vision.
such a nation, and such a country as the sun
in all its rounds, never looked down upon
China, with a territory not larger than the
area Of our thirty-six States, excluding the
territories, has a population OF 6OO,00O,OUO of
souls. She has not mile OF Railroad, nor
an inch of Telegraph. Heretofore she has
hat off ayta ual
ore or two trading sections on her coast
Recently Burlingame has whispered in the
ear of phlegmative exclusive Celestials |
something of achievements in civilization
of the Western nations. The result is, that
China has shaken off the dust of the ages
has broken down the partition wall which |
separated her from the nations-and by |
treaties, has opened her industries and ports
TO the commerce of the world. From the
Pacific slope, we are the nearest of all the
maritime and commercial States to this new
and exhaustless commerce. san Francisco
and San Diego will be the entrepots, for
America and Europe, of the teas, the sinks,
the spices, the japanned wares, of the East.
These Pacific Railroads will thunder them
across the continent for home distribution
and European expectation.
Who can estimate by figures what this |
may do for the nation? III Venice. Genoa,
Lisbon and the Dutch cities were made great
and rich by the meagre factory trade of the |
east-if London of to-day is the financial
and commercial centre of the world, because
of her traffic to the East-shall not the CEN
tire of the worlds wealth, and trade and
power, be transferred to this country I'll
population and labor enough to till these
rich lands Of the Southwest, shall not GENE
from the more crowded States of the North,
and from Europe, why may not these Pa
cifie Railroads bring from the exhaustless
hive of the East some Of its surplus TO make
our fallow fields TEEN with precious pro-
nnpfg- None nf the aluUUiah darannan ct
Of distant powers can stand in the way of
expansion. One by one, when the time
comes, they viii be absorbed. Rather than
cherish gloomy memories of the past, send