The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-08-18
Letter from Col. Robertson Topp,
ofMemphis ON the DIsguis.
ed Radical 3faRRuYre.
MEMPHIS. August 9Th 1s-o

l>dLuaIl, u aud others.
GENTLEMEN Il am in receipt of YOU
hIghIy complimentary letter of yesterday
and hasten TO reply. If the name demo
crat be obnoxious to some of the Wing.
on account OF "reminiscences of the past
I they should remember that both of the ole
parties with their Issues and leaders for all
practical purposes. are overheard and with
! them should perish the animosities growing
out OF these conflicts. There are now no
| questions TO divide Us. and none can be
named upon which we differ. it Is bes.
that by-gOnes should be by-gones. The
trick to induce Wings 10 form separate
party, that divisions may spring up, and
the Radicals profit by il. il well understood
/ Every party must be known and distin-
guished by some name. il is impossible 10
| dispense with name and not very impor-
tant what that name may be The present
! Conservative party ~is composed of the
/ Wings and Democrats of the past: the
| young men of the present, and OF all Con-
| sentative men, by whatever name hereto
| fore known. who are in favor of the Consti-
| tuition, ana the supremacy OF the laws and
| the sacred unalienable rights of the States.
! Out of this material, tie greater part OF
! whom have passed the ordeal of fire and
/ blood, ana come out purified. we can. and
we SNAIL construct the grandest aud noblest
! party that ever existed. The name is but
( the result of accident. During the war
/ when anarchy and Radicalism was in the
ascendant when men spoke with bated
/ breath when the halter and stake were
1 threatened; when freedom Of speech and of
/ the press were stricken down when thick
coming disasters were upon US. when the
Constitution was aSsailed and liberty ieOD-
ardized, the defenders Unconstitutional tree
| dom rallied, and raised the banner of DEM
ocracy. In this name, Willard Salisbury,
Garrett Davis. Jesse ID. Bright. Dan Nor-
hees. &. l.. Vallandigham, and William L.
Sharkey. with a few but noble brotherhood
of patriots in each of the States forgetting
the names and differences of the past band
ed together, and battted for our rights de
spising danger, and the frOwns of power
Following their example. let us raise that
flag. gather under its ldSall good and lust
men at home the vOtaries of liberty from
abroad. and mcrch on to greatness, glory
and enduring prosperity. When the war
was over, extreme malignant, and incompe-
tent men held the reins Of power and con-
trollcd the legislation OF the country. In
stead OF restoring peace, harmony and kind
ness, by their uuchastened ambition. by
their,capacity. theirSsSaults upon tbtCon-
stitution. by their cowardly warfare upon
the southern people, they have made what
they call peace more intolerable than war
such was our condition when General
Grant with the pledge let US have peace
was elevated to power General Grant was
uncommitted to either party, had no friends
to reward, no enemies to punish"
By falling to do as he might have done:
ny tdiitIS 10 Ills NdOlneI unknown men ana
extreme partiSans; by placing his admins
tratiOn under the exclusive guidance of
fanatics; by fostering a system OF taxation
which eXempts wealthy bOndhOlderS and
beggars the poor laboring men of the coun-
try; by sustaining a tariff which DlundprS
the many that the wealthy few NAV be en-
riched; by holding the offices of the country
as the legitimate spolls of party henchmen
and kinsmen; by falling to adopt a policy
calculated to expand commerce and develop
h.
unnecessary expenditures that the debt of
the country might be paid by refusing the
only sure course calculated to heal dissen-
sions and restore harmony to the people,
General Grant and his party have done
much to DESTROY confidence, still more to
cast cloud over the pros perity of the future.
With the South hey have exhibited an I'M
interruptc series of wrongs. insults and de-
ceptiOnS. They waged war. a they said, TO
restore the revolving States To the Union.
When the armies under Lee aud Johnston
surrendered and gave their parole, every
man in the South said. I've accept the sit
uation. We will go back into the Union.
We will do all that we can to rebuild our
shattered fortunes and restore confidence,
prosperity and fraternity to a bleeding
country Restoring the States to the Union
was the lie asst of their objects. The inquisi-
ton, it is said, would not have been so terri
BILE If something else than the souls ofJewS
and heretics had not been hunted for; nor
restoring the States to the Union ii that
alone was sought. The sequel has proven
they wanted something else. They wanted,
above all things, to perpetuate their wretch
ed party in power. 70 do this. they desired
to place over us Northern men. that they
mi CHIT mOnopOlize all the offices, control the
legislation, feast and fatten upon the spoils
Of the South. TO do these things it was
necessary to exclude all the native citizens
from voting or holding Office under the pre-
that fhpN 1iSlONal- To fill these
places they sent out a horde of janisaries
charged with the duty of poisoning the
minds and hearts of the black race against
the native whites, hoping by so doing. that
they would obtain lifelong lease of gov
erning, controlling and plundering the
South. In this lies the secret of their re-
measures their horrible oaths,
their infamous legislation, their assaults up
on johnson and the Constitution, and their
base ISLANDERS upon the Southern people.
To conSumate this, may be seen the reason
why some of the States are still excluded.
Can any man able to spell BARKER fail To
see this? In aid of this scheme. General
Grant has been more than snppliant and out
Heroded IIerod. With him the Trojan
horse is an ever existing reality. Ttmeo
Dances et dORd fereRteS. In these fifteen
Southern States we have many thousand
profound jurists pure and elevated men.
Out of them General Grant has not been
able to find one single man whom he could
the United States. In these same States.
which have heretofore furnished to the
Union and to history, Washington, Jetfer-
son, Clay, calhoun and Jackson, we have
many more thousand ripe scholars. learned
statesmen and experienced
diplomats. Out of these President Grant has
not been able TO find one single man whom
he could intrust with foreign mission. If
we look farther. we shall find in the Senate,
in Congress, on the bench, in all the offices
of honor and profit in these States, with a
few exceptions, that they are monopoliZed
bv imported men. in whom we have no
sympathy or confidence. Many of them
filling high places in the Senate and on the
bench who could not be elected couStables
or justices of the peace where they were
raised aud known.
Let us forget the past unite as one man to
put down this unworthy party. The times
are suspicious. The streakS of lightning
glimmering along the horizon IN Connecti-
cut. New jersey, Pennsy lYana and other
States in the North, the angry. black. and
heavy clouds of discomfort lowering over
Ohio, Indiana, and other States in the West,
the recent thunderS heard in kentucky,
Tennessee and North Carolina, give aSsur-
ances that political storm is 1T hand, which
shall surely sweep away the party in power.
Very respectfully,
ROBERTSON IOPP.
Apply Barretts'-directioRs on the
wrapper.