The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1889-11-06
Why General j. II. Chalmers Retired from
the Canvass.
Jackson lM!ss.l special

To the Public:
My idea in advocating the organization
of the Republican party and a canvass of
Mississippi this year, and in accepting
the nomination for Governor, was to
prepare for the future and not this cleo
tion. l knew the Democrats had all the
counting machinery OF the State, and
that there was no earthly chance for our
State ticket TO be declared elected But.
in view OF the certainty of the result,
believed the Democrats would give US a
fair chance of be ing heard in discussion
before the people. l wanted to adj
dress the white people, and to show 10
them what Democrats and Democratic
papers had said about the worthless
ness of the present Democratic admins
tration in Mississippi. l wanted TO read to
then some editorials from the appeal
about the penitentiary ring and the con-
victs, and especially TO read an editorial
from the AUdtdnche Of June 80, 1887,
headed In Volcanic State" and COM
mencing: Affairs in Mississippi are in
a bad way. The control of government is
mainly in the hands of corrupt officers,
who are growing more desperate daily
in their efforts TO cling 10 the high places
from which honor has fed and profit, or the
love.of IT, alone remains. Those
who can not be bought are kept silent by
threats, and threats too which are now
and then carried into effect So desper-
ate is the case that perjury and oren rob-
berry is followed by murder / hoped
that this, with the dcfalcations of Demo-
cratic ireasurers all around us, would
convince our white people there was a
necessity for two parties.
/ wanted also to read and comment on
the speech of the Hon. J. =. Walker at
Meridian, just after Lowry vetoed the con-
vention BILL in which he said: DO you
know that you are living under Consti-
stitution that concentrates the power of
the State in the hands of an oligarchy?
These things are so, and being so, 1, for
my part, think that though his Excellency
may deem it better to endure the evils
we have than fly TO others we know not
OF, it would be preferable over and over
again TO fly to any amount of unknown
evils than TO live under the present auto
cratic, aristocratic. and damnable oil
garchy." / have my scrap-book filled
with many such extracts from Democratic
authority to show the utter worthlessness
and corruption of the present Democratic
administration in Mississippi.
Democrats who have heard M in the
Seccad Congressional District know
am thoroughly posted on these matters,
and they do not wish me TO have an op-
portunity to express them before the
white voters, and to break the force of
what / might say they vilifed me person
ally.
The recent killing of negroes had Gre
ated great excitement, and white men
were forming military companies and
arming themselves all over the State. To
in oil
put out that had made incendiary APP
peals to the negroes in my speech at
jackson, and they went so far as basely
to say that l related an anecdote TO ex-
cite the lewd passions of the negroes
toward white women. What / related /
said at the time was n story which, when
i was boy l hoard told by Gov. A. G..
Brown in his race for Governor against
George Il. Clayton, when they were dis
cussing the payment of the Union Bank
bonds, and the Hon. j. j. Meek, Mayor
of Sardis, recollects to have heard the
Governor tell the same story in that can
vass. 1t was an unsavory story, but as
Gov. Brown told it in the days of slavery,
! supposed i could tell it now. He APP
piled il to the Wings, who assumed more
virtue than Democrats in sustaining the
honor of the State. applied it 10 DEM
ocrats who in 1869 and 1873 oil over the
State, and in 1855 in many counties,
united with the Republicans to obtain
Office, and Were now assailing white Re-
publicans for the same thing. For this
! have been shamefully slandered oil over
the State to excite the mob against me,
and few cowardly editors, like Banks of
the Columbus fader, have attempted to
bring about my assassination.
i went to West Point to speak, and there
the Court House, Opera House, and every
suitable place to speak was refused to me,
and my health was too feeble TO speak in
the open air.