The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-09-15
MISSISSIPPI:
Her Past and Fusurs-The Duty Of Her Sons
ADDRESS BY A. F. FOX, ESQ, OF WAL
THALL, MISS, BEFORE, THE PRESS con-
yENTIoN AT ABERDEEN.

ADDRESS BY A. F. FOX, ESQ, OF Wall
THALL, MISS, BEFORE, THE PRESS con-
yENTIoN AT ABERDEEN.
1t has been said that "Peace hath her vic
tories no less renowned than those of wal" /"
The truth Of this was never better illustra-
ted than in the mighty political and social
struggles of Mississippi during the past de-
cade. Ten years ago anarchy and misrule
held almost undisputed sway. The honest
and intelligent were prescribed. The VI
cious and the barbarous were given the
reigns of Government. With brutal insO-
lence, and malignant hate, they gloated over
our disasters, and reveled in our ruin. The
dark clouds of internal strife hoyered like
a pail over our State, until it seemed that
the bright star of Mississippfs glory had
been forever obscured. But with a daunt-
less courage and determined devotion,
Mississippians under tie leadership of a
fearless Press, flung their proud banner to
the breeze, inscribed with the motto, mis-
sissippians must rule Mississippi" and her
star shone forth again through the bursting
clouds with refulgent splendoT that made
all her people clap their hands with exult-
ant joy The brilliant victories won by the
sissippians on a hundred battle-helds were
no more renowned than this victory of
Peace, and Mississippi's brave men won as
many laurels in achieving it, as they did on
the field of Shiloh or Mannassah. And
now that the smoke of battle has cleared
away, and the sunshine OF political peace
has long frightened our skies, there is an
other battle we must fight, another victory
we must win, no less glorious and fruitful
in its results than that already won.
Mississippi suffered so many years of war,
so many years of alien rule and robbery
under the forms of government so many
years in a mighty effort to throw OFT the
CALLING yoke, that when, in 1879, she grand
ly triumphed over her foes, the whole State
was "melancholy scene of broken estates,
of ruined plantations, of poverty and dis
tress." Six years have elapsed since Mis-
sissippi was redeemed, disenthralled. So
complete was her prostration, that all these
years have been required in restoring good
government, in bringing order out of chaos,
in reducing taxation.
Now that this has been accomplished we
must turn our backs upon the past and
march resolutely forward to the grand
triumphs of the future. 1t may be hard to
do, hard to forget the past, and all its ter
rible wrongs. 1t is hard for the soldier,
when on some hotly contested field, brave
comrade falls by his side, to follow his ban
aeF on to victory, stopping not to whisper
parting word to his dying friend.
But the past is irfeVocahlei its wrongs
are irremediable, save in the conquests of
the future We must rebuild our shattered
fortunes This must ever be the land of
happy homes and smiling plenty, of culti-
vated intelligence md enlightened chris
tianity In the bright galaxy that bedecks
the azure field of the star-spangled banner
hississippi's star must shine with no less
brilliancy than those of her sisters.
Too many Mississippians instead of de-
termining with strong arms and stout hearts
and patriotic devotion to work out glo-
rious future for our own State, have been
deluded by extravagant reports of wonder
full prairies, silver cliffs, and golden streams
of the great West, and gone thither in a
vain search for an Ell Dorado of ease and
fortune 1t is not the exodus of few
thousand negroes that need excite our fears
but it is the constant stream of white emil
grafton that is taking the very lliesblood of
poor Mississippi. Shall this continue to
be? Will Mississippis ehivalrous sons con-
tinue to desert her until she becomes Afrl-
caniyed? What though fair Mississippi
has been struggling in the clutches OF adj
yersitv, mourning over the spoliation Of
ter former splend0rs' What though Texas
beautiful Lone Star, with all her ROMANCE
and glittering magniaca4ee is beckoning US
BRACE: '" sssIs.fPp safa Msssspp IS ppf M Moth
er OF heroes! shall We, like dastards, turn
our backs upon you, aud leave to strangers
the glorious work of restoring you 70 your
former wealth and greatness?
Shall We abandon The scenes of our child
hood and the g1ayes ef our fathers, and for
ever sever the ties that bind US 10 this great
State, baptized as it is with the blood
Of its best men and the tears of its noblest
women? Shall we forget the splendid mem
ories OF Mississippi's past history and go
seek imaginary wealth and honor in strange
land? Let us rather emulate the patriotic
devotion Of the noble women Of Mississip-
pi. Where is the Mississippi woman will
| ing to abandon Mississippi? Her affections
cling to the old homestead and all the pleas
ant memories that cluster around it, with
greater tenacity when comes the storm OF
adversely.
Her State is so enshrined in her affec-
tions, so hallowed by the recollection of the
heroic deeds of her people, that to abandon
|
sertioD, SIS base in peace as in war. There
ig no sentiment more beautiful than this
State pride. 1t has been said that the most
heroic actions in history, the most prodig-
ious advances in material wealth spring
from this source The brilliant achieve
ments that illumine the annals of Missis-
sippi and Mississippians is enough to excite
| the proud boast, 81 am a Mississippian!
| Whether battling under the stars and
stripes, with a foreign foe, at New Orleans
and Buena Vista and Monterey. or whether
fighting for the Bonnie Blue Flag in the
hundred terrible conflicts of civil war, the
| valor of Mississippians won for themselves
the proudest place in the proud history 0i
American arms whether enduring the pro
longed forced march, bootless and footsore
biyouacking on tentlesS field in summers
sun and winters cold; whether laGguish
ing and dying in Northern prisons, banishec
from home and all they loved; or whether
storming the euemy's works mid the grin
music Of the rebel veil, the musket rattle
and the cannon's roar, Mississippians illus
trated the grandest, the sublimest possibili
ties of human endurance and fortitude
Though the splendid victories won by South
ern arms were "triumphs without success,
vet they were not "battles without fruit,
when they gave to Mississippi's history sucl
names as WALTHALL and TICKER ant
the BARKsDALEs, and GEORGE, and LowR'
and FEATHERsToN, and the thousands of n
less noble heroes who composed the ram
and file of the gallant Mississippi soldiery.
+ But Mississippis history is no less bri
liant in peace than in war. In every theatr
of civil action, in journalism, in the forum
+ / in the cabinet, in Legislative halls, in d
piomacy and in the pulpit, Mississippi ha
J | furnished many Of the leading character
t | in the history Of this great Republic an
: | in all her history, adorned as it is with th
t names of the country's greatest jurist
statesmen and soldiers, it may truthful
i be said, sThere is no flaw in her honor, n
i stain upon Der shield"
This is the priceless heritage of glor
bequeathed to US; enough for US to proud
( cherish, enough to forever endear us to OF
State and bind US inseparably to her TO
tunes.
But aside from all considerations of pa
! riotism: In our rich bottoms, and pleasal
valleys. aud fertile prairies, and stqRep4og
forests. nature has given us wealth
!; resources 50 vast and so diversified that
We will only have the faith that the
{ boundiess resources justify, if We viii 6
resoluteIy and energetically to work, If v
: ,viIi ravolntionize our industrial syste