The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1870-12-10
Gov. Hoffman ON Democratic VictO-
ries.

Governor Hoffman, of New York, was
serenaded a few nights ago, by the Jack
sonians,' Of Albany, and responded as fol
thank you, Jacksonians, and fellow
citizens, for this visit of co%ngratulation.
You have a right to rejoice over the Dem
ocratic victories that have been won inthis
State and elsewhere. Here at least il was
a victory of the people over attempted
force; an Endorsement by the people Of a
Democratic State administration, and q
condemnation by the people of Federal
mismanagement at Washington and of
Federal interference in New York. When
the Democratic party came into full power
in this State, at the beginning of 1871, for
the first time in nearly a quarter of a cen.
fury, its representatives promised, in its
name, to correct the evils of the past and
to give to the people m honest admins
tration Of State affairs. The promise was
kept, and twice since the adjournment of
the Legislature have the people manifested
their apprOval-once when, by a triumph
ant maiosity, they elected to the bench of
the highest Court Of the State, under the
amended constitution, the distinguished
iurists who now dignity and adorn it, and
again by the reelection, by a majority far
greater than was given in 1868, of the
whole Democratic State ticket.
cannot, my friends, in this serenade
speech, discuss at length what the Demo-
cratic administration of 1870 has done to
command this popular approval. 1t Is
enough to say that, among other things, it
redeemed the credit of the State and paid
4, nNII t1,a tnfnxaot ~, fIaf t.Arfinn Of fin
State debt that was CONTRACTED in gold,
which for nearly seven years previous a
Republican administration had failed to do.
1t restored to the cities of the State the
rights of local government-the rights of
which they had been ~unjustly deprived for
many years. 1t abolished throughout the
State, except in New York city, the regis
try laws, which had become odious to the
people and were attended with great in
convenience and expense. 1t broke up the
county excise boards, which had become
mere political machines, used, not to sup
press intemperance, but to Cypress the
people, and sent all matters Of excise to the
boardo f town officers, to whom they prop
erly belonged, and who were directly re-
sposible to the people of their localities.
1t gave to the people of the State improved
canals and a better plan for their manage
ment, inaugurating o system which looks
to making them in the end substantially
free. 1t struck a deadly blow at the evil
of special legislation, making the session
Of the legislature shorter by nearly two
weeks than it had been for many years,
the number of laws more than IN hundred
less, and diminished the statute book three
hundred pages or more when compared
with 1868 oil 1859. II caused to be en-.
acted many general laws which rendered
unnecessary in future the numerous spe-
cial acts which had encountered the statute
books. II increased, also, the powers Of
the board of supervisors, which, by the
constitution, are the local legislatures Of
the counties.
Our opponents, realizing the popular APP
proval which would follow, and the intense
| dissatisfaction which pervaded the public
mind IN regard to the administration Of
affairs at Washington, felt that 10 was nee
essary to find some "cry' which they
could shout in the peoples 'ear, and to
adopt some extreme measures by which
they could regain the vantage ground they
had lost. The cry they chose was fraud
in elections in the city Of New York.
They must Be stopped And the meas
uTes they adopted were the use of United
States officers and the United States army
TO intimidate electors and to control cleo
tons here, charging, though falsely, that
heretofore the Democrats had carried the
State by fraud. They set themselves to
work ia. carry BY intimidation and force.
In the city or New York, especially, they
aimed to break down Democratic majonties.
A United States Judge selected the super
visors who were to supervise the elections
there. / abstain from criticising his Of
fetal acts, except to say that ! an content