American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-06
WHO ARE REsPONslBLEl

1t is amusing to read the conflict
ng opinions and animated discus
ions of our State papers respecting
he result OF the late election. Those
hat advocated the claims OF Acorn
attribute his disgracefui defeat to
he Democrats who refused to give
him their support, while those jour
pals that favored Democratic nom
InxtiOu at Meridian attach all the
blame to the action of the ''bolters."
That = fatal mistake was made all
must admit, and We are GLAD to see
the subject agitated, AS great good
may result from the controversy.
1u presenting our views on this
|vexed question, We have but one
purpose to subserve, and that is to
prevent, if possible, like failure
for the future.
When the Meridian ..bolters- de-
clsred the Democracy ''dead,7 and
gave III their adhesion to the AIcorn
movement, We pronounced their
action uAwise and impoltic. and
predicted a shameful defeat for their
renegade chief. We had seen too
much Of politicians and party in
trigue to be influenced by every cry
of policy or expediency that might
reach our ears, or to be duped by
tie pledges and false representa-
tons of designing and ambitious
omce-seekers. The position We a.
sumed in the very .outset of the
campaign was not taken withour
mature reflection, and the result OF
the election has served to confirm
the correctness Of our judgment.
We saw, plainly enough, that witt,
all their doubts aud misgivings as
to the strength of the Democracy.
that the Aic0rDites had no the
ability t. nsst the requirements 0.
the political situation We well
knew tba. they wculd fail to brin
about that haraiony aud unity ri
parties which would be necessary
to success, and which was made one
ground of objection to Democrat
ic nomination. With all their As
sumed political sagacity, they sig
nAlly failed to enlist sympathy, O,
create enthusiasm among the
masses. Apart from all this, what
recommendation had Aicorn and
his ticket to the people Of Missis
sippi, tnat a ticket headed by Gent
Humphreys, or any other true and
tried man would not have Joss ss-d!
Was it not evident to the most su-
perficial observer that the Meridian
movement WAS man puIated ny AL
corn TO subserve his own personal
aims, and NOT for the general veal !
II AlcOru had been a true Batriot
what ought his course to have
been when he determined, a.
his friends stated, TO abandon a
party that looked to the imj,nver
ishment Of bis people? Should hs
not have rendered the weight 81
bis influence to the Democrats who
lad called "a Convention OF tue .eo
pie for the sole purpose of nomiu.>
ting straight ticket, instead OF an.
nOuncing himself as candidate in
advance Q. the action Ut tina, body.
thereby forcing the Convention t.
choose between Ames and himself
Most assuredly. What specta Gle
of magnanimity would he have ex
hibited by this course, and which
would have won and deserved tn.
gratitude of the State and people
But no; neither he nor his bench
men were capable of rising to the
height Of the great argumeut-the
great occasion. Like their fellows
OF the Democracy, whose personal
ambition, il was said, stood in the
way Of united effort. they proved
themselves alike baman: human
-enOngh To see, bus not divine enough
to act upon the Scripfural ibjunc-
ton. lin honor, preterrins one an
Other7
Such WIS the man whom the
@bolters" gre fer,ed to :rue son OF
the soil. They preferred the sa>so-
ciatisH and promised support Of
AlcOrn personally, mot Of his party,
because of that they ought to have
known that he could not have com
manded a c"rporAl's guard,) to u
united effort to bring forward some
tried friend of the people who couId
have developed the strength of the
party, aud rallied = it's standard
the disaffected of all crerIs and
Instead Of this, they
assi-ted in bringing ont tieke. for
the support of Democrats which was
certainly less liable to win general
favor than would have been one
selected by the Meridian Conven-