The weekly clarion., 1875-11-03
The Great Victory.


Some Thoughts Upon IG.
1t is our Joy to congratulate the Dem
ocrats and Conservatives of Mississippi
upon a more complete triumph than even
the most sanguine Of us had anticipated.
The forces of the grand reform had been
working out their mission, like the sub
terranean stream, in silence and obscu-
rity; and at last bursts forth with the
fury of spring tide. The time had
come for change of Administration,
and the people responded to the necessi-
ties of the occasion as naturally as 4" the
earth in spring time responds to the
summons of nature" and puts on its
buds, its leaves and its flowers. There
is no part of the State in which these all
pervading influences have not operated,
to greater or less extent. They have
been felt everywhere. The wrong-dOers
who abused the trusts which they
importunately sought, in blind reckless
ness of consequences, in their wild revel
have sown the wind and have reaped a
more terrible whirlwind of defeat than
they had ever dreamed.
Now, let the victors not fail to remem-
ber that next to the difficulty of winning
a victory is that of turning it to wise uses.
Do the wrongs of which are complained
exist? Are taxes which have devoured
the rewards of industry to feed and fatten
drones in their idleness, unreasonably
high? Are the appropriations for the
various departments in excess of receipts
Have offices been multiplied for the ben.
eft of the few at the expense Of the many
when there was no public necessity? II
these abuses exist, they must be approach
ed and discussed, with deliberation and
calmness, and with determination to in
stitute such complete reforms, as the in
terests of people require and they have
right to demand.
To accomplish this mission and execute
Justice, the sword of mere vengeance
against persons, should be kept in its scab
bard; but the axe should be laid heavily
at the root of the evils which the peo
pie have keenly felt.
1t would be wrong to deny that for this
great deliverance we are largely indebted
to the
VOTERS OF COLOR,
who acted in every county, in disregard Of
the exhortations and warnings of the lead
ers in whom they have here tofore trusted
and of the trammels of the political Or
ganization to which they belonged, and
which they had been taught gave them
their freedom and invested them with the
ballot which was necessary to It's protec-
ton. 1t required no little firmness and
trustfulness ON their part to take this
stand but they did it, thousands of them,
nobly and bravely, and therefore may oul
right hands forget their cunning, and oul
tongues cleave to the roofs of our mouths.
ere we fail, in any particular, to carry
out, in good faith, the pledges of equal
and even justice to them and theirs, on
which they placed their confidence. In
one of our Daily editions, few days
preceding the election, we used this Ian.
guage in reference to the colored voters,
and now, having realized the fullness OF
our anticipations, we wish to repeat il
with emphasis:
"All things considered, this class of vo-
ters have fought nobly in the cause OF Re-
| form in the present canvass. Many of then
have seen the evils OF carpet-bag misruIe.
and have turned away from it. They have
borne the banner of Democracy, radiant
with its notices of equal rights to all-spe-
cial privileges to none-peace, prosperity
and goodwill. AS they are helping to win
the victory, so will their voices be mingled
in the rejOicings which will welcome the
glad tidings."
And, we will add, so shall they be
benefited equally with the rest of our
people, by the victory which has crowned
their joint struggles. As they were al
lies of great toll, so they will share the
fruits of a common triumph.