American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-09-20
POLITICAL SUICIDE.

The recent attempt, here and
Elsewhere, to disband the Demos
cratic party in order to exalt AL
corn, is, in our Judgment, nothing
short of political suicide. By some
sudden and incomprehensiblc hallu-
cination, Il few of our people have
been brought to believe that this
shameless renegade, and unscrupu-
lous scalawag, is the Moses who is
to lead us out of the land of bon
dage, and that lie, and lie alone,
can successfully cope with the i'm
ported champion of Radlcalism in
the coming contest. To rally
around his banner with some show
of consistency, it was first necessa-
ry to dispose of the Democratic
party, for, as Democrats, they
conla not support the arch rene
g.,de without stultifying themselves,
and compromising every principle
Of political honor and integrity
But Stay the Democracy in the
house of its friends by vote of
the Convention, then being no lon
ger bound by party obligations, they
would be free to throw the weight
of their influence in his favor with
out mourning Justly the charge OF
Inconsistency.
One of the weakest arguments
advanced, as reported by the Hail.
was, that the principles of the
Democratic party and those adopt
ed by the Radical Convention be-
ing identical, the death of the De
mocracy became a necessity in or
der to secure the negro vote. And
fhlsls what one of the speakers
called logic. Do these gentlemen
suppose that there is man in
Mississippi at all familiar with par
ty intrigue and trickery who could
be induced to place any reliance
upon tile declaration of principles
enunciated by that Conventions. Do
they not know that their platform
Of principles is a delusion aud
snare! Are they not fully eonvin-
ced that these usurpers Of our
rights have no principles except
those found in the hot-bed of Radi-
calism, and that they recognize no
law but the law of will and force en-
graved on the hearts of despots as
a substitute for the law of liberty
and justice as laid down in the Com
Of onr fathers? Are they
not aware that James L. Alcorn
has been their bitterest foef That
HE has done more to degrade the
free bern whites of Mississippi than
any one man in the State? That
he gloated more over their humitia-
fion, and laughed with more fen
dish delight, when he saw an ignO-
rant, uniettered, besotted negro
race elevated above the refined and
cultivated of his own color, than
did the Radicals themselves? Do
they not know that even now he
has no feeling in common with
them! That he is just as much a
traitor at heart as he ever was, and
that be only kneels to them in
this bis dire extremity, from the
purely selfish motive OF being able,
by their assistance. to prop up his
totteripg fortunes and not from a
patriotic desire to serve the people
and thus secure them against
wrong and oppression? If they do
not, then. indeed, must their Wis
lou be strangely obscured.
After careful and thorough ex-
animation Of the acts which make
up the record of this renegade son
of Mississippi, we have not been
able to discover one that should
him to the favor and sup
port of the people, especially those
who claim to be Democrats. On
the contrary, we find many that
shonld induce them to drive him
beyond tire pale of honorable polit- |
zeal association, unless repented of
in sackcl0th and ashes.
Between Alcorn and Ames we
confess to bnt little choice, because
we believe them both to be unreli-
able. Indeed, we have really more
to fear from Southern man who |
has once basely betrayed his coun-
try~en, than from him who comes
among US 0stensibly to secure pow
er in order that he may WELD it to
his own self-aggrandizement.
We earnestly hope that all at
tempts to disband the Democratic
party may prove abortive, especial
" when Its death looks to the res
of sucl, man as Alcorn.
La the present political exigencies
of the times we cannot afRord to