Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1879-10-08
Not a Candidate.

X. ii. Henry, Esq, fultoi broohHh'ch ~"
GER
My DEAR SIR:-To your inquiry
might succinctly reply, that | am
not candidate for the office OF
United States Senator of Mlssls
sppi, and do not desire to be elect
ed to that position. Your uniform
friendship and early advocacy oi
me for that high station, cntltlc
YOU toa full statement of the rra-
sons which control me in tins mat
ter.
Assuming what, i'll view OF re-.
cent events, is by 10 mrahs proua
bic, that the requisite MAJORITY oi
Congress would remove my puliti.
cal disabilities, and thus spare our
State the ailront of denying To her
the right to choose her own repre-
sentative, ! proceed To consider the
case alphabetically presented.
Holding that the personal wishes
or private advantage of an lndl.
viiual should not enter into his
selection for II public trust, do
=
the generous preference for me
which YOU give assurance Is enter.
tanned by n majority of the people
of Mississippi. The best return |
can make for such kindness, is to
insist that the only consideration
shall he, rs to what will best pro
mote the welfare and prosperity ot
the State.
The vital issue before the country
il the contest between state rights
and consolidation. Or, III other
words, between the constitution, rs
it was adopted aud interpreted 10y
the tathcrs, or the Unrestricted Will
at the majority. The first Is llber
", the last is drspotism. The sn
prcmacy of law is Indispensable to
the preservation OF popular free
dom. aud whether the ruler, Who il
a law unto himself, be- one man. or
multitude, the result l. alike Il
despo,ism.
The checks and balances, the
distribution ot powers, aud the
cautions reservation IN the tcnlh
article OF the amendments, which
were as conditions annexed To the
compact between the states. all dis.
tinctly show the PnrP"Sc to organ
izc II general government which
should be- rrpunsihlc To the states
and their people. Surely the blood
of the revolution has not been shed
merely to effect n change ot mas
tiers. II was tor self government
that the states declared their indie
pcndencc, and fought until they
were scvcrally acknowledged To be
free and independent nations.
Thoroughly convinced that the
ideas aud practices of the founders
and early administrators of til,
general government Is the one
thing essential to sccnrc the lihrr
~, safety, and happiness ct the
people OF the states and their pos
terity, the point tor dcllbrratiou
before answering your question WAS
whether I conih, rs mn United
States Senator, he useful in attain
INK lUtl fiN' NV 'NlNl l'lllN u
questions which agitatc the cuun
try, are, IN my Estimation, 81 sub
ordinate that | think, after the con
templated restoratlon, they cnnl,
oil he easily and happily adjusted.
Taking rs far as one may in !
matter affecting himself, the atti
tude oil II dlsintrrcsted party in rhi'
discussion, | will first remark
what ii IS equally known To YOU
that in the northern mind there i,
an unreasonable opposition to III,
doctrine OF state rights; and tla
my assertion of il, with whatever
conclusions were necessarily dednc
ible therefrom, has made me tn,
special object of sectional hostility
il has, therefore, followed that 9th
ers could say, without creating
excitement, that the like of which
if uttered BY me, would be swoller
and distorted for uses in partisan
agitation. The future Of the com
try needs that there should be cain