The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-06-14
Congressional Nominations A Reply
to Donald Mcdonald.

Democrat of the Jeffersonian school, an
dates bis early espousal to the cause hal
: century ago. So much for good recor
|. and commendabIe introduction, bat no
withstanding our high appreciation of hi
standard Of Democracy, We neyertheles
feel called upon to point ont some of th
mistakes into which his zeal for the ssouts,
in the Congressional contests now going O
for nominations, and to call his mind to th
fact, and disabuse it of the idea that th
present Congressional delegation although
aspiring to denomination are not disorgani
zers, nor are they in so doing violating an,
rule or precedent of the Democratic party
And strange to say, he would have ui
| believe that inevitable defeat is in store fol
the party in the State, and open rebellion
of il imminent, unless Hooker, Singleton
Money, Muldrow and Manning, whom VIZ
recognize as lifelong Democrats o
high standing in the party, and
vino have fought and won its vic
| tories on a hundred fields, yield to his
entreaties, and abandon the field for renomi-
nation in the interests Of the aspirant "onts,
all will be lost. He essays to read lecture,
| not so much for the benefit OF his "outs," as
he would have US believe, as for the party,
to these true and tried veterans of Democ-
racy, quite as old in its cause as he, and
with devotion unquestioned, except by him
who assumes the grave responsibility OF
criticism.
Do the political skies of State politics de-
note the troubles found in his dark picture
of the fall of the Democratic party of the
of ha
and denomination of the present Demo-
cratic delegation to Congress? / dare say
there is scarcely Democrat in the State
who would not give hearty and cordial
support to any or all of these men if renom-
mated. If this be true, why all this ado
about the unity of the party? We need no
Doctor to prescribe, there are no wounds to
be healed in the party, that to our mind
need not disturb the patriotic heart of your
correspondent, and we regret his lamenta-
tions the more, because ofhis strong desire
to impress US all that, he yearns for the good
of the Democratic party more than for the
''Outs," Therefore, we are left to infer, his
protestations to the contrary, conceded, that
he is less the personal adviser of the 'ins" than
of the ''outs," hence his alarm for the sue
cess of the party in the State. Let him
speak for himself, he says. 'But the greed
for Office which is being manifested all over
the State is most alarming to me, as I have
every reason to believe it is to many others,
who have no individual interest to sub
serve. Our present representativ yes in Con-
gress, / am informed, are all candidates for
denomination. They have all been there
three terms aach, except one, and that one,
four terms, and still they are not satisfied.
am personally the friend Of each and all,
and yet | must say that they are to-day
doing more to disrupt the Democratic party
of Mississippi than all the disafected men
in the State" What! Democratic Con-
gressmen, honored above their fellows, with
repeated nominations and as often tri-
umphantly elected, faithful to the trusts as
often as imposed, and with a Democratic
record pure and unsullied. Because they
forsooth, seek re-nom:nation-the gift of
their party friends, are to become the OBJ
jects of criticism by this modern teacher of
political ethics, and as the friend of
Democratic unity-as he would have us
believe, says this of them, that, 'yet must
say that they are to-day doing more to dis
rupt the Democratic party of Mississippi
than all the disatfected men in the State"
But by way of comfort to them and their
party friends he tells US, one and all, that
they do this "unwittingly," etc.
And to support his position against re-
nomination of these men for Congress, he
cites the party to what lie is pleased to call
a declaration of the Hon. Jacob Thompson,
so long the honored member to Congress
from the Oxford District, when approached
by his friends to know if he would accept
the denomination to Congress for q third
term, and quotes him as having replied, SIT
would be dangerous precedent to elect me
to Congress for another term" Now, we
fail to call to mind public servant of the !
State, in the Legislative department, State |
or National, whose public career, more
thoroughly reflects the precedents contended
for by him.
Jacob Thompson, justly marks him as one |
of the most useful and patriotic pub.
lie servants of his day Entering |
Congress in the meridian of life |
in 1889, he soon took rank with the /
most prominent, serving his district for |
twelve successive years. Closing his term |
of Office on the 4th of March 1851, having,
in the mean time, served with marked dis
tinetion, and great usefulness to his consti-
tuency, first, as Chairman of the Committee |
on Public Lands, and then as Chairman of
The Committee on Indian Affairs. So it /
will be found that the truth of history at
tests the faulty momory of your correspon-
dent, when he tells us Mr. Thompson de- /
clined a denomination after serving two
times. The fact is, whatever may have
been his views as to rotation in Office when
the principle is &pplied to the Executive
branches fthe State and Federal Govern
ment, one thing we learn of his history is,
he never declined a denomination for Con-
gress, neither should he have done so. When
they called him to public trust he obeyed.
Can less be said of our Congressman, who
are not being criticised because of unfaith-
full public services9
And again, it seems to have fallen to the
lot of your correspondent in his Lecture to
the Democratic party of the State to give US,
so far as we can learn of its history, new |
revelation on the subject Of Congressional
rotation in Office. He furthermore grayely
tells us, sit is a Democratic principle, as old /
as the party" Where we ask is the prece-
dent? Certainly not found in the political /
history of the Hon. Jacob Thompson, who
has been called to establish the fact.
Again he says, "It was this principle, and
its re-establishment in Mississippi that made
Gen. Lowry Governor of the State" Wei
concede the fact, and recognize the principle
when applied to the Executive department
of the State and Federal Government, but
find no precedent for the position assumed,
that rotation in Congressional nominations
for Office, or of elections to Office, is
cardinal principle of the Democratic party
Of the State, nor should it be, for obvious
reasons, not necessary here to enumerate.
We hold that the nominations for Office
in our party ranks are free and open to
al its members, and the fact, that the
present Democratic Congressman seek q re-
nomination at our hands, gives US no blame
Tor the unity of the party. And we reach
.he conclusion that merit and qualification
ihould be the only test, and proper passport
% nominations soon to be made by our
Congressional Conventions.
tsyVTTIIAM EffTTTTDED