The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-09-12

bnsA - We came together from the Raltinaars
+oA,sf q tlllsefy you stated % me
.lial Ihaly noftnerif Tnel1@ who were Inclined
20 support Horace Greeley, hesitatea 10 ia
SO tom ~ Tear tatt hi &c aessiea TO fffe erpsi
dency would he matte fhe #Occaafar. ~, !
| crusade against the rights Of the neprfas i,
tue oaaaIh- anti you said that the very hear
uhessl Of tAe support which Mr.. Greeley
Soui Il heightened these fears and Won 49,
pieased 10 ask for some expression al M,
views on this question. = ~
- sIlsll speak only forEthe people of Mis-
stss1 Rl9ts III which State L live ard fror,
winch state was sent as delegate "a tbs
BaItlmores Convention, though i believe
mat common feeling and impulse Animate
Lsie whole South. The Democratic party of
=. = pledgedln every conceivable
way 70 maintenance Of the legal riphfs ff
the negro as now established by law.
In it, conventions, through their local
pfeses AID Dy their. orators they have as
sured flae e6lored men of the State that
their perfect political and civil eniIaIitv he
fore the law shall never be inferfered Scip,
Before the Fiiteenths Amendment TO the
Constitution had received the votes RI
States sufficient for its ratification. and
White 70 was still pending issue before the
country, the Democratic, or Conservative
politicians of Mississippi were Committed fl
It's support. and their candidates for the
Legislature pledged themselves to vote for
its ratification. Such CT them as were elect
ell feueeHled their pledges.
While the great body of the blacks have
rejected our oyertures and have preferred
to follow after the men whom Mr. Greeley
so appropriately styled, .t1ieying carpet
baggers. a small minority OF them nave
accepted our assurances of protection to
their race, and have cordially acted and vo-
ted with Us. This is especially true of the
county OF Marshall, which adioins my own.
and in which several of our most active and
efficient speakers are negroes. The State
Convention which sent me as a delegate To
Baltimore, contained thirty colored menu
bers; three of whom were selected as Vice
Presidents of that body. These men have
joined us because of the faith they piece in
our pledges. To suppose that We will be
base enough to fafsify these pledges and ia
use these very negroes for The purpose OF
wrestling from themselves and their cIl;l-
dren their vested legal rights. is an assump-
ton warranted by nothing In the history or
the character of Mississippians. To sup
pose that we are supporting Mr.. Greeley
with the expectation or hope that he wifi
lend the sanction of his administration to
any such scheme is TO imply a stupidity on
our part or baseness on his which should
be incredible.
If the northern man who hesitates 10
trust US will not believe in our good faith,
he should at least be able to realize the fact
that the ballot works its own protection,
and that no political party ever existed
which, Us Il matterof policy, could afford to
in my Statate. a pTeponderating class of Vo-
tiers. Why then does the South support
Mr.. Greeley? | answer in II word, because
he, of all men. seems to Us to typify that
sentiment of kindly feeling and fraternity
towards the South which appears at last to
be making some Roadway in the northern
heart, and because he, of all Republicans
first and most forcibly realized the fact that
the South was being plundefed and robbed
by set of men, who, to use his own Ian
guage, were desperate adventures. desti-
tute of education OF character. who had
crept down South in the rear OF the FEEDER
nj army for the purpose of plundering pea
pie already impoverished"
We believe that under Mr.. Greeley, the
whole power OF the National Government
will not be brought TO bear in the future as
it has been in the past, to uphold and sup
port these men; but that we shall be at
least permitted to fight out our political bat
Ties with them fairly at the polls without
Federal interference, either military or pc
cuniary.
1t is perhaps proper that | should add
that there is in my State, as throughout the
South, a small minority of men who, to use
the cant word of the day. edo not accept
the situation;'' who do not recognize the
validity of post deilum legislation, and who
viii not support Mr.. Greeley. They will
not be able to prevent the electoral vote of
every Southern State being cast for Greeley
and Brown, save South Carolina, and per-
haps Mississippi.
TT. Fl. CHALMERS.