American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-10-25
Mass Meetings.

We are glad to discover that some
things are settled, ami TO learn that
the apple>pie statesman did not in-
tend to uusettle us as TO The drfinI>
tiOn Of meeting and convention.
But we ,egret that n gentleman
who understands 30 we'll the causes
, of things, should have found any
excuse for withholding his views on
the subject of mass, AS connected
with these bodies.
Still, left as We are to the lights
before us, we now aud then ina CINE
that we know something about the
essential constituents of a mass
meeting or convention. Other
things heing equal, that il the best
representativ We body, which is Iarg
est, because il, is most likely to
know The wishes of those represents
ed. Fairness demands, il should
Come i'm as equal numbers as pOssi-
ble from the several districts, that
the dwellers in each may exert
their legitimate influence.
Considered in reference to these
principles, and having regard to
what they were respectively called
upon to do, the meeting OF the Crib
instant was better representative
body than that of August 4th.
though numerically \ very lit IT,
smaller. As it was a Democratic
meeting, it was expected to reflect
The will and wishes of that party
alone usual voting strength
is about twelve hundred. The fac,
that some eighteen of those pres
sent-as stated by the soi-disant
Democraf-were nominees, aud mem
bers of the Executive Committee,
was q circu instance in favor OF the
meeting, instead of being against it,
as they were likely to know the
party's wishes, aud anxious to Sc
cure its strength by selecting
proper nominee.
The October convention WAS call
ed to fill a sIngle vacancy, and upon
comparatively short notice. Ac-
cordins to reason, sixty>four would
be more likely to know the wishes
of twelve hundie ell i'm regard to tina
single matter, than seventy three
would be t. know the wishes nf
four thousand as TO suitable men TO
fiji fJur Officers. This is too Obvious
to require comment, and il is
sufficient reason why the October
me ing was a better representative
b My than that of August. which
undertook to represent the citizens
of Madison county. Now, another
word Is to The August meeting, ard
We qait the subject forever. The
managers are anxious to put it Oh
record as a Democratic mass con
veltiOn. In this, they ignore the
we'll established fact, that the call
"waS for mass cUnventioI of citi
zens.n We are aware. that the wire
workers oi the concern, Who talk SO
much about machine politics, man
aged, by the magic arts of hocus-
pocus, to pass il off under an alias.
Thinking their rose under another
name, would smell u little swertrr,
they dubbed the odorous thing a
Democratic mass meeting. Whe,h-
er the motley assemblage, thus
changed as It were in the twinkling
of an eye, will be saved through the
baptism Of John, must be left tn
the siI-testing aud all-revealing
power of time.
THE Democratic party of Missis-
sippi has never made pledge to
the people that il has not in good
faith carried out and redeemed il
full, to the last letter. Your Srar+
ia xes have been reducrd from 90 SO
to % 80 on the thOnsand. while u
great and sweeping reform has been
Introduced into all the depaI tmeuts
of government, both State and
couufy