, 1870-03-20
THE NIsaIsSIPPl EAGLE.

The new Governor Of Mississippi gave to
the Legislature, few days Hnce, his in
augural address, which is, perhaps, In some
respects, the most remarkable effort OF that
sort ever made on a similar occasion The
American Eagle in his hands is made to
soar higher, scream louder, Zap his
wings more fereely, and generally split
himself more dangerously, than he has
ever done before The Governor accepts
the situntion, persuaded thereto By the fact
that " The Muse Of History closes to-day
chapter of passion, bloodshed, aud social
revolution, and proceeds to write down tho
fact OF this Inauguration as the first event
OF new chapter, "a chapter which, with
her pencil of Light she heads By tho hal
cyon words Of Peace and Hope" Standing
IN the presence Of such Muse as
that, struggling for Just utterances on
this occasion" he hardly needed to ask
pardon for "the profound emotion with
which receive from the hand Of con-
queror the crown OF civil law that, in
blending Of pain aud pleasure, bind this
blessed hour upon The queenly brow of
M1saissippi The pleasure, doubtless,
comes from his being Governor, the pain
from his having been seoesaionist; for
the Governor frankly tells Us he was 4
seoessiouist When he joined "his own
people " in that little unpleasantness, he
said, "The Rubicon is passed; join the
al1ny that moves to Rome" But he spoke
mot as sophist, after the fashion Of
Calhoun By no means; that would have
been altogether unworthy Of "a ,son Of
American liberty, whose heart is glowing
with the blood of 1776;" bat he spoke Is as
rebel after the fashion Of Cnsa1!" Nor
did be do this with his eyes shut It was
in "vrestle with madness" that he made a
sacrifice OF conviction, and even "durine
the first hour Of defeat, when lay with my
people crushed under the heels Of thunder
ing armies, accepted the fact that one end
Of the rope around my neck and another
around their necks had been grasped By the
hand Of the triumphant Suzesain!" We
think in such retrospect as that there
might well be an emotion Of pain, and when
mingled with it Was the present and pleasant
fact Of an Inauguration, that that emotion
should grow "profound" with pleasure, It
! would have been 50 easy for the Suzerain to
have pulled that rope with quite another
purpose and result! But the 6uze1ain was
/ always nerciful, as the Governor goes On to
tell us- He had no fear OF the rope. He
Was born with "the passions proper to a
man BON to freedom, and would suffer
death rather than trim to any suggestions Of
policy. But they throb IN my blood, subject
to the dictates OF justice and reason" And
then-ve do not exactly eco the relation,
but no doubt the Governor knew what he
meant, and We get At the fact about that
rope" they" (eithar tho "passions," or
the suggestions Of policy, or the ''dic
tatea Of justice and reason, ve don't know
which, |tdo NOT hide from mo tho fact tbs,
when, bone to the earth, lay PROSTATE
with my kindred Of the South, no heel
pressed upon my braast, no swordpoint
pierced my throat, no hand ightened the
rope that my own treason had knotted
round my neck The Suzerain against
whom my people and myself had raised our
hAnds in rebellion stood over US a. We Lay
upon the ea1th, and lifted his visor TO tell
rs that he gave ua back our lives, cur lands
our Liberties" Wasn't that good OF the
Suzs1sin7 No wonder that " For ono,