The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1875-01-18

and the WEIGHT pressing on wooden sleeper'
moor fbe rr0und and somewhat decayed,
had caused them to give way. 4 nc re
eat Treasurer Is not likely to suffer alarm
from the same cause.
Tax-colIectors in my time, rs nov
were too much in the habit OF beng all
? atorv. and often delinquent IN making
settlements. For these ottenses l aus
missed about one-third Of them the hrsI
wear. some ten or Il dozen the second
wear. three or four the third, ana the
fourth year not single one. When 1t was
to be thoroughly understood that neglect
of duty or malfeasance in ONCE would DC
summarily punished, there was no farther
trouble. I could not have done this II
nv official hand had not been upheld
BY the courts and the people. ms
absolutely necessary support | secured by
I a course Of strict impartiallty. VI the as
missed officials majority were my per-
.onal, or political friends, some OF them
the most efficient, and Jealous, that l had
in the State. No man ever had warm
er heart for his friends than |. But as
Governor it was my duty to treat all
alike, and I did it. May | not say that
return to this rule and faithful oDserV-
ance Of it in practice would greatly re-
dound to the interest OF the Treasury and
contribute powerfully to restoration OF
that confidence and public tranquility,
which we all know to be essential TO the
public prosperity.
One other reference to these olden
times, and | will tax your patience no fur
Their with such matters.
twill be remembered that the war with
Mexico broke out suddenly during the
term of my service as Governor. The
people became at once immensely excited.
In almost every part Of the State they
assemb' ed in mass meetings and urged
call of the Legislature in extra session. |
respectfully declined, and for two reasons:
first the emergency was great, and L pre-
terred relying on the prompt, and en-
ergetic action of a patriotic people, rath-
er than the slower process OF Legislative
action. The result showed that my conf
dence was not misplaced, and | had then
another occasion to feel grateful to the
people for a united and generous sup
port. In the second place, call for the
Legislature in the then excited state
Of the public mind would not have been
conducive to wise, and dispassionate coun-
sells, and would have involved an expense,
most Of it useless, Of quite one hundred
thousand dollars. When our troops had
been placed in the field, with wonderful
celebrity, and had covered themselves with
immortal honor before Monterey, and at
Buena Vista, to say nothing Of other
will contested fields, the people thanked
me for keeping cool, when they them
selves had been carried away by an all
pervading excitement. Without mean
ing to find fault in this presence, with
what has been done recently, | may be
pardoned for asking whether YOU do not
think the late call for the Legislature
could have been avoided without serious
detriment to the public interest?
| have thus, my fellow-citizens, told
you what ough@ to be done, and this
brings US to consider more especially
what can be done. [ have already
pointed out some Of the obstacles in our
way. 1t remains, (and that is the main
point, for Us to consider, how these and .
other obstacles are to be removed, or
avoided.
The capital Of this State is mainly on
one side Of political line, and the ia
Dor on the other. This is an abnormal .
state OF affairs, and it must not be allow
ed to continue. We are one community.
We have one interest, and we can have
but one destiny, We might as well ex-
pect man to perform efficient labor
with one side OF him paraIyzed, as to ex-
pect prosperity IN Il state where one-half
Of the people live in perpetual discord
with the other, There must be harmony
or the whole body viii perish sooner or
later,
You need not be told that am allud-
ing to our divisions on the color line. NV
TOO ardent white friend in the plenitude Of
ms impotence IS ready to say we have la
bored long enough to convince the NEGRO
OF ms error, We will labor no longer. 60
slow my friends. To the old man. who, like
myself, IS blossoming for the grave | would
say, De yours the task of giving wholesome
IoE-ee rom the sore house Of wisdom album
dainty filled by experience. To the middle
yea, exercise that mental and physical Wig
)f with which you are still blessed i'm nm
easing efforts to bring about better I'M
IeEstandmg between the races. To the vouno
md impulslye, one word, restrain vonr inn
!eJuoslty; young men think old men are
ools, old men know a thing or TOO. What #
: tJ1at old men know Doctor Franklin can
MORN you without giving offence. and
nat Is more than choose to risk.
10 all let me say, correct your past errors
ma &c! me say that in my judgment no manis
more likely to be wrOpp than he ,,.Lo :;