American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-10-05

thousands of the lately enfran-
1t is because of the cor
ruption in high places. of the utter
rottenness of the different depart
ments of our government, of the alb
sence of moral rectitude in those
who at present misrepresent the
people. 1t was q verlficatiOn Of the
scriptural phrase that when the
wicked rule the land mOurneth.
That government which should have
poured out blessings on the head of
every citizen of the republic has
proved q curse. When Wa gaze
upon the form of an invalid, or one
emaciated from long disease, it is
our first duty to inform ourselves
what will cure him. So is the pre-
sent state of the government. At
present, industry languishes
throughout the land, and it is with
a feeling akin to distrust that we
regard it. The gentleman contin-
ued, that it would be his effort to
point out for the intelligent consid
Grafton of his hearers the means
whereby those evils may be RENE
died, and the country relieved of it's
present humiliating condition. Sec
tionalism has, in the main, been
the cause of this sad and deplOrable
condition of affairs. 1t eliminated
in 1861, when a sectional man was
placed in the Presidential chair.
The people became alaI med, and the
consequence was fOnr years of
bloody war and internicene discord,
until in 1865 the Confederate ban
ner, the hope of thousands, went
down and was lost fOrevermore;
hut when it did go down. it sank
surrounded by q halo of glory that
commanded the admiration OF the
habitable world. When all was lost,
the noble Southron was ready to
transfer his allegiance to the gener-
al government. That noble patriot
ism which found an echo in the
breasts of thousands of the best,
noblest and bravest of the sons OF
the South that same patriotism
which prompted the hardy sons OF
the North and of the Western
prairies to buckle on their armor,
and 90 forth to do battle for the
honest conviction of his conscience,
and also instigated the Confederate
to fight unto death for his honest
convictions, and was ready to be
transferred to the government of
the constitution. The Southern
men sought to destroy the constitu-
ton of the Union. it is said. When
we met at Montgomery it was not
intended to destroy the constitution
of the United States, as many
charged, and this charge was base
and false. We took that cOnstitu.
ton as our guide, and ever upheld
it. The speaker here entered into
a clear and succinct history of the
transaction of the government since
the late unpleasantness, especially
in the Southern States, but more
particularly in the State of Missis-
sippi handling the administration
of Adelbert Ames without gloves,
depicting in glowing terms the spo.
liatlon of the horde of carpet-bag-
gers and hungry ce-holders
which it entailed upon the country,
and frequently appealed in glowing
terms to the cOlored man, who was
the sufferer in this matter, as he is
the tiller of the soil, and as conse-
quence a taxpayer. He showed, by
indisputable arguments. that it was
to the interest of the black race to
JOIN hands in this great political
contest with the whites, and work
shoulder to shoulder with them
He explained to them in q clear
succinct manner how, thirty years
ago, when there was scarcely a man
in the whole republic who was
willing to lift his voice or use his
pen to ameliorate the condition Of
the American slaves, it was then
even as far back on that remote
period, that the fertile brain Of
Horace Greeley was fostering and
nourishing the grand scheme o.
emancipation, and that with nerve
of iron and purpose as firmly gel
as the hoary Rock of Ages, he pur
sued that purpose, until to-day the
black man stood free, enfranchised
a citizen of the greatest country OF
the globe. and, politically. the equa
of the white man. This was thu
man, then, who asked them fol
; their suffrage. This. their life Ions
friend, was the man who askea
them for their votes to place him il
the position of the highest gift o
the people. Ungrateful in the ex
treme, black, indeed, with the stair
of ingratitude must be the soul o
, that colored man who could refuse
him his vote.
Thh elegant gentleman, whose
. address lasted over an hour, wal
frequently interrupted by the pro
) longed cheers of the multitude, and
upon his retiring from the stand
was congratulated warmly by a hos
} of personal friends upon the hap
piest effort of his life.
At the conclusion of Judge
Campbell's speech. during which
the multitude visibly increased il
numbers, the assemblage partool
of
THE REpAST