The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-11-02
JOINT POLITICAL DISCUSSION
AT MERIDIAN.
From the MERRIAM Gazette.

parksdaie ana GoN. y. l.. AlcOrn discusses
the issues Of the pending canvass, In thi
city, last Saturday. The speaking tool
place in the a. & &. X. X. depot. and wa
listened TO by avery large crowd OF boil
races.
Col. Barksdale, by agreement. opened th
discussion in a speech OF nearly two hours
arraigning the Radical party and it, lead
ers by facts aud figures. which, could the,
have been fully appreciated by the colorcl
people, would cause them to rCnounce for,
ever the horde of plunderers whom thes
have placed In power. To the white peo-
pie. II was what was expected from the ac.
complished speaker-an overwhelming e..
pose of the Radical party. They greeted
the speech with loud cheers and prolonged
applause. and even the negroes thu mselye,
gave frequent tokens Of approval.
The speaker announced that the issue IN
yolved In the election was, whether the Rad.
ical party. after nearly two years Of trial
had shown itself to be worthy OF the people
and been permanently intrsnohcd IA power
In this state. He took the negative OF the
proposition, and assumed thar IL had not
IL IS on trial and be arraigned it,
First: For it, extravag-nt aud wasteful
expenditure of the peoples money.
Second: As an organized conspiracy
against the the peace, lives, liberty and
property of our people.
Third: He charged that Il was failure
In all the ends for which government Is IN.
stituted among men bui a terrible reality
and success a an agent Of iniQuity. plum
der and oppression. Thus charging the
Radical party. he said, the party he reDre
sented. by some called Democratic by 9th
ers Conservative. was young and vigorous
party. which had grown out OF the eXigen
cies OF the times, and that he utterly lisa
vowed all responsibility on it, part for
whatever alleged errors OF omission or com
mission had been attributed Ia other partie.
that had gone before IL. He did nor pro-
IA.
down Into the graves of dead aud buried
questions and use them TO divert attention
from the main issues of the canvass. New
ertheless, something was due TO the truth of
history, and he would briefly recur 20 SOM
of the measures OF the past. 10 expose the
tergiversations Of the "Champion," who
had been everything by turns. and nothing
long ;" and particularly % illustrate the
desperate eXpedients TO which Gov. Alcoru
had resorted 10 cover up the rascalities ct
the party Of which he was the head. lie
then addressed himself 70 the task of dis
sectiug the political record OF hi- adversary,
and though the body OF the subject was %
mass OF fostering sores. the keen instrument
OF the operator made quick work OF IL.
In reference To the charge that Gov, Al
corn had made, that the present opposers
of Radicalism were responsible for seccs-
sion, he produced resolution offered by
him (AlcOrnJ in the Legislature ot 1856
which sho~ ed Alcorn 20 have been one of the
earliest advocates of dissolution of the
Union; and also revived the recollection of
his action, as member Of the Convention
Df 1850, which was described In detail. The
journals convicted him of having voted tor
the EXTREMIST measures proposed in that
body. looking 10 the secession OF the State
lie then spoke of the war which Alcorn has
been waging against the hu-ktuX Khan,
aud charged that he had, notwithstanding
ais ferocity toward thai ystical band, gone
Town into the very dens of the Khan and
selected its Grand Giant-Its very head
,entre-as his (Alcorn's) fugleman aud or
Kan -grinder. Alcorn, from his seat, denied
The charge, wbereupon Col. Barksdale
turned and addressed him TO the following
fleet:
sir, for two mo nths past have made the
charge, and reiterated IL, aud DIR. Compton
las not denied t. Now. sir, you have un-
.ured TO do for himself To settle this ques-
lion, i will submit this proposition i will
again make the charge. aud III DIR. Compton
ioes not deny IL, or If he does deny IL. aud |
prove IL upon him, will you pledge your
'elf To dismiss him from the Lunatr Asy-
um and the organship Of your party p
For moment the stiffness of the vast audi
snce was profound. Every eye was fixed
IN the Governor. and every ear bent TO
;atch his response. But IL came not. The
Champion subsidized, sank back In his
hair, hung his head. mopped the perspra-
ion from his brow. and, like a sheep IN the
uttered not "A sound. To this Col. |
3. directed attention, when shout went up
hat fairly rended the building. The Gov
ernOr's discontinue WAS complete and the /
legoes witnessed the scene with astOnish- /
nent. Subsequently. the Governor, ia eff
ect. admitted that DIR. Compton had been !
