The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-07-04


sea- board. ~ here come the imm grants oy
thousands from the old lands OF Europe
and upon those, who, in great cities anu II
factory towns and crowded. mining districts
are compelled tt face the old but yet I'M
lived problems Of work and wages. of ga pI-
tai and labor. IL presses upon those, VINO
at the sunset are deeply pondering OF ,What
must be when steamship aud railway
shall lift up the flood-gates and let in more
fully the tide of Asiatic commerce and
Asiatic population; aud upon you. who all
through the South are this day confronted
with rh- present question OF an untaught
race, made free by war. and now with your
assent enfranchiscd. Very like TO each and
all of us is the one great problem given Tor
our solution. Only varying in kind and
degree are the conditions under which It's
answer must be sought. | know but one
method. and that is by steady. persistent,
/ nnw earyins effort at individual education
Upon this fourth continent, the races OF the
other three are mingled to solve this proc
lem of all humanity and of the ages-tha
ability of man for seif-government. Europe
came; Africa was brought; and now ASA
CONES. Let seitishneSs stand back. Let
prejudice stand back. Let cowardly want
al faith In man stand back Let doubt OF
| God st md back. Because l believe IN the
1 manhood of man and the goodness of God.
| believe that for this problem can be found
safe and efficient solution. Great applause
But it can only be TIN Ough that fixed and
abiding faith which begins and ends In pa
| ticnt, untirng. and uuceasinG work. EIu-
| cation of the mind by the State, uncon-
| .rolled by any church, and education OF
| heart and SOUL uncontrolle by the state,
this is the one first and essential condition
| alike for the birth, the growth and the very
| existence of a free State. Universal educa-
| tiOn is the life of popular liberty.
! pass to what seems the second absolute
| need of successful free government. TINS
/ is thorough, abiding and effective respect
| for the law, such respect ne heartily recog-
/ niZcs its authority and obeys and enforces
| its methods and mandates.
| Remember that with us law is the formal
and solemn expression of the viii OF the
majority, In its enactment we have had
| part. II our advice has been unheeded and
| our votes outnumbered. 1t is still our duty
| to acquiesce and obey until By peaceful and
constitutional methods we can change the
| popular vote and repeal or amend laws that
seem to us unwiSe or hurttul. Had our
wish succeeded and our will been coined
| into law. we should have expected our
fellows to submit. Else why go through
the farce of voting and making law
If they succeed ought we not by like
logic to submit ourselves! Obedience
to law means social order DlSObedience
means anarchy. Social order means the
peaceful prosecution of business. the quie'
enioVment of home, the protection OF all
the Interests of labor and the safe pursuit
by each of his own happiness. Where laws
are faithfully obeyed and impartially en-
approved, and the folly of unwiSe laws and
tile evil of bad laws become clear to all.
Enforce a good law and the community sees
and knows that it is good and Will look to
its retention, Enforce a bad law and the
people will awaken to the need of its repeal.
But dead laws are like dead wood. encum-
brauce on the statute book and invitation to
worms and decay. The man who suOstI-
tutes his own will for the will of the many,
and as the phrase goes stakes the law into
his own hands" is a bad citizen, and he who
acquiesces in the violence of his neighbor is
weak citizen. (Applause.)
can conceive conditions of border life
where there is no regularly organized
society, where there are no courts and no
judges, where the instinct of self preserVa-
ton compels quick, certain measures to be
promptly taken that violence may be re-
pressed and crime punished. But Such ac-
ton. while not of the form is of the essence
of law 1t is only justified as it is the best
administration of law of which the case IS
capable. But the disregard of law and its
forceful, open, deliberate and UNPUBLISHED
violation is brutalzing to the community in
which it occurs, and very demOrallZlng IN
its general effects. Thoughtful monarchists
and disbelievers in popular government
may well ask whether the aristocratic sys-
tenn that denies to a man the ballot, but
pro ects his person and property, is not bet
ter than the popular system that gives him
! a ballot ard then permits his nelghbors TO
| burn his home or take his life unhindered
aud unpublished?
This need of faithful obedience to law and
impartial enforcement of law is not con-
| fined to any State or community. If L were
asked to point out the greatest present dan
! ger TO our popular institutions, l should
| say at once that it lies in our habitual dis
regard of our personal duty to obey and en-
| force law.
| We are too frequently in the habit OF
asking is this law wise or right? lnstead
of asking what is the law?" 1t it be
! law, Otey it as law while it remains on
the statute book, and then. having vim
dicated the majesty of the law, change or
repeal it as legal opportunity is given But
! no thoughtful man can read the daily press
| without being painfully conscious OF the
lawless spirit that is abroad in the land. The
record is full of crimes of brutality, and
| deeds of violence that sicllen our souls and
! disgrace our civilization. They are com
mon no one section. They are confined
| TO no one State. They are alike in kind but
vary as to moving cause, according to the
prejudice and ignorance OF the locality In
| California it is an outbreak of the christian
! mob against the heather Chinese. In New
| England it is the physical effort OF mass
! of striking operatives to deny TO each Ia
| borer his right to solve for himself the queS-
| ton of his own wages. In Pennsylvania it
takes the terrible form of oath bound So
| cieties among the poor ignorant miners. In
/ the North these violent outbreaks mostly
spring from questions of labor. In the
| South they seem mostly to have grown
| from questions of personal quarrel, or OF
race and politics. But underneath them all
lies the one fact, disregard of the majesty
and sanctions of law; the constant DISPOSE
tion to use force instead of reason, to sub
sti ute the passion of the few for the law.
that EN- bodies the will of the many. just
| in proportion as any community either APP
proves or assents to the disregard of law is
! such disregard dangerous. Where the law
is violated, and no attempt is made to pun
ish the violation or even ascertain the viola
tor, great and permanent wrong is done, a
wrong to the public conscience and to the
| public welfare.
Each deed of violence invites retaliation.
g He that taketh the sword shall perish by
the sword" lt alse pays its penalty in ma
| terial loss. Society avenges itself, for cap
ital and labor will not go where their frui
| andwageS are not secure.
! Look for one moment at the cold logic of
this matter. If | think that you have done
me wrong, and attempt TO take your pun
| ishment into my hands, then the question
of whether you shall be punished or not is
| simply question of my physical ability.
Justice becomes only matter muscle. Mer-
| cy only a question of weakness. If the
right be halt or lame or blind, and the wrong
be stout and able bodied, then the right goes
| down and the wrong is both nstable,
Judge and jailor. You and | know that this
| is not liberty. 1t is simply the grossest form
| OF tyranny. If you live under forms of law
then is their observance liberty, and he who
oNer-FIues tneIil 10 IISnt MS rear OI i@hcleu
wrong with his own strong arm. becomes
| thereby the enemy of society. Nay more,
he becomes at the last his own worst enemy
For he has logically put himself and his
own rights at the mercy OF any of his fell
lows who may be stronger. Of such laws
and under Suchsrule Samson is indeed judge
| in Israel. And such rule shall end as ended
his. With blinded eyes brute force shall
toll in the prison house of its own passion.
With vengeful fury seeking To overwhelm
its foes, it shall perish in the ruins OF its
own making.
No. Let such rude logic be forever of the
past. 1t was born of the night and is not
for the day. Let reason have sway and let