American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-10-04
Madison County Politics.

Mr.. Editor
1 know many of your readers are
disguised with the bitter wrangling
of the present political contest. Yet
while men differ in political as in
other matters, a courteous discus
sion of the questions at issue, even
If it does not lead to agreement of
opinion, at least tends to create a
feeling of mutual respect between
the persons contending; and as l
have no feeling in the case, the
reader need not fear meeting any
thing that is not entirely coul teous
in what 1 may at present have to
say
The two parties claiming the sup
port of the voters of Madison county
both call themselves "the Demo
cratic party" In order to distin-
guish them, I shall call the one
having it's candidates in the field
first in point of time, the first party,
and the other the second party. Let
US first see how there came to be
second party, when the field was al
ready occupied.
The second party claims that the
first party is irregular, and not the
Democratic party, because its can>
didates were not nominated In ac-
cOrdance with a certain resolution
of former convention of the party
OF which both claim to DO the cons
tinuance. Now, let us grant this
for am not sufficiently conversant
with the history OF the Democratic
party to say whether this Is OF is
not true. But grant it, and let us
see how the case stands. 1t will not
be disputed that parties perpetuate
themselves through their executive
committees, nor that the executive
committee of the original Demos
CT attic party has continued to exist
down to the present time. This
committee. the Only organized rep
resentatlve of the pariy, called on
the several beats to send up dele
gates 10 make nominations. The
people Of the beats responded, full
dele gations were sent. and the NOM
nations we've made. The committee
may have departed from its instruc
tions, may have transcribed it's
authorlty-yet its action, being fully
endorsed by ths people throughout the
county, binds the party to the results
of that action. No protest even was
heard from any quarter. Why did
not all, or even one, of the beats re-
fuse to send delegates to an unau>
thorizcd convention Why was it
that no single member of any one
beat even raised the question Of
regularity
Agents may go beyond the au>
thority given them. yet when the
acts of the agent are endorsed by
the principal, either expressly or by
implication, the principal is bound
as to those acts. Certainly no
stronger endorsement could be re-
qnired than has been given in this
case. So much, then. for the basis
on which the first party stands.
Now let MS look at the origin and
status of the second party. Certain |
of their own motion, not |
entrusted Nth a shado,o of authority
6y any 0rgdniydtt0n, lSSned a Call Tor
a mass convention. Was there any |
regularity in thisP In this cali do
they meet with the endorsement of
the Democratic party of Madison
cOuntye What was the number of
true Democrats in that convention
The tale has been too often told to
need repeating here.
Thrse gentlemen say they have
acted in accordance with resOlu-
lions. Can they show, or do they
pretend to show, any resolution au>
thorlzing them to act at all a? If
hey are SimOn~pure Democrats, as
hey profess to be. they are au
horized to do but one thing, and
hat thing they are commended to
10: VOTE THE REGULAR TICKET.
As to which is the regular ticket,
here Can be no question. More
mon. ..