The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-10-11
TEE PARMBRs, coNeRBss.
Lieut.. Governor Stands Delivers ST
Interesting Address.
St. Louis Republican,

The Farmers Congress having under cor
i sideration the resolution offered BIZ M
= Knapp, of Iowa, favoring the appropriation
by the General Government of the none
: arising from future sales Of public lands t
Z the cause of education, to be distribnte
> to the States according to population an
illiteracy, Lieut. Governor G. ID. Sland
: of Mississippi said:
S Mr.. PRESIDENT once thought of pre-
pairing resolution on this subject, to b
presented TO this Congress, but / now hay
cause 10 be thankful that was delayed ii
. my purpose. The present proposition, com
; ing as it does from the great Northwest
! gives me cause for great joy. Had Iuttere6
: the thoughts contained in the resolution
!. they might have been attributed to a desir,
: to gain for my State and the South SON,
! undue advantage; but coming as they dC
; from the distinguished gentleman from
Iowa, they are in tbs. highest measure graft
: flying to Us of the Sonth. feel very thank,
full that the opportunity has been afforded
, TO me to speak to the farmers of the North
and Northwest and particularly upon this
question. feel sure that / only utter the
, thoughts that now find l0dgment in the
minds of all thinking Southern men. On
nay part they are not hasty thoughts, but
reflection and observation.
| It is impossible that you should under
stand the peculiar embarrassments that
have surrounded US in our relations TO the
recently enfranchised slave. We accepted at
once the issues of the war as tinaiity on the
slave question; and as was befittiHg for
US to do we at once addressed ourselves to
the gigantic undertaking Of making of the
freedman useful and capable citizen. You
of the North have no adequate conception
of the depth of poverty in which the war
left US. Recognizing that the future safety
and quiet of our States depended upon the
capability of the negro properly to exercise
the privileges of citizen, we as speedily as
we could remo3e the gauHt spectre of fam.
| inc from our doors, at once cast about for
some plan within our reach whereby we
might make our former slaves, now free
men, better citizens. AS now remember
| but few, if any, of the Southern States had,
up to that time, organized any system of
general common school education. But the
| thought came with rapid t. born of the in
stinct of selfpreservation that what was left |
of our property-aye, even our very lives !
and all our hopes of peace and happiness |
depended upon the elevation in the scale of
intelligence and morality of those, who, |
recently eEfranchised and newly endowed |
with the largest liberty, mus for genera |
tions to come live with aud among US.
Allow me to say to you that we did then
live upon the top of a smouldering volcano. |
but we trust now that ali of danger il fast
disappearing. How to meet this important
responsibility was the question to which
these bankrupt and disorgauized States be-
took themselves. As if by magic school
houses for black children sprang up all over
the land aye, the action followed the
thought so fast that they are not divided
appreciably in point of time. Everywhere
and in every State of the South the same
thought took root and the same action fol-
lowed Whatever ofproperty there was left
there belonged to white men, yet they al.
once and continuously since then have aid
ed to impose upon themselves by taxation
burdens heavy to be borne TO educate these
people. This is the settled policy of the {
South whether any aid come from the Gen
eral Government or not. Philanthropy !
prompts it and safety demands it. We
felt that the time would come when Il sense
of duty on the part OF the great and pros ]
porous North would prompt them to aid Us {
in this Herculean enterprise. We owed q
debt to the freedman, because he had been :
our slave; the North owed a debt TO him. |
because they had invested him with new and f
powerful privileges and rights which he was !
poorly qualified to exercise, and when the r
gentleman from Iowa read his resolution l t
at once saw that the day had fully dawned y
and when he further said that his resolu- q
tion was in accord with the predominant
thought in the great State of Iowa, l then
knew and felt misunderstanding pure,
genuine and unpurchased-had taken
growth in the heart of farmers of the land.
This work of educating and eleyating the l.
negro must go on. As it now is, he is o
most important political factor. Divided S
in party relations as white men are, he by e
his vote gives complexion 10 each recurring i
administration, and whether he acts for the l
best or not he doesft. The great heart Of il
this nation is interested deeply in the fu- L
ture. He holds in great measure the des- b
tiny and happiness of all our people in his i
hands; and speaking for Mississippi, and t
myself say for the South, for our thoughts, h
interest and destiny are identical | say to t
The gentleman from Iowa that his resolution a
md utterances will cause thrill of joy to |
the hearts of all our people. |
We of the South consider the $
FUTURE OF THE NEGRO
/ question by the side of which all b
,thers sink into insignifcauce. We can $
pear a burdensome tariff and oppressive d
,xactions from monopolies and live in our a
beloved land, but it is within the bounds Il
If possibility that this vast, newly enfran- |;
,hised race may yet exercise a baneful in h
iuence upon our common country. / do Il
lot anticipate such result. The negro is a
n the main good-willed; and now when | Al
zee our efforts in his behalf taken up, aided "
md abetted by our former brothers of the D
North, I know that it will be but :,
seneration or two until he shall stand Il
tide by side with US in an intelligent en- is
leaFor to secure happiness and prosperity b
or the South and the whole nation. a,
How much better thus to use the money n
rising from government land sales than to II
rive it to monopolies. The negro is il
armer and the farmer sustains all ranks aud O.
,lasses. b
The negro is not represented here by one q
# his race, but the great heart of the gen o.
leman from Iowa has permitted him to il
make the negroes cause his own, and we OF 2,
he South have profound cause to be CRATE G
ll when he tells US that the great farmer Y
,ody of Iowa stand behind him in his ex sc
,ressions. You are richer and more power b
al than we, yet, in this generous emulation e
or promoting the welfare of the whole d
country, we shall be your rival, and this G,
iyalry can produce naught but love be b
Ween US. o.
On motion it was decided that the next e
Meeting Of the Congress should take place b
L Louisville on the first Wednesday in a
December, 1883. \
The President then appointed commit (
ee of three to present the views of the Con- d
ress before the tariff commission after r,
Thich molten to adjourn was put and v
arried. Il
Breckinridge and Marshall. Il
A numerous anecdote is related Of the n
rilliant but erratic Thomas #. Mar o
hall, once amember of Congress, and n
rho as an orator was the foremost Ken b
aekian of his time. Liquor seemed to b
urdle the milk Of human kindness, and
is best friends were sure to get the a
ourest part of it Walking down Penn :
ylyania avenue in Washington one day, "
alf tipsy, hemet his old friend, DR..
Ireckinridge, who hadrecently publish q
d an elaborate work on theology. I'll