American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-10-12

Then sad Now-Morris rs. Morris.
As Judge Morris has taken the
stump in Mississippi for Grant, and
is to be here on the 10th inst.-at
which time he will be met by Judge
Campbell : it is we'll enough that
our people be advised somewhat as
to the antecedents Of our Attorney
General, who has time to leave his
office in jackson and perambulate
the country in the interest Of the
silent smoker. The Clarion has
been delving into the musty records
of the past, and among other things
has exhumed the following precious
moroccan. Let everybody peruse it
aud then say what the advocacy of
any cause by such a man is worth.
1t was Mr.. Jefferson, We believe.
who said that " q man who changed
his politics after he was thirty years
old was either . knave or foo"
Which horn Of the dilemma will
Judge Morris take? No one charges
him with being . fool, we believe.
The Clavios Gays:
The old adage of reminding per-
sons Who livein glass houses to use
caution in throwing stones, night
teach him . little caution. Before
the war, Morris, as editor of the
Reuejlle, and otherwise. was a zeal
Gus member Of what he calls the
I. secession party. He was State
Rights Democrat aud in 1861 he
issued the following "conquer or
die circular:
CIRCULAR.
T the Citizens Of Claiborne County:
Felloac- Citizens Having lately
been frequently solicited by many
of You to become a candidate to
represent you in the next session of
the Legislature. have determined
to do so. There are others in this
comfy, know, who are well quail
fed to represent all our wishes in
that body, some of them, also. have
been earnestly solicited to do so.
but they having positively declined,
and As the election is now near at
hand, aud having heard of no gen.
tleman manifesting any willingness
to serve, l anticipate now no oppo
siti0n.
All the old party organizations in
this State have happily ceased to
exist, no party nominations have
been, will be, or ought to he made
for any Of the political offices, which,
according to our consiitu ton, must
be filed by the general election,
now rapidly approaching, but to the
c0ntrarysare at last-aMd I trust for
erer-psvfectly united in the single
purpose Of establishing and rindicct,
ing before the ac0rId our national im-
dependence.
Under all these circumstances I
deem 1t proper now only to say that,
If elected, lShall aid to the best of
my ability. in concentrating all the
strength and all the influences OF
the State in the one glorious strug-
gle in which our gallant volunteers
have already achieved SO much for
NJ and in which WE are determined
to CONQUER OR DIE. For our
Senators in the Confederate States
Congress, I shall rotc for Capt. n.
g. Broscn, Of Kinds county (noc in
orr army Of the Potomac), and for
some other true man, judging for you
and myself, according to what may
believe to be your wishes when the
names and qualifications of the can
didates are hereafter made known.
I shall also give prompt and eornest
support to amy acts Of local or general
IegislatioS srhick the present aud fu-
titre emergencies Of our revolutionary
condition May seem to require and
(persnit me to add) I for one will
strive to make the next session Of
the Mississippi Legislature very
brief and very effective session.
Resp'y, your fellow citizen,
j. S. MORRIS.
Port Gibson, August 20, 1861.
The people did not respond ia
vOrably to this address. Morris
was not elected to the Legislature,
and did not have the honor to vote
for Capt. Brown, who was Gin the
army Of the Potomac" nor for the
war measures demanded by the
emergency" But we have no
right to infer that he did not aban-
don his " secession associations and
Confederate sympathies, inasmuch
as at a subsequent stage of the war
he wrote letter to the writer
hereof soliciting his influence to
have him Tor near relatively APP
pointed to Office.
~A New York Herald reporter