ku-klux. but said he was not one now.
"Why," he said, Paul, the Apostle, was
,nce an enemy Of Christ, but was converted
md the Saviour took him 10 his heart
l. FC-n y faI IN lA nv
,rnor that the Illustration II "A bad one, in |
lsmuch as Paul was converted by truth, /
whereas Compton was converted by selfish |
Judas would have filled the |
character better; he was of the scalawag /
sind.
After a searching and demOlishing exam |
nation Of the man God save the mark > /
jol. Barksdale descended, il any man could /
AXE Alcorn as a starting point and 90. IN /.
my direction, dOtonto0rd. TO his party. lie /
,iled figure upon figure, theft upon theft /
MANY upon infamy. oppression npon OPP |
preston on them, until the crumb-catching 4
subs. who sat at the back OF their master /
Alcorn, grew FESTIVE IN their seats and alb /
olutely one Of them blushed for shame. lie 1
the cost OF government under the /
ule Of home-fOlks and honest men with |
hat of the hybrid thing called government
- administered by 'mOurnlul facts He
howed that the tax money Nrung from an
people had been squander-d |
~ the Radicals in the most prohigate and |
eckless expenditures, or had else found it, |
way into the pockets OF the mOngrrl horde |
Who handled IL. La every department. he
marked the work Of Nandals and destroyers.
n short, he demonstrated by the record OF
lac party. as made up by itself, that IL j. un- /
worthy the confidence OF the people. Nay /
more, that IL is TO be properly regarded ~ a 4
lydra- headed monster, fit subject for ex-
at the hands Of all honest and +
Deace loving men. He next proceeded 10 4
he demonstration of the other propositions, !
IS before stated, In way that carried the 4
onvicting power of truth.
Gov. Alcorn opened his speech by an an /
.cdote, which gave the cue TO the negroes, 1
nd then proceeded TO address their passions /
md prejudices. lie avoided the barrier Of
igures and said that when he offered the 4
resolution Of 1856 he was setting trap for 4
he Democracy, that he failed 70 catch them 4
he caught himself.l that he bad hunted 1
he animal a long time, knew his track, his /
Ign. his smell.
IL seems that the Governor Is fond Of /
uniting parties by their smell, and We sup I
,ose he had no difficulty In seeming the one 4
le now runs with. tie Is a good dog; but /
he soon quits the field Of agures. there was I
10 game there for him. He then proceeded /
O violate the enforcement act as Col. Barks- /
lale had charged he would. by threatening /
he people that IL they voted for Democrats
he bayOnet would be brought back TO the /
state, declaring that the Democratic party |
vas "a menace To the United States" and
was 80 regarded by Congress. In this ar
.ument he displayed abe utter weakness OF
liz rotten cause. ana nothing he could have
aid would have fallen more encOuragingly
ipon the ear of his Democratic hearers
" eak indeed must be a cause aud scarce the
Material for propping up the lettering
tructure of Radicalism, when its leader
eeks 70 intimidate the people into its sup
port by such foul means as this.
OF such miserable stuff was this speech
that II Is not worthy OF further
police.
Col. Barksdale. In the few words Of his |
replication. exploded the threat OF Alcorn. |
he cited Virginia. Tennessee. Kentucky. |
Alabama, Missouri and Texas as States
which lad recently cast Of the yoke OF