The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-03-24
Governor Alcorn.
4 Notable Message.

Il
remained a staunch Unionist unit
ovorborne by the popular tempest
and driven into the Sebel army, where
he became a Brigadier General. HI
has recently boon elected Governor
of Mississippi over that little domo
cratic CARPET Dagger, Louis Dent, b,
about 10000 majority.
| He was ,naugurated at Jacason OF
the lOthtnst., and delivered mos
remarkably practical sensible and pa
triotic address, from which we make
the following extracts, regretting
that we have not room for all Oft
| PERSONAL.
"1n heart and soul, l am a man OF
the south. My affections, my inter-
ests, my habits of thought, identify
me indivisibly with the Southern peo.
pie. The conduerof OF the armies in
which one of my son, won a majors
star and another a. Martyrs crown,
is, as that conqueror, no more sub
ject of love with me than with any
other Southern soldier. The military
government, which l have the hap.
piness to bow this day out of the
State, vas no more a subject of pleas
ure to me than it was to any other
Mississippian whose blood CLOVIS, as
| mine does, with the instincts of self.
government.
The passions proper to man born
to freedom, | would suffer death
rather than trim to any suggestions
of policy. But they throb in my
blood, subject to the dictates Of JUS
tice and Reason. They do not hide
from me the tact that when borne to
the earth, l lay PROSTATE with my
kindred OF the South, no heel pressed
upon my breast, no sword-point
pr,cked my throat, no hand frightened
the rope that my own reason had
knotted around my neck! The Su-
zerain against whom my people and
myself had raised our hands in re.
bellion, stood over us as we lay upon
the earth, and lifting his visor to tell
US that he gave us our lives, our
lands, our liberties, /, for one, gave
back my soul to the sublime benef.
cence that behe!d at that moment
of supreme apprehension, beaming
like radiance of Heaven on the face
of the government of my fathers /
My heart swelled at that instant tc
the dimensions Of the patriotism Of
Henry Clay lard, knowing no North
no South, no East no West, resolved
henceforth to expiat It's past erro,
by life of devoted love to the Union
And we'll do know that the gener
GUS old Unionists of the South who
surrendered to overwhelming force
with unconquered souls, will, when
the bitterness of submission shall
have passed away, stand with me
touchedinto admiration in every fibre
Of their hearts by magnificent
mercy never shown before bya gov
eminent since established authority
first dealt with rebellion after the
fierce fashion of "a short shriye and
a long rope"
THE DUTY OF THE HOUR.
THE Union has brought us back
pardoned children, into its bosom. Il
bids us go forward this day, to the re
construction Of a government on tn,
ruins left by our own madness. Re
stored to our lost place in the sister
hood of States by the grace of tn,
Nation, that grace has brought u
back an equal among Sovereigns
Erect and free, Mississippi goes for
ward now to work out her destiny il
a fellowship of States, the peer of tn
proudest! And in approaching thu
duty made incumbent on.us us rep
resentatives of q Sovereign authority
our first work is to carry out ii
good faith, the principles incorpo-a
ted by the revolution just closed, il
the letter and spirit Of the Constitu
ton.
| The Northern Democracy have
overthrow the Southern Oligarchy
This is the measure of the fact &C
complished by the action of the Uni
ted States. Entering Oh our duty il
acceptance of that result, we must g
forward to make the overthrow O
the old system that had reignet
amongst us, a practical reality by
ensuring all the blessings of free gov
eminent for the masses of the people
SLAVERY is DEAD-THE ENFRAN
CHIsED NEGROES.
| Slavery is dead. Free labor de
mands the abolition of a code based
on bondage. The past must be sw Cpl
away from the statute.book to b
replaced by the present. And quail
ty before the law must now b.
established by legislation in form
which shall throw open the ballo
box, the jury-box, and the offices o
the State, to the competent" and
"honest," without distinction OF color
The colored citizens. must be protect
ed in all their rights of person ane
property; and being placed, not only
in theory, but in fact, on exactly the
same footings in the courts as al
other citizens, and. shall be left fire,
to pursue the race of life under /:
code which shall throw open all tn,
rewards of success, intellectual o.
industrial, to be worn regardless o
the previous condition Of the win
ner.
The colored population are an in
FAINT people struggling to maintain
themselves in the presence Of intelli
gence more advanced than their own
And the first duty OF wise and pator
nal government, is to protect th,
weak against the strong. From me
individually, the colored people o
Mississippi have every reason to lool
for profound anxiety for the reali
cation of their new rights. In tn
tace Of memories that might hav.
separated them from me as tn,
wronged from the wronger, they
offered me their oonfidence-offeree
me the guardianship of their nov
and precious hopes in a trustfalnesl
whose very mention stirs my nerves
with emotion. In response to tina
touching reliance, tie most profound
anxiety with which enter my office
as Governor Of this State, is that O