American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-15

AN OBSERVER.
The W. Herald, in an article emit
tied .Shall We Have Peace or
War p says:
Why is it, then, that Mississippi
should now hang on the verge of
civil war! Why should We see her
governor, a Self possessed soldier.
asking troop>s What influence has
dashed to the earth the fond hopes
that clustered around sor-ly
stricken but IevivIng common
wealth! Simply, as we understand
| it, the rrsuscitation OF that fatal
spirit of secession which, we hoprd
had been buried under the famous
apple tree of AppomattOx. There
= no reason for this equation In
Mississippi. There are 10 such
grounds for complaint on the part
of the white men as exist is Sou' h
Carolina. Taxation has not be
come confi>catiun. Beyond the
natural disappointment with the
results of the war which men who
had fought calamity for years
..grievances." The white men have
complained that the negroes had
roies, that by the exercise of those
votes negroes have gained power.
hat Revels had been sent to the
senate and other negroes elevated
to public stations. There has been
no other complaint, and this, aS
every sensible Southern man must
see, came with the intlexihle results
Of the war The negroes owed
their freedom to the success OF the
Northern armies. Political streng, h
inevitably comes with freedom. 1t
cannot be torn from them. Wis
dom would have taught the white
SUutherner that he could best con
troll this result by accepting it, by
winning the negroes love aud kind
ness. He should have seen the
moment the negro was free the in
terest of white and black in good
government, in order, peace and
honest administi alton, was alike.
He should have known that white
and black were entitled to ''life,
liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness" aud that the whole American
nation stood ready to enforce that
right. 1t was Il new, and not, we
are sure, a welcome relation. The
master Of to-day is never disposed
70 salute as reer his slave of yes
terday. 1t was not cheering for the
owner OF 100 negroes to feel that
their ballots were now stronger than
his ballot five hundred fold But
the sword to which the master APP
pealed had SO decided, and it was
the part of honor as well as wisdom
20 bow to that decision.
That wisdom is not seen in Mis-
SisSippi. The Stale blaZes with the
fires OF a furious election canvass,
and the only issue is a ''war OF
races" The white men have drawn
The line. Angry, intlammatOry adj
dresses are made to the lowest i'll
stincts. Proud, ''chivalrOuS" south
cru men do not hesitate to say they
live in dread of ID negro massacre,
and appeal to the freshmen to save
them. Seeing that there is a large
class of Irishmen who labor in hum
bier pursuits, and who naturally
find the negro their rival, appeals
are made to them as ''children of
the land of genius, of song and
courage" as country men of Graf
tan, Curran and Moore whose
''Suns have conquered on every
field" to arouse and overthrow the
negro. Thus race is excited against
race and poverty against poverty.
We know we'll what these appeals
mean. We Ii ID Il contest in New
York between the two races during
.he draft riots, and no revolution
ever witnessed blUodirr scrnes.
We saw what took place in New
Orleans in 1866, i'll that sudden
burst of massacre and crime which
aroused in the north the old war
feeling, cry stalled the north against
President Johnson and threw back
for years. All the
newly opened springs of affection
and sympathy which went out from
the NOIt til to the desOlat+d South,
at the end of a cruel and exhaust
ing war, suddenly dried up. There
came again the spirit, which would
come again tomorrow should we
have disturbance is Mississippi,
the spirit that answered and aveng-
ed the fall of Sumpter, and which
resolved that the Union shall be
with the whole strength
of the Union.
We repeat, nothing could be more
and unnecessary than the |
war now waged upon the blacks of
by the whites. Irtimi
daIiOn, duress, threats of strife,
appeals to one race to arm against
a mad resolution to regain
power by the same system of men-
ace and misrepresentation which
secessiOn-this We see,
and it is nothing less than the old
spirit of slavery. The country may