The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-03-05

in this unproftmble, ul-timeQ conLroNt
sv With the National Government IN the
settlement of the questions arising from
the war. Georgia, you say, will "comf
in and back you; but, alasi Georglas
backing is not worth straw IN the IN
equal contest which you and other follow
ers of ANDY sJohusOn-the n eanest viper
that ever stuDg our people, the most
cowardIy and malignant foe they ever had
have precieitated. When Georgia stands
erect again, it will be after she has passed
through the inevitable eFucible Of Recon--
struction.
Won saw that these measures once en-
forced can never be gotten rid of My
dear Sir. "'Tis true, It's pity; and pity
tits. IT'S true You can not get rid OF
them; nor can You prevent their being
putin force, though you can, by intellectual
resistance, prolong shoulder strap des-
potism-you can bring down onour heads
measures of still greater severity-you
can ALLEVIATE the colored people, who, as
a race. presented an unparalleled ex-
annie of faithfulness TO our cause and
affection for our people during the war
YOU can create the opportunity for stran-
gers to build up "a Radical party, by
means of which our State will be afflicted
with curses worse than the plaques OF
Egypt-but you cannot prevent the exc
cution of these measures Why not, then,
make the best of them and at once place
ourselves in accord with Congress why
not keep the confidence of the negro
whose ''adoption" we had occasion Ito try
so thoroughly during the war, and instead
of spurning these measures as an insult
to our intelligence, teach him what the
great responsibility is, which, without
his seeking, has been placed upon him
Remember that his right to participate In
the government is a logical result OF the
solemn declaration sOt Emancipation
which you yourself urged the conven-
ton to put into our new State Constitution.
Do you propose that we shall go back on
| this record? True, the Reconstruction
plan is harsh in its prescription of many
of us. Still | can cite a thousand au-
thorities to prove that tits not as vindictive
as we predicted it would be i'll the event
of the failure of the Contederacy.
As for your "poor place" as you call
the Senate of the United States, do not
suppose any body covets it. 1t will be
time enough to consider who shall fill the
offices when it is decided by the National
authority that we are entitledtO "places"
| in the government after having Withdrawn
from it. Nobody who knows you will
suspect that your quarrel with Congress
is occasioned by your being kept out Of the
Senate; nor by any feeling OF dlsappolnt-
ment over the defeat of Andy Johnson's
plan of Reconstruction which embraced the
idea of making "treason odious, OF pun
ishing traitors" and the rewardiDg men
who like himself, betrayed their own coun-
try in her struggle for independence and
for whose exclusive entertainment he had
prepared marriage feast at the grave
of the Confederacy.
1 regret that you have conjectured a
cause for loss ''of temper" 1t is time
when reason should have full sway
with men who are put forward as leaders.
To be delivered from these troubles we
need the strength which belongs to calm
ness and self control. With my high re-
spect for you personally regret that | can
put no confidence whatever in your rem
edies. The path you have marked out
will not take us out of the wilderness.
If our people intend to pursue it and to
vainly strive to prevent Reconstruction, as
likely they will under your overshadow-
ing leadership, for their sake, tru-t, it
will not bring upon them worse calamities
than those they are trying to avoid; but
my fears are greater than my hopes.
Yours very respectfully,
E. BARKsDALE.