Year: 1871




Comfy Convention, on the 10th ult.
FELLOW CITIZENS 1T has been
nearly two years since 1 stood before
a popular audience in this place in the
capacity of a speaker. In that time
my mind has been so much engrossed
with business of q private character,
that fear. I shall fail to meet the re-
Lquirements of an occasion where pub
lie measures and party politics enter
| into the discussion. II is true haye
borne an humble part in conducting
the affairs of the State since its
its readmission into the Union, and 1
Am supposed to know what has been
done and how the interests of the
people have been cared for. Twenty
months have not yet passed since the
Republican party was installed into
power by popular majority of more
than thirty-nine thousand votes; and
now it is called upsn to


GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF ITS STEWARD


SHIP


to the people whom it was called to
serve, and who are to sit in judgment
upon its acts, and decide whether it has
been faithful TO its pledges and true to
the interests of the State. ] have no
misgiYings as to the result of the trial.
Without asking even the charity usu-
ally accorded to human imperfection
and inexperience, would not have a
single page of the record withheld or
single act passed over in silence
What has been done is now a matter
Of history, and an. account of it is
accessible to al and may be found in
every public Office in Mississippi
Examine the records, you who hate
Republicans and charge infidelity and
incompetency upon Republican office
holders, and say wherein the party
has been unfaithful or has failed to
administer the government impartial
ly and with due regard for the rights
and privileges of the whole people,
Let those who have suffered grievan-
ces be the accusers, and they will find
the hand swifter to repair any real or
imaginary wrong, than was the one
that inflicted it. For the benefit of
those who have lacked time and op
portunity for informing themselves OF
the manner in which
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS RE
-'1 DEEMED ITS PLEDGES,


| will give a short resume of what
was promised and what has been per-
formed. By examining the platform
Of 1869, YOU will find our first pledge
was fidelity to the UniOn.n This is
an article of faith with Republicans
to be as faithfully observed as the most
sacred ordinance of the church, or the
most solemn preeept of the Bible
We love the union because il repre-
sents great nation, too strong to be
broken up by local divisions, and sup
ported by too much patriotism and
intelligence to be controlled by ambi-
tious partisans and leaders who seek
only personal gain and aggrandize-
ment. There runs not q drop of blood
in Republican veins that is untrue to
the government, or that is not ready
to be shed, when circumstances re-
quire it, in defense Of the Union. We
revere it by all the sacred memories
of the past, as the price of the blood
of the heroes of the Revolution, as
the heritage Of Washington, the pat
rimony of Jefferson and his noble
compatriots, as the parent of liberty
and the example and hope Of free gov
eminent.
THE UNION IS THE SUN OF OUR PO-


LITICAL THINKING.


We areno longer Republicans, when
our devotion to 1t ceases, and when it |
Is destroyed there will be no longer a |
Republican party, for it win be buri-
ed in the grave with the liberties of |
the American people. Next to fideli-
ty tc the Union we declared for


"FREEDoM OF SPEECH AND OF THE
....-...- PRESS"


It is sad comment upon free gov
ernment that any party should at this
late day find 1t necessary to ineorpor-
ate such sentiment into its platform,
but the sequel shows that it was not
i'll advised The opposition, taking
advantage Of our generosity, has tran
seended the bounds o. all legitimate
and honorable criticism, and has, by
its press and on the stump, flooded the
country with the vilest caricatures
and abuse OF Republicans it is posi-
BILE for q depraved and groveling
Imagination to invent. While free
dom of speech and OF the pressu has
thus been abused and carried by the
Democracy beyond the limits Of pro-
priety and deeency, it is a lamentable
fact that right here in enlightened
East Mississippi men have been
scourged, and even killed for no other
aDnarent reason than that of