The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-06-16
NUMBER %
Address of the Chairman ofthe Dem
ocratic Executive COMMITTEE OF
LauderdaIe County.
NOUNS DEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVES COMMIT 3
TEE OF LAUDERDALE COUNTY.
MERIDIAN, June 9Th 1881

u ~, " SiiAZhNS SIX years ago tn
At State Government of Mississippi was wrest
i Cd from the control Of corrupt STRANGER an
u ignorant negroes aud placed in the hands q
n cue Intelligent and honest white citizens al
IL the state. Ihis great and benedcent work
2, was accomplished by the combined effort.
It % tne honest citizens of the State through
W the Democratic party. All attempts made
e previous 10 that grand struggle had faiIe,
h 70 aHaTd relief from the burdens and dishon
I or7 OF Republican misrule all compromise,
e "'th that party had been defeated OF thar
2. purpose of alternating the condition of our
t people and had taught them that the Demo
It cratic party was the only hope of deliver.
n ance
L 1t may do Us good to dwell, for a moment
4 upon the condition of the state aud t,ople
d during the rule ot the Republican party and
{ 20 note the changes wrought by the Demo
o cratic party
a Ia the first place our people were bumili-
: aied by the fact that their state WAS in the
nands OF aliens and strangers, who for the
most part were of that class of wretches
e VINO follow IN the rear of cong armies
and prey upon the people whom the fate of
war has left 10 their tender mercies
+ these people taking quick advantage of
the ignorance of "a great class newly eufrau-
chlsed and unable % distinguish between
liberty aud license, poisoned the minds of
that class aud planted Id their hearts AN un-
natural hatred OF their late masters; thus
making that class plant tool for the fish
work whlci. was quickly cut ont for them.
ahd which they lost no time ia accomplish
ing
What were the fruits of this work The
utter degradation of the State aud the rapid
advance of her people towGrdSntotal ruin.
The signs Of that degradation were to be met
with everywhere, from the Senate chamber
OF the nation 10 the smallest Office known to
the laws nearly every place of honor or
proht was hlled with vcnal wretches who
regarded their places As 50 much stock i'm
trade to be bartered at their own will for
| their own benefit. Could the shameless
couutenances of that venal throng be col
lected as in "Rogues Gallery" where the
! citizens of Mississippi could look upon them
and be thus kept in constant memory of the
! shame of that unhappy time, methnks they
| would be little inclined to give opportunity
| for a recurrence Of those evil days
The signs Of approaching ruin were read
| IN elaborate Revenue Laws and long lists of
! lands forfeited and sold for taxes; they
were to be seen written upon the deserted
! houses aud marked in decaying fences and
growing in abandoned fields No visible .
| thing Of value in all the State-no farm. nor
| factory, nor trade, nor calling nor profess F.
| ION, but experienced the destroying effects of
bad laws ministered by bad men aud enor-
nous taxation wruug from a poor people .
Let any true Mississippian look back upon 4
that day and recall its evils. Let him re- .
member how his own honor seemed To con .
spire with the dishonor Of the enemies ofhi E
country in excluding him from all partic- ,
patton IN the public affairs of his State Let
HIM recall the IusolenCe with which his then .
rulers Jerred at his misiortuues and insult I
cd him with impunity. Let him recall the .
midnight gatherings where the hireling who .
tended his field or waited at his table was /
taught to hate him and to find pleasure in /
humiliation. Let him recall the beat of
drum at dead of night when bands ofinham- +
ed and nsolent negroes paraded the high
ways and how he tried in vain to quiet the .
fears Of wife and children Of massacre and 4
outrage Let him recall the devi! ish arts hy \
which his ignorant neigh bOr-naturally his 4
triend-was made to hate him with a bit
terness that was quick TO take the form Of
murder and arson. Let him recall the long
and solid black lines that took possession of /
the polls on election day and held them e
men whose heads had grown grey ia the ser
vice of the State-I say let him remember
these things and then turn from that evil
time to the present and he will renew the
solemn vow that, with Gods help those days
shall never return. And when he remem-
bers that it WAS the Democratic party that
delivered Is from those times and reflects
upon the splendid administration of the
Government by that party he will say
The only sqtefy far the Suite or pegDlc lies in
the continuation Of TINT Party IN po,oer.
What has the Democratic party accom-
plshed
1t found the State without representation
in the United States Senate II has sent to
that great body two Cf Us statesmen who
are, IL ability and influence, peers Of any
men in that great assembly men whose wis
dom, strength and prudence peculiarly fit
them for the duties of that great body-the
Conservative Repcsitum Of the Constitu
ton. a
The Executive department OF the Govern /
ment has been administered with ability /
and faithfunesa that leaves no raom for lust ,
There is no citizen who has not !
repOsed implicit confidence in that depart
ment ana no man can deny that that branch
of the State Government has been admins. o
tered honestly and faithfully, a
The Legislative branch ofthe Government {
has been confessed in the main Of the wisest
and best men in the State and have accom- !
plished great works Of lasting benefit 10 the !
State and people. Ii has largely reduced
the expenses Of the Government and the q
rates of taxation-at the same time paving
off large debt contracted by the Republic
can party. 1t has adopted Code Of laws
which, being the work Of human hands, j. Z
not absolutely perfect but which is a great
improvement on the Code Of the Republi-
cans and is believed to be equal to the Code
of any State of the Union. 1t has restored !
the finances, which the Republican party T
left in a ruinous condition, and made the !
paper of the State which it found greatly
deprecated equal To gold and silver coin. /.
/. has gwen u a judiciary composed Of the =
ablest lawyers IN the State and secured To /
every litigant Justice without sale or denial :
at the same time order has been restored and !
violence repressed, 50 that both person and ,
property safe in all the State as in
any part Of the Union In
In short the Democratic uarty-through :
the Executive, the Legislative and the Ju-
dici2. departments Of the Government I
working separately but harmoniously-has !
rescued the State from the hands Of stran- J
gers and plunderers and placed it in the
hands Of the people Of Mississippi has re- =
pealed bad laws and enacted wise laws, has 3
restoreC the public credit and paid off the
public debt, has reduced taxation, has ex-
banded the public school system aud greatly
increased its public benefits, has protected
life and property aud having rescued the
State from the degrading condition conse- /
quent upon many years Of Republican mis- )
rule, has placed it in a prosperous and hap 4
Ply condition. condition Of security, con q
tentment and progress.
FellOw-C itizens:-It - often said that .
it would be better for the people if there J
were a respectable Republican party in the Q
State. Theoretically this may be true q
practically il is impossible for we know
from the experiences of the past that the :
very worst elements Of the ignorant and We ;
nal classes Of which that party must, in the
main, be composed, will control its policy /
and make it such a. to repel all honest men, I
We have seen the few respectable persons {
in that party shrink awey from the wretches O
who by the YER baseness of their natures I
are caE,asIe OF directing the ignorant masses !
lhst follow that party and compose Tia main /,
strength. No man Of selfreapsct can repose
any confidence IL .hem or have any associa- ;
ton With them They seek power only for D
want place because it affords OPP t
portunity for plumber. They have no self f