The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-04-05
GEN. j. a. CHALMERS.
He win not be a CaLidate for Congress
in the River District the Next Election.
yicksburg Commercial. ]

Yicksburg Commercial.
WASHINGTON, March "a, 1882.
Mr.. ]. W. Youngblood
DEAR SIR: As soon as saw the latt
congressional apportionment of Mississippi
wrote to you 10 announce.in the CONNER
cial that | would not be a candidate fol
/ Congress from the new 4th district. Your
Sietter saying you had withheld the an
nouncement and urging me to reconsider
my resolution has been received. l have
| received letters from other friends who, like
i YOU, seem to think my services to the people
of my old district would enable me to be
elected on personal grounds, n0twithstand-
/ ing there are %, 900 colored and only 5000
| white voters in the district, and notwith-
standing the fact that King beat Lowry
/ 900 in the counties now composing this
district. / am obliged to you and other
| friends for this kind opinion but my deter
| mination not to- run remains unaltered.
| The apportionment of the State is Iidicu-
| lousy grotesque and in violation of the
plain letter of the law of Congress. Ii
would have been very easy matter to have
made seven democratic districts in the
State, tested by the votes of Lowry and
King, and at the same time to have OBJ
served the law in making them OF contigu-
Gus territory and, as nearly as practicable,
EQUAL in population but this was not at
mpted. This is either public confession
that the Legislature did not believe the Low
~ and King vote to be honest aud fair, or
it is evidence that they desired to make one
Republican district for some other purpose.
No member OF Congress had any right 10
expect district To be made for him, but each
had a right u expect fair play and an equal
chance TO compete before the people. But
the Legislature gave enormous Democratic
maiorties in some of the districts and left
me in a district which King carried by 1000
majority. Whether this was done to punish
me for having dared to differ with the dis
tinguished gentleman, whom they unani-
mously reelected to the u. s. Senate or not
| leave, as they did, to conjecture.
If the State had been legally sub
divided and party necessity had demanded
that | should be Iegislated out of any chance
for reelection, would not only have cheer
fully acquiesced but supported the measure
But | beg leave to be excused from using
any personal or political influence | may
have to support an act which violates both
Justice and law; which places three thous-
and more population in three districts than
in four: which consoidates heavy Demo
cratic majorities in two districts and I'M
necessarily gives away one to the enemy.
The same legislature refused to allow
the people even a chance to say
at the polls whether their judges should |
be elected or appointed, and vote
down an amendment to a corporation bill, |
which in exact terms announced the Demo- |
cratic platform as to legislative control over
corporations within constitutional limit
The same Legislature went through the
farce of instructing its Senators to vote
against Cowden's outlet system, for the
Mississippi river while it unanimously
selected a Senator, who had refused to obey
the instructions of a previous Legislature.
As said to a Northern Democrat when he
assailed the South "If this is Democracy
l am net Democrat" and / do not propose
to exercise any personal or political infiu-
ence [ may have to sustain such legislation.
II, as believe, desire to punish me has
brought political disaster on any of my
friends, / can only regret it on their ac-
count. The gallant Democracy of the old
sixth district made a heroic fight for years,
and when the day of redistricting came
hey had right to expect some relief from
heir burden But their burdens have in
creased in the house of their friends. In
bidding adieu to those who stood by 49,
and fearlessly in the pasL
,annot express my debt of gratitud
Yours, respectfully,
n