The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-03-24


provisional governor of Mississippi L pre-
sumo that even those who advocate TIA
most extensive powers in the hands of thes
military commanders will not assume tina
he could transmit that authority to act a
military governor to whomsoeverhe pleased
1t was not an estate i'm his hands. presume
1t was not an estate in fee in General Anne;
and therefore transmissible and transferabl
by him TO whomsOever he pleased : and Meth
er IL he had happened to die would it hay
descended to his heirs.
j assume. then, Mr.. President, that at Tia
date OF that order, in the month of January
General AmeS was not himself prOYi si0na
governor Of Mississippi; because tie yer'
act OF assuming to and in fact Issuing gen
eral order appointing Governor Alcorn &
be provisional governor of the State Is in
consistent with the fact that he himself wa
provisional governor at that time. the ofiic
of provisional governor, whatever it may be
whatever may be its powers, whether it ina
any Or not, never having been claimed b.
any body to be transferable at will from on
holder to another; and here l will remarl
in reference 10 that correspondence that tn,
reply OF Governor AlcOrn, refusing the APP
pointment of provisional governor, die
great credit to him. | ought, perhaps, Il
read the substance of that reply in justice
TO Governor Alcorn, whom you rejected
once as a member of this body, and whost
credentials a. a Senator elect from the STATE
of Mississippi, when presented, you would
not consider.
Governor Alcorn appeared in the Senate
of the United states after the termination O
the war as a SenatOr-elect from the State oil
Mississippi. This body would not even acI
upon his credential, or give to them the
least consideration. He was not then il
that happy frame of mind to commend
himself TO your favorable consideration he
had been connected, believe with the
Southern COnfederacy, and had seen some
| active service in the field. Since then-anG
you will allow this by way of DEPRESSION
| because it is pleasant to me sometimes to still
| up your very pure minds by way of remem-
| brance-a change has come over Governor
! Alcorn. He is the same man; his former
term is not expired, but his political associ-
ations have changed, and there is the magic
of the thing. Coming ere elected by hi;
| State to represent the State, his credentials
were not even considered but since that
time he has taken dose of that peculiar
medicine which you always keep in the Re-
publican apothecary shop llaughterl to APP
| ply to sick patients politically. he has
! taken q Dose whether large or small do not
/ know, but your doctors in that particular
| branch of medical science consider that ii
/ has been sufficient tc heal him of past di-
seases, to make him well man, and to quail
! ity him to be member in your political
| church; political amt, equal, perhaps. in
his political virtues to yourselves; suf1i-
! cient dose of your political medicine to en-
/ able him to vote the Republican ticket and
| become a candidate for Office OH the Repub-
| lican ticket; and that is all you require OF
/ any man.
! You love to talk about rebels; you love to
talk about the disloyal men; how bad the
rebels were, how bad the rebels are; and you
have no bowels of mercy for them; but let
| one of the most heinous of the trans gressors
| only take your dose of apothecary's stuff,
vote your ticket, or became a candidate for
office on your ticket. with pledge of tideli-
| ty to Radicalism, and all the past is forgot
ten; the EthiOp has changed his skin, the
leopard has lost his spots, and he who was a
great, fragrant transgressor has become "A
tull-fedgeG saint!
Sir, we have had some remarkable proofs
of this fact This is not exactly eltinent
to the question of the admission of Revels
to the Senate; but yet iU has some relevancy
TO the spirit actuating and governing you
in the admission of Revels. Why, sir, du-
ring the progress of the war the papers
were filled daily with accounts of tue havoc
which certain General Longstreet was
making down in the Southern country of
his gallant dasheS, of his fiery assaults upon
the Union forces and there was no man in
all the Southern country whe was esteemed
by you a greater rebel or more deserving of
condemnation; aye, and of "A halter, than
General Lougstreet. But after the war
General LOngstreet took a dose of your
apothecary's stuff and became genuine
Radical; and to convince you thst he was
such he came here and proffered to give you
the most convincing proof and assured you
LDdG nc MOulu even COiuGoCtHu 10 accept tie
surveyorship of the port of New Orleans.
worth several thousand dollars year. You
were satisfied that your medicine had not
failed to operate benticially and power fully
in this case; and LonstTeet was appointed
surveyor of the port of New Orleans. and
holds the office to-day, Having given you
that evidence of a truly sound conversion
to your political faith, you admitted him
into the family of loyalists, and he is to-day
one of your bright and shining stars
80 Il
warrants me in the expression of the belief
that if you had believed that the State of
Mississippi would have gone against you in
the late election unless you could have ac-
quired the valuable services of jefferson
Davis, and he would have consented to be-
come your standard-bearer aud pledged
himself to the support of your principles
and your policy in the present and future,
you would have extended to him the cordial
hand of political fellowship and welcomed
him into the family of political saints.
Now, Mr.. President, l come back to the
fact that General Ames never was provis-
ional governor of Mississippi. | assume il
to be u fact in the light of surrounding
circumstances and from the fact th--t you
denied me this morning the testimony of
the President on this subject. l assume the
fact that he never was provisional governor
of Mississippi except by bis own appoint
ment. Is there anything appertaining to
the duties or to the military office of Mai.
that gives to such an officer the power to
appoint himself while holding such an office.
provisional governor of a State? There is
not. General Ames, it is fair to presume,
never has been provisional governor of
Mississippi except by his own appointment.
Only see how in that unbound ed generosity
which no doubt governed him he provided
a governor for a State by the appointment of
hinself-a very bOuntiiul provision for a
whole State! Why, sir, the youth does not
had raa1h 1Ot1pr
and | doubt whether she knows he is out
to-day. Laughter.
Then, sir, if these things be so the certifi-
cate relied on is not such a certificate
as is required by the provision OF
the act of Congress which you
Yourselves passed. For these reasons |
Shall vote for the resolution offered by the
Senator from New Jersey, to refer the ere
dentials of this man to the Judiciary Com
mittee.
But it may be attempted to be answered.
as was suggested yesterday by the honorable
chairman of the judiciary Committee, that
there is other evidence which is even better
than any kind of certificate which could De
prese lted, and that is whit purports 70 be
an abstract from the proceedings ofthe Leg
stature of Mississippi which was read at the
desk. Now. sir, that abstract never was
sent to this body by any authority of the
State of Mississippi. No department of the
Government of the State of Mississippi ever
forwarded that abstract to this body.
At first the gentlemen relied upon the
certificate signed by General Amess styling
himself provisional governor. Subsequent
ly there was handed up to the desk what
purported to be an abstract of the proceed
ings of the Joint meeting of the two houses
composing the Legislature of Mississippi,
whether in fact an abstract You and no
member of this body can determine. Who
knows the handwriting attached TO it! Who
knows that the PERSONS who purport to GER
tify to that abstract were officers of the State
of Mississippi or not? 1t has not the first
pretense to the character of pri.ssi fdcis evl-
dence, where ever such evidence is receiva-