The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-09-23

A A~@AAFR fFf7 49, y W..
CORRESPONDENTS ii Jasper county I'M
inform us that Col Musgr0ve, u recent
speech 81 Antioch. in that county, reiter-
ated previous statement that the Editor
of THE CT ARIoN in connection with eth
or conservatives advised a caucus of the
conservative members of the Censtitu-
tiouaI Convention ITO defeat reconstruc-
.stion by forcing the majority 70 adopt q
reconstruction 50 obnoxious that the peo-
ssple would reject it. On referring the
matter to Col. Musgrove for an explapa-
tom of what he did say, he states, and
authorizes us to repeat, that our inform
ants misunderstood his reference to our
action if they attribute to him the lam
guage stated-that he said TIE CLARION
had advocated reconstruction ON the Con-
gressional plan up TO the election of mem
bers of the Constitutional Convention,
and that he did not charge us with hav-
ing advised in the caucus the defeat of
reconstruction by the measures described.
! We viii add that neither of the other
gentlemen referred to Gen. Freeman
and Hon.. Fulton Anderson gave such
counsel. The conference was held when
the Convention first assembled, and the
tenor of their speeches was an appeal to
the conservative members to hold their
seats and to protect to the extent of their
ability the interests of the people by OPP
posing all obnoxious measures. 1t was
then known that the leading spirits of the
Radical organization would dictate pol
icy more proscriptive than had been pre-
scribed in the acts of Congress for the
purpose of converting the State govern
ment' into ''close corporation" for then
own benefit. A few of the members
thought it would be advisable for the mi
nority to resign their seats, and throw
upon the majority at once the responsible
ty which they finally exercised of adopting
such Constitution as they pleased. 9th
ers proposed to defeat Objectionable meas
ures by a resort to parliamentary tactics.
But the conclusion of the majority OF
the caucus was to remain at Their posts
and do the best they were able to protect
the rights of the people from the contem-
plated aggressions of the Radica. organi.
cation whose leaders, ravenous for the
spoils- thirsting for revenge-and auda-
cious from the belief that they possessed
the power by means of their numbers in
the Convention to pass a Constitution a;
Ubiquitous as they might dictate, and by
means of their numbers outside of the
Convention, to ratify it at the polls Thi:
policy of the minority was faithfully
maintained until the imposition of an in
famous gag by the majority, deprivine
them of their privilege as members, com
PEELED them to resign their seats.
The attempt of the Radical authors O.
the execrable features of the constitution
to shift from their own shoulders the leas
share of responsibility after they haC
adopted them in the Convention anG
attempted to procure their ratification a
the polls-and finally had appealed to Con
gress to override the popular verdict, il
accordance with the dictation of the Con
vantion's Committee of Five, and tn,
plan of their Convention of Novembe
18th, which, according to the evidenc
of Tarbell, Fisher, and others, reflected
the unanimous sentiment of the Radica
party-is pitiful and pusillanimous eva
sion utterly absurd and too manifesto
false to merit consideration.