The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-12-18
PURE DEMOCRACY
Letter from Elk Attorney General
Jere s Black A Statesman
Like Document

| L AlL4DELPHlAs iJFCrmDHF = 1914
GENTL6MEN-l am hoHure b your in
vitatln To the dinner of Democrats to-
morrow evening at he Continental H.
/ tel, and beg you t. believe that nothing
| prevents me from attending but an. I'm
perative duty which calls me elsewhere
think | can understand how sincerely
| you ali rel lee over the great political
ev hts ui the asst two months IF you
wish tn know what nay fell, q are,
/ must decline TO tell, simply because cans
not do justice to the sahj~ct Demccra
| cy-whIch is the G ,nrm-In ser Sc and
Common honesty of tue nation organized
tor public purposes was supposed by
its enemies tu be eff-ctnaliy killed Es
! was but natural that the hart of every
| patriot shou d barn within, him when he
saw it rising again, faU NJ the "ppressor
with trout a. determined IA ever, and
d. bouncing curru ption ia high places
| with the same mighty voice which in
| former times w"nt over he land like the
tones OI d trumpet But let US not cun,
| graduate ourselves upon the recent past
| In nix nothing done until the work is
| finished he victories of this year will
| put sn;Y one house OF the Federal CON
| gress into our hands, and we must wait
| a year IO realize even that Our perfect
/ independence must be achieved IN 1876
| by struggle which will prove that we
are worthy 60 be descended from, the
men who proclaimed the rights of the
| states and the liberties of the people a
| hundred years earlier If we fail, we
must sink into "A serviJUpie even NOR de-
grading than that which We have endur-
ed for the last dozen years. II we suc>
coed, then will tins puisant nation, like
the awakng Sampson, shake her in
vincibis locks, AM start the new cenru~
ry under auspices so grand that nothing
can arrest her free career We must
bear it always in mind that the trium, n
Of Democratic principles means the res
| stUration nf cOnstitu tiOnal government on
basis which will give absolute security
to the rights of men against the nights
of men The br ken walls of the CON
stitutinn are TO be built anew and
N de too strong to be thrown down again
by the rut6ans IF the higher law Our
opponents themselves will become recon
ciled to the principles of 4 merican hber
ty when they pass IN and 6Di the mag
unanimous Democracy taking every pos
sible precau ion to guard them in tier
weakness against the Oppr ssiOn which
they infected upon Us in the days of
their p,wer. Peace will eome, ton ;
sectional strife en- led, and the public
robbers VITO now warm over the south
ern states will ceasr their nefaTiuuS &C.
| cuuafirn when we revoke the license
which The appropriate legislation of
the last nine years has gwen them But
We cannnt rras tbly hope tn arcon.
plish tbs, Inject oi our mission with"ut
IN ch labur aud faithful ex rtion fter
III machinery Of the gnvernme"t shall
he put into our hands. Fifteen years of
dom natl n by an anti constitutional
party has utterly demnraiized every
/ branch "f the public service hese
cOrrup ions have b-cuma sd mum rnus
! and sn divers fed, hav sent dn IN their
! tap roots deeply, have been PTactic+d
| 80 openly and have become in IA Co Ttain
sense, So respectable, that Tor manS If
| tn III a mere change OF adm i>tr Itinn
| y i'll not speedily fUTnIsh a remedy But
the Aus = may be ended 10y h. impul>
sion ui the same moral trTce hicl car
! rieS their authors cur of public rife hen
| II, rcul undertook the task If cleansing
! the Aug-an sta IL, he dId not USE tn
| fnrk or he shovel. bur turned the cur
| rent Of "A river upon It, aud so swept all
| it, d .Th into the sea / he stream as public
|
| manner, aid Il Democratic aGInInI-trt>
ton, This hydraulic mrth"d OF rrfur IN
| being unnecessary, the freedom t the
| press aud the untiameleG right of the
| people 10 speak their sen 'imsnts-every-
! thing that lets the water om should be
/ sgduIOuSIy encouraged aud securely
| guarded 80 may it come to pass in
/ due time that we wall remember the days
| of The gag~law, the practice of kid-nap-
ping freedmen, Hnd the murder of limos
cent people bv military commission, as
| we remember the years of mi!deW and
potatn rot and cholera tn only shudder
at them, and try tn prevent their recur~
rene. 1t | should close here you night
| misunder~tand me | have not the least
! idea That We ought to unseitle anything
whiGh has been fixed aud determined. or
take from any human being right vest
! ed Ia him 10y existing LAS We propose
no counter retulutsun. While we mean
tn be Just, We are Determined also tu be
/ liberal in the brnHdest sense of the word
/ The faith of tbegOVeTnmenr, no matter
bv whom pledged, Is i,revucable. The
hole civilized world knows that the
! public cFrdiJ is AFR with us tnau with
our opponents, and this is shown hy the
| fact that since the November ELECTIONS
mericun st cnritiCs have risen in every
market We rub nit tn the amendments
of the constitution, though they were
carried by ttand and force, and tile iva
last were intended e. tax AWAY uur in
heritance of selfS5nveTnment and give it
to anntber race oG men ithOut right and
ability to hold il or use il. But We will
execute the whole instruments, amend :
meats and all, in = way that will serve
| the ris hts of the honest white man as
well as hose of the aholitinnistS and tie
negro Another thing A large and
| most respectable BODY of men, wan un-
I'll Idtely cteG with the Republican par
! tv, v"ted for our candidates last month.
We are not to forget hnw uch We owe
them. The debt can b. paid by showing
that we deserve their cuBhie "ce in our
/ moderation AID fairness toward all class
e. Of the people. am faithfully yours
etc, is BLACK
Many of the negroes Of Memphis have
organized soeieTy the objects of which
: arc TO tiscHrd al political ties and a