The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1879-06-13

Mississippi had at a former period repudi
ated her own lust and honest debts. "A
one who had no part nor agency IN tn
legislation Of that period-as II win
was always known to be an advocate o
the payment of every honest debt, a
whatever cost of labor or sacrifice OF inter
est-let mo here say that the charge IL un
true, and that no faint of ~"repudiati0n'
sullies the fair fame of our State.
| rejoice with You in the restoration o
freedom, and that Mississippi is again gov
erned by M~ississippians. In the darkest
of our troubles il has been q consolation
to be able to say, with the patriarch job
81 know that my Redeemer l~iyeth,' ano
to feel an abiding confidence in the iinal
triumph of Truth.
Gentlemen of the press, ID is especially
gratifying to meet so many of you as
scmbled in council, for in You is largely
dependent the future veal or woe of our
beloved State. The power which you
WELD is one most potent for good or evil.
II can hardly fail to be executed for great
or good aud for the promotion of IA higher
standard of public and personal morality
through mutual conference aud counsel.
The tone of the press of Mississippi is al
ready, in my judgment, unsurpassed by
that of any other State; and | think 1
have IA right to Judge, having formerly
been an active member of a political
party. and as such amenable to the criti-
cism of the newspapers of the opposite
party. No man ever had less cause to
complain of his opponents on the score
OF truthtulness, or candor, or courtesy, or
decorum.*
Most cheering of all, my coun.rymen,
q, Tho -, - Al, 1.,1.., al a.,
proval of so many of that sex which was
''last at4the cross and first at the sepul-
chre,p and which in .onr own day has fur
nished the most shining examples of I'M
selfish and heroic fidelity to truth and
right, to God and country. Seeing you
here, am tempted to repeat n remark
made once before, although it was mis-
interpreted and misrepresontcd by our en-
emies-that | had meyer yet seen n South
EN- woman who vas RECONSTRUCTED"
Your devotion and your steadfast fidelity
gave as reason to hope that the children
0f such womcn will yet vindicate The
principles which zoe failed to maintain.
Let no one suppose that ! am advocating
revolution or n revival of sectional strife.
1t is not the good of the South alone, Int
of all parts Of the country, that requires
the maintenance of sound constitutional
principles. We, of the South, have never
boon d~isunionists. We We're always the
most steadfast friends of the Union as or
gained BY the constitution. Notification
and secession-tor a resort to which in our
despair of the preservation of a cOnstitu-
tional union we have been so bitterly re-
.viled-were first suggested to us by the
They originated in New England.
We resorted to them reluctautly-in the
last eXtremity-as IA dire necessity, and
not from choice or on light occasion. AS
the South was. then-as it has always
been-so may it ever be-true to the
union Of the constitution.
My friends-for all Mississippians arc
my %friends-I love Mississippi aud | love
Mississippians-may God bless you, each
and all-now and forever.
We have not attempted to inter
Jet any expression of the repeated
and most enthusiastic outbursts
Of applause by which these re-
we're interrupted at every
possible opportunity.
H. !