The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-12-23

Address OF the Democratic Executive
Committee Of Washington County.
.reenYille Times ]

!
The present seems fit time to address
you as to our local future
II is unnecessary for us to advert tn III,
recent n atlonal defeat Of our party. Sufic,
II 70 say, that succession of such defeats
| through a period of twenty years, has ouly
served to inspire it with fresh courage. anc
cause 1t TO return to the contest with in.
creased numbers and renewed vigor. Sc
must 1t grow, as long as the American peo
pie retain their devotion to the principles OF
constitutional liberty. But it is in our
local administration that our first and near
ests interests lie. A conhagration touches
Us sensloly indeed when it sweeps over our
own hearthstones. With US Democracy
means, In common with the whole nation.
adherence to certain modes and policies OF
como uctlng the general government, and to
the great principle of local self-government
But in OUR local affairs it means much
more than this. 1t means intelligence,
economy and integrity in our county gov
eminent.
Through and by virtue of our Democratic
county organization, we have seen in the
past four years taxes reduced, crime check
ed, local and county debts paid, the laws
enforced, so as to maintain for all citizens
absolute security of life, liberty and proper
ty, and the kindliest relations established
between the two races competing our citi-
zens. In short, we have had an admins
tratiOn of local affairs which will compare
favorably with that of any county in auy
State in this favored land
Can the memory of the preceding local
administration by the Republican party
ever be ehaced from your minds 1t was
one continuous carnival of official robbery
venality and corruption. Taxation and
cOnfscation became almost synonymous
terms. INSCRIPTIONS knaves, exciting and
trading upon the race prejudices and igno-
rance of our colored citizens, rioted in pub
lie plumber.
We recall to your recollection the state of
things that then existed for a purpose. We
state undeniable truth, when we say
that the Republican party can never be
better in this county than it was. Its very
existence here as a party depends upon the
organization of the colored people as mem
bers of that party, because, and because
alone, they are colored people. An organ-
cation based, not upon political differences,
but upon race antagonisms and prejudice
against property owners, readily aroused
amongst ignorant and thoughtless people,
and the facile instrument of demagOgues
and spoil-hunters With us, therefore, it
must and always will be party with few
selfish, shrewd and INSCRIPTIONS leaders,
welding for their own benefit and to the
public ruin mass of ignorant, credulOus
voters.
In the past the Democratic party has
aimed by its fair and equal dealings with
all citizens, an equitable division of county
offices with colored men, and even assisting
its opponents to take possession of the offices
to which elected, to break down and obliter-
ate the asperities and animosities of the one
race toward the other, which were the re-
suit of Republican rule and Republican
Vaccinations. And such will be its policy
Il, ~.
direction-more remains to be done. Hum
dreds of colored citizens at the late election
testified the effect of this policy by cordial
lv uniting with ours their votes and voices.
Hundreds more will do 50 in the future il
we pursue wise and firm policy,
One of the effects of the late election has
been to disclose our enemies, ard enable Us
to see who are our friends. By certain
leaders undisgui5ed efforts were made to
band the colored citizens together as a race
against the white race-to marshall them in
compact masses as against the property own
ers And since then, presuming that its
result has disheartened members of our
party, insidous proposals have been made
to leaders and reputable citizens to join in
banding the colored vote; and as candidates
for local offices next year, lead that element
in displacng the Democratic organization
from control of our local governments and
thus, under new and more malignant auspi
vcs, &c establish Republican rule.
These suggestions, We are happy to say,
have thus far been rejected with scorn,
and will only be accepted when they find
men whose hunger for Office has destroyed
in them every vestige of principle or of
reputable manhood. But we learn from
these symptoms that our old enemy IS at
work We warn you that because an cleo
ton has Just passed, it is no time to sleep.
To avoid trouble in the future, never was it
more necessary that you should be alive to
the present. The party organization must
become living reality to every citizen. In
its service, and for its good, there must be
absolute harmony and unqualified abnega-
ton of individual views and private inter-
est. Apathy in public affairs, the beset-
ting sin of our people, must be cast aside,
and in its place intelligent interest and zeal
in all public matters be manifested. To our
colored fellow citizens who have openly acted
with US should be shown a marked appre
citation of such action and when, as we
understand is not unfrequently the case,
they are abused and maltreated because of
such action, it should and will be our bust
ness to see that the offenders meet with the
severest penalties of the law.
Many of the colored leaders now hold
Office among US, and almost universally
through bonds made by white Democrats.
Many of them are our political friends and
allies Some are, if not neutral, sufficiently
discreet to refrain from appealing to race
preiudices; others, however, have recently,
without effort at concealment, sought to
array their race as a race against our party
their only argument being black against
white-labor against capital
1t would only be foolish sentmentality
to persevere in assisting men of this latter
class to retain Office. They are hurtful to
the interests of all classes, and by holding
( AZ lal To
extensive influence. Your committee has
therefore thought proper to urge the securi-
ties of such as are known to be of this latter
class, TO obtain release from their bonds.
And they now ADVISE all those who thin k
that the Democratic party is the conserva-
tor of our we'll being, to leave this class of
offceholders to their own devices and their
own peculiar friends in the matter of max
ing bonds.
Our situation, in the present, demands
more than eyer before, just, wise and firm
policy. Whatever may be said of the one
party or the other in the country at large,
here we know them by their fruits. All
that we have ever known in public affairs in
the past, of good, of honesty, of economic
administration and official integrity, we
have known through and by virtue of our
| County Democratic organization. Through
/ its instrumentality, and it alone, let
National politics take what course they
may, we honestly believe that good local
government, peace, Law, order, and material
prosperity can be preserved. Let as then
cling to it with more earnest devotion, per-
/ feet and harmonic it, draw closer together,
stand shoulder to shoulder, forget individ-
ual differences, utterly repudlate private IN
teFests and independent aspirations, ana re-
garding that organization as an instrument
| through which alone the present and future
/ we'll being of all classes of our citizens, and
our material prosperity, can be conserved,
renew our fealty to it, and give it our IN
oualifed adherence and submission.
Signed:
A. w. Wikclife, johnson Erwin,
Jas. Stone, H. L. Baker.
/ N d.