The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-10-18

His Speech in the Hall OF the house
of Representatives Last TUESDAY
Night.
A srArEsMANLY EFFORT.

and manly exponent of the genuine coll
servatism and craftsmanship of this sec
ton. The people of the entire nation look
| upon him as a man of brain and lofty
patriotism, In whose counsels can be found
| wisdom, moderation and safety.
1t so happens that Lamar has had thrust
upon him positions of high prominence ana
great importance, which demanded wise
and prudent action, and which has riyeted
the attention of different sections and differ
ent parties on his course. And 1t so hap
mems that he has been able to meet every
great emergency frankly, fairly and square
". and to come out of it with increasing
laurels and added honors.
We do not claim to be his champion or
his special defender. We have differed
from him on some vital points. But it is only
simple justice to say that he has done more
for Mississippi, more for the South, more
for the country at large, than any other
Southern man since the surrender. Pers
haps his ability to do this was accidental.
Be that as it may. He stands to-day and has
stood since his entrance into politics after
the war, as an open and well defined figure
of the Democratic conservatism OF the
Southern States of tho personal en-
bodiments of Southern capacity to become
| reunited to the United States-an opitome
of the restorative essence of the South
He has met and dispeiled the thunder OF
the bloody shutters by showing that there
was nothing for theal to fight here. He has
disarmed the foes of our State and section
bv proving, so far as he was concerned, that
the South was moro true to the honor OF the
country, the republicanism of our fathers,
and the great charter of government
which the fathers gave us, than they were.
He has largely helped to quench the con-
stantly menacing flame of Northern in
dignation against us by simply removing
their kindling-wood.
The opportunity for working out great
and an enduring good for the South was
given to Lamar, and the fact that he was
able to see it, and to rise above all the petty,
contracted, temporizing, sectional andpure-
" partisan considerations, and strike out
boldly for the substance of reconstruction
and true government-not their glitterlng
and deusive shadows-shows that he Is a
statesman and worthy of the trust of a
brave and high-toned constituency. The
| fact that he could look beyond the bitter
auimadyersions of the hour and cour-
ageously do what his judgment sanctioned
as the best thing to do for his people
albeit they disapproved it at the time-shows
that he is a man of nerve, who cannot be
swerved from the path of honor, integrity
and faithfulness. And when large portion
of the press of this State were heapipg
abuse upon him, the Legislature instructing
him to vote against his conviction, and
swarm of political ducks were threatening
to peck him to pieces, the fact that he was
able to brush away all these big and little
fish, and still stand by his manhood, still
subordinate partyism to patriotism, and
still work for the grand triumph of an en-
larged craftsmanship, the solid deliverance
of his State, section and country from the
hands of men who were dwarfing the
national government to their own belittled
conceptions of loyalty, shows that he is a
man of true greatness.
We could trace the career of Lamar in
Congress and easily point out at every lead
ing episode of it the wholesome underlying
principles which have shaped his conduct.
And it is singular truth in his history that
the very acts for which he has been most
abused and censured, are the ones which
have contributed most to his personal tri-
umph and the restoration of the South to
a controlling power in the United States
government. In his eulogy upon Charles Sum-
ner, for which he has had periodic sluice
of vituperation and impugnment heaped
upon his head, he seized fitting occasion
to utter sentiments which will go down to
posterity as eminently honorable to the
heart of a manly and brave antagonist,
and at the same time he sand-wiched be-
tween them timely words of defence and
vialication of the South that were heard
all over the North. 1t gave him the ear of
the North and of the Republican party-of
the foes of tho South and of those who
were honestly ignorant of her feelings, and
he used tho opportunity to dispel the mists
of prejudice and show the grOundlessness
of their continued animosity. 1t was the
first Northern audience any Southern man
had after the war. Let us have no more
slurs upon this so-called ''Sumner Eulogy.
1t was perfect ten strike for the South.
It opened the way Tor hearty reconcilia-
ton of the sections, without which there
can be no enduring peace and prosperity
and happiness.
Col. Lamars speech in Jackson, was
mainly devoted to an explanation and de-
fence of his course in Congress, and, az we
have already given synopsis of his Oxford
speech, in which he won't over substantially
the same ground, we will attempt no elabo-
rate report here. He gave full and most
interesting exposition of the history of the
Electoral Commission, voted for the bill
authorizing it, as did every other Demo,
cratic Senator save one, and large major
ity of the Democratic members. He showed
that this was Democratic measure, and
he drew vivid picture of the results OF
any attempt on the part of Southern Dem
ocracy to inaugurate IL President elected,
with the Senate, the Administration, tho
Army and Navy against them. He satisfied
his hearers that such an attempt would
have been the madness of folly, and would