Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-04-11

NJ L
free government, begins, ] am proud
to say, to assert itself under ciV1
law in the gratifying promise Of tht
! comparison of the last half year OF
military power with the last half yeal
1 the only half year of actual trial
OF oiUU power. But the humiliation
| of the recital Of crimes Of my own peO'
! pie have been incurred, must now
/ insist that the recital shows cOnclu'
sively that, compared with the gov
ernment of the bayonet, the govern
ment of law in Mississippi is, up to
this hour, pregnant with promise OF
obedience and order. And to put
that conclusion in still another form,
PLEDGE MY HONOR AS A MAN
before the whole country that, save on
the border OF Alabama, / can at this
moment recall but a single instance
of Ku-KIuX outrage in this State for
the last six months; whereas the Com
manding General, Ames, gives char
acter to the military administration
Of the year preceding my inauguration,
when he reports to General Sherman
about the 1st of September, 1869, that
he believed the KU-kluX were then
attempting to create a reign of terrOri
During the writing Of this cOmmu-
nicatiOn, the following letter addressed
to a cOlOred member Of the Legisla-
ture of this State, has been placed in
my hands:
WAsHINGToE, D. c., March p, II.
" Hon. C. F. Norris, Jackson, Miss:
" Dear Sri send you a copy Of
my speech. You will see that take
issue with the Governor.
" talk as / did when l held his
place. 1t seems to me that were l in
his place now, with the power he says
he has, l would give the protection I
did then, and not have my friends
killed by tens and hundreds, as they
are being killed now.
1 think he is guilty Of q great sin in
acting as he does. / can have no SYM
pathy with a man who gains power or
favor as he does with the Democracy
at the price Of blood, and that the blood
of his friends.
Yours, truly, A. AMES.n
had rather not have seen this let
ter. 1t having, however, fallen into
my possession, l feel constrained to
give il to the public as an evidence,
under the light of the official facts pre-
seuJed above, of the value attaching
to the recent communications that
have sWarmed from so many quarters
to damage the interests and
JEOPARDIZE IZE THE LIBERTIES OF THIS
PEOPLE.
Whether a man holding the honor
able position of Senator in the Cor
gress of the United States can afford to
address such eXtravagant and inham-
appeals to the passions Of the
poor people struggling up amongst us !
to the moral and intellectual level of
free gOveTnment-telling them they |
are being murdered under that free
by tens and hJtHdreds-isa a /
question to be settled, not by my indi-
vidUal judgment, but by the iudg- /
meut of men Of honor and self-respect /
the nation.
You charge upon this civil admins |
tratiOn as a failure, the fact that the 4
streets of Jackson are free to Yerger. /
This accusation is highly disingenu- /
OUs. Nerger committed his Offense |
under the rule of the bayOnet; was
dealt with by the rule Of the bayOnet; /
and was set tree, as he is now, by the /
rule of the bayOnet. After a long de- /
-entiOn under the finding, he was
handed over by General Ames to the F.
military civil authorities; and having /
been detained by them for a short .
lime in prison, was
SET FREE BY THE MILITARY CIVIL |
JUDGE.
When the courts OF the civil govern
nent were established. they found 1
Yerger at large. At the prosecution
If the civil government he was indie
ed by the grand jury, and placed on
rial before a court of the civil govern
nent to answer the indictment
The case is yet pending; but a
uture failure of a finding on its
ggritS may be, perhaps, explained /
ully by the fact that the miscarriage
# the military power in dealing with
lis case, has embarrassed it now by
he plea of previous jeopardy OF life.
With this statement of the facts, your
condemnation of our civil government /
IL tAlL LIHAullNC ~ 4 5uDLLllg LOLhllN
,ratuitOus.
/ suppose L understand the course
-Ou have seen proper to pursue in
eterence to me personally.
LAsHUNG INTO TRACES
S, however, an unprOmising perform
nee in the case of a man given so
nveteratly as l am to work in no har-
less save his own. A Republican, 1 SIN
or reasons satisfactory to my judg-
nent and conscience; and nOt-pardon
ne for saying-because of any consent
# yours. While 1 shall be very
lappy to receive that consent at
'Our leisure, / shall neverthe.
ess cOntinue-if you will ex-
use my bluntness-tO be a Republi-
an without it. Even though you
hould withhold your valuable sup
,Ort, 1 hope, HeaUe9 helping, to 90 on
a my Republicanism with the result
after having guided it through the
imminent danger Of the approaching
lectiOns--Of casting the electoral vote
f this State in the next contest for
he Presidency, ia favor of the candi-
ate Of the Republican party of the
.atiOn.
81 have the honor to be. very respectfully /
ours, etc, j. L. ALCORN.