Richland beacon., 1874-09-19
Address Of the Peoples Party of
Claiborne County, Miss.

IL -.
Whilst all other races have developcd
Il civllzation--some rude and others
OF the highest order-yet the African,
though for more than four thousand
years Of the earth's authentic history
in contact with the highest civilian
lions that have existed, has never
developed civilization above the
rudest; has never, of and by itself,
invented. discovered, or cultivated
any OF the arts or sciences, and has
heretofore shown itself wholly in
capable Of self government.
All history teaches us that social
mcngrclism of distinct races is an
evil of the gravest magnitude; ell
failing upon the product of that mon
grelism the vices and faults of the
races so mongrelzed, without any of
their virtues and cXcellences. And
the history of the Mexican, Central
and South American Republics, and
OF the last few years in the United
States, hsti brought home to US in the
most striking manner the fact that po-
litical mongrc!ism is equally fatal to
social order and good government,
and to the progress Of civilization.
We mention and record these facts in
no spirit Of vain-glory on the one side,
nor ofuniust depreciation on the other;
hut simply recognize them as stubborn
facts, which it is folly and dangerous
to disregard.
The negro, being such as he is, nee
essarily follows the lead of the worst
OF his own, and of the superior race,
who, for their own profit and selfag-
grandizemcnt, play upon his passions,
prejudices, ignorance and weaknesses.
The history Of the last few years in
the Southern States fully shows how
lamentably true this is, and how de-
structive and blighting it has been up.
on the moral and material interests
Of all classes.
That history, wherever the negro
has been in the ascendency or held the
balance of power, has been marked by
ignorace, incompetency. rapacily and
corruption 10 public Offices: bv taxa
ton amounting to colfscation; by
unparalleled extravaganza, and NAL, /
administration in State, County and
municipal governments.
Toavert all this, we have in the /.
past sought the confidence of the f.
Regro, have urged upon him to unite
with US to put in pubic Offices the
best men Of both races, and have offered
him as candidates for Office such men.
but he has pcrsistent!v refused our
solicitations and offers, and has band
ed together against us on a purely
color race line under the leadership of
the worst ST his own and our race.
The while citizens of Port Gibson
and Claiborne county, convinced that
the time has fully arrived when self
preservation requires organized legal
resistance to the mischievous blunders
of ignorance, and the outrges of official
corruption and believing that those
evils can only lie corrected by white
intelligence and integrity that tho
experiment of negro supremacy has
been fairly tried and proved dsas-
trous failure that the affairs of our
own county, and of the State at large. I
have too long been directed, or misdi.
rectcd, by corrupt white adventures
and ignorant negroes-thc former of
whom have neither homes nor perma.
nent interest amongst US, and the lat
Ter neither the virtue nor the intelIi.
genee requisite for official station that
The negroes under the dictation and
leadership oftheir unprincipled white ,
allies, have ostracised the intelligence
and property of the community, and ,
almost wholly excluded the white
resident citizens of worth aud infu-
ence from all and any participation :
In public affairs that under Garnet ,,
bag and negro rule, the State tax.
which in 1867, was at the rate Of one :
mill on the dollar, is now fourteen on !
the dolar-showing an annual growth |
OF IT,. State tax of two hundred Der l
cent for the last I years, in other :
words a growth of fourteen hundred +
per cent for the whole period; that a
Notwithstanding this enormous and e
hitherto unbeard of increase of taxa. {
ton, the State of Mississippi, which .
did not owe q dollar in 1867, is now n
saddled with debt of three and a S
halls millions of dollars; that under Il
that baleful rule. our Legislature fur u y
nisbcs sickening history ofignorance, r,
oppression and corruption; that our ii
State, county snd corporation taxes,
steadily augmenting under negro and 81
management, have attained u u
% such dimensions that the deplora- " "
Die alternative of confscation or in
esistance is presented to the prop NJ
rty-belders of the State that our IA "a
'ublic Offices, with here and there an ~ ~
honorable exception: are filled with e,
rlminals, or men too ignorant to prop of
rly discharge their duties; that in pc
DO many instances justice is but a OIL
cookery, and our present jury system fro
farce that under carpet-bag teach pr
,g, the white man is possessed of no sol
ehts which the negro feels bound 20 wi
aspect; that having for The past seven re-