The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-06-05
CONVENTION TALK.
AND JUDGE
CALHOON DECLINE TO
ACCEPT.
They object to Being Hamper
ed by Instructions on the
Suffrage Question.

JACKSON, Miss, May -; 1890.
( To the Democratic voters Of Kinds County:
/ " need not I've stated that the hon
or Of am unexpected and unsolicited
nomiration as delegate To the Consti-
/ tutional Convention, is most highly
/ Valued. It is no ordinary distinction;
one that it is unsecmly to apply for,
or lightly to decline. a citizen
should serve the people at theif re-
quest.
But, while the honor Is great in
| this instance, and, as such, properly
much to be coveted, the responsible
tv is quite serious and undesirable at
/ this iuncturc. So serious is it as to
make it important that Il nominee
should frankly place it ir the full
view of his constituency.
! The matter of suffrage is of prima-
ry and overshadowing Importance,
/ and must have been generally so re-
garded unless folly is to I've charged
upon the legislature which called the
! Convention. To call it for any other
matter would have beenan absurdity,
because all others could have been
| fnexpensively submitted to the peo-
pie on Legislative propositions of
amendment.
1t NAV Ire assumed with certainty
that She object of the Convention was
to insure Il free ballot and fair count,
in order to preserve the mcrals of
this and the coming generations; and
at the same time, to secure the con-
troll of government to those whose
rule is wise, and leave no chance for
it to fall into the hands of those whose
rule is ruin.
How is this to he done? look with
the same incredulousness that you do
on the efficacy of mere emollients and
temporary makeshifts. If a gangren-
ed leg Will destroy life it should be
cut off. | stand opposed to mush
poultices where the knife is necessa
ry.
Now, il am right that the suffrage
question is the main one, and that
without it, no convention should
have been, or would have been called,
it is quite important that delegates
should be left untrammeled to cOnsid-
er freely any and all suggestions of
relief which may be offered. | am
committed to 10 plan; | see grave OBJ
.jectOns to all that have been made;
| should be unfit to serve yOu If l
permitted any plan of my own to get
me into the profound stagnation of
a fixed opinion | should go to the
convention to deliberate and formulate
opinions on discussion, and should
want to be unfettered in all directions
in order to serve the people with any
efficiency.
1t is very unusual to instruct dele.
gates to Constitutional Conventions,
if indeed it has ever happened before.
Should every eennty instruct, and
the instructions happen to conflict,
all action would be paralyzed,
Should go to the Convention |
should scrupulously obey instructions
bat this would shut me out from the
consideration of ii very wide field, and
cannot consent to this, wherefore
candOr and frankness require me to
decline to represent you under in
structions, Notwithstanding the very
high estimate | place upon the diStin-
gaishet homer yon have done me.
AS citizen permit me to cali sharp
~ to your attention the following one
of the Fundamental conditions upon
which this State was admitted into
the Union, under the C0nstitu ton
adopted in 1869. under which cOnsti
tuition we now live: "First, that the
Constitution ofMississippi shall never
be so amended eF changed as to de-
pvive any citizen, or class of citizens,
of the United States of the right to
vote by the constitution herein recOg-
niZed except as punishment for such
crimes as are now felonies at common
law, whereof they shall have been
duly convicted under the laws equally
applicable 80 all the inhabitants OF
said State"
Now section IS of the bill of rights
of that same constitution provides
that "nO property or educational quail
ification shall ever be required for
any person to become an electOr."
These quotations meke manifest
the difficulties which will confront
the convention, and they are not di-
unfinished by the opinion of lawyers
that the fundamental conditions are
themselves unconstitutional. The diff
ficulties are increased Ivy the knOwl-
edge that Republican partisan Con
gress is bound by no constitutional
requirements, but glories in repudiat-
ing openly any of them which might
interfere with party ascendancy.
1t may be that anything cOnven-
ton could do would he unavailing,
and, with the views I entertain of the
vital necessity of accomplishing the
main object es the convention, by any
legitimate means, should be unwil-
ling to sit in it hampered in any way
on any side of any question.
/ This would be, doubtless, unwise
in a politician. but am sure,I is wise
and proper in one not an aspifant to
political place, and who, regardless
of self, wants only the good of the
people of whom he is one in sympathy
and in every personal interest.
This rs done upon mature delibera
ton, with diffidence i'll view of your
having instructed, and with full rec
Ognition of your right to instruct,
and yet upon conviction that | ought
not to serve under instructions with
my present views of the situation.
favor sending delegates unin-
structed unless simply to submit
their final action to the ratification of
the people. This the Convention
should certainly do.
Very Respectfully.
S. s. CALHOos.