The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-05-02
She Democratic I'arfy-So"fhern
Pacific Railroad "a sasI the
mississippi H.eVee~.

hold it i'll allegiance, to cooperate III any
movement to carry out works OF internal
Improvement which are essential to the
welfare Of the South aud the develop
ment of her res2urces-they are laboring
under an erroneous impression. 1t Is the
mission Of the Democratic party, IN con
cert with Northern men, who will dIvest
themselves of sectional prejudice, to &C
complish these objects. 1t is the pride
Of the Democratic party that it Is the
champion OF the doctrine, forcibly eX-
pressed by Andrew Jackson, that the
blessings of government, ike the dews
of heaven, shall be dispensed with equal
bounty to all, without reference ID section
or favored class. The present Demo
cratic party is composed Of former Wings
and Democrats, and Of men WHO have,
come upon the stage of action since the
war. The Wing party was distinguish
ed for its advocacy Of internal improve
ments by the general government, and
the Democratic party Of former days al
WAYS contended that objects not purely
local in their nature should receive the
fostering attention of the general govern
ment John Calhoun, the great Apos-
tie OF the strict Constitution school Of
Democrats, presided over the celebrated
Memphis Convention in 1916, the first
| Convention that was ever held to set
| forth the claims of the South and West
ern States to "confer on the measures
g that should be adopted for the devel-
" opment Of the resources Of the valley
. of the Mississippi and the adjacent
g States on the Gulf Of Mexico and the
& Atlantic States" That Convention,
| composed of delegates from sixteen
States and one territory, adopted resolu-
tons relating to the improvement of the
Mississippi river and its navigable tribu-
| taries, including the deepening of the
| bar at It's mouth; the leveeing of the
| Mississippi river and its tributaries, ''the
connection of its valley and the South
" ern Atlantic States by system OF
railroads" A railroad to the Pacific
was not thought of by the sages of that
dav; but they deemed of paramount I'M
| portance the connection Of the Mississip
| ri river and the Southern Atlantic, and
declared it the duty Of Congress to aid in
elfecting that object. The Convention
appointed committee to memorabilia
| Congress in behalf Of these measures !;
James Gadsden, charialn Of South Car
Dina; J. Guthrie afterwards Secre-
tary of the Treasury under Pres
dent PIERCE of Kentucky; Roger
Barton, of Mississippi; Leroy Pope, Of
Tennessee, and J. Luca, Of Missouri. In
the name of Roger Barton will be recog-
nized distinguished leader Of the Dem
ocratic party of his day. Even in that
era of strict construction, no Democrat
incurred the suspicion of party disloyalty
in advocating governmental all, to con
meet the Mississippi River and the At
antic Ocean by railway, nor in opening
l the mouth Ol Illc river, hol III VII o"i"5
az embankments to reclaim and protect
the lands adjacent.
Litter, as a member of the Pierce AID
| ministration Hon. Jefferson Davis
Secretary of War-projected a railway
to the Pacific, and ordered a survey t.
demonstrate the prlcticability of roaC
on the line of the present Texas Pacific
| He is the father of that grand enterprise
A very able report was made by the EN-
gineers charged with the duty of making
the survey, AMI it fully accorded with the
| views which he entertained Of its feast
hility. In originating that great natlona
measure, it never entered the mind o
any one that he was compromising hi
position rs a Democrat, nor betrayln:
the Democratic Administration of which
he was the most influential member. Ii
the last House Of Il representatives., Sena
tor-elect Hon. L. @ G. Lamar wa
Chairman of the Pacific Railroad Com
mittee. and at the same time he served
| rs VI biAC lICii<pCt ttttS NtCAi 70
sonal Committee, but we meyer hear,
that he impaired his usefulness in on
position by serving actively in other
His most Jealous and efficient co-labore
on the Railroad Committee, was Hon. j
d. c. Atkins, Democratic Representativ
from Tennessee.
With these examples before HIM, tn
man is a dreamer who imaginez that it
necessary to abolish the Democratic par
ty, or to suspend its functions, and Great
new one, in order to reclaim the MissiS
sippi overfowed lands aud protect from
innundation those subject to overflow t
build a Southern Railway to the Pacific
or to accomplish any other measure o
general Importance, in which the Sout
is specially concerned. The most efheien
instrumentality for carrying out thes
measures, is the party which in dispens
ing the benefits of government, knows n
North, no South, lao East, pQ West bu
embraces the whole county in its benefi
cent designs.
Civil Service Reform
Washington corresp ondents have note'