The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-04-13

4 1922
collision with some soldiers, requested me
1 sometime ago TO obtain a removal OF the
| garrison. While fully satisfied cf the pow
/ er of the Sheriff posse, II the Sheriff should
properly discharge his duty, TO enforce the
! law against all persons who could be detec-
| ted In the commission of crime In any of the
eastern counties. i requested the Command
! ing General OF the District 20 send detach-
ments-as I had intended from the force
| hereto four OF thoSe counties Ia which
their presence bad been made expedient 70
reassnre the apprehension aroused amongst
whites and blacks by three or four ku klux
outrages that eliminated la the riot at
4 Meridian.
] AMER the foregoing depression into spec
| ial eases by way OF illustration Of the false
| hood of the many SANDERS poured upon the
/ state within the last month, return % the
comparison Of military with civil govern
ment In Mississippi.
have dealt with official returns to show
you generally that, whereas the admiDis-
tration Of the bayonet In this State threat
| eued 10 result In anarchy, the administra-
4 ton oflaw promises To result In law abiding
repose. Allow me now, In behalf OF my
State, to pass from the general TO the special;
and TO carry out the comparison In the case
ofsuch violence as takes the form OF riot.
II the civil administration Of the year Just
closed be disgraced, as 4 grant Il a., by a
riot involving loss Of life at Meridian, the
military administration Of the year immedi-
ately preceding IL disgraced by the series Of
W
the 18th of November, 1863, extended 10
Sunfiower county on the 10th November,
1869, with loss OF life said TO be double II
not treble that Of Medrian. II the collision
at Wesson be blot upon the rule OF law,
the collisl5 IN at Crystal Springs. tn October,
| 1869. was a blot upon the rule OF force.
But in the civil administration Of the year
ending on the LIST Inst, 1 6nd no riot with
which to Offset that which, during the pre-
ceding year of military administration.
resulted In the killing Of several citizens az
Hickory Station. During the year Of the
4 rule of law find no mob violence TO balance
that which took place within twenty miles
ofthe Commanding Generals headquarters
at Dry Grove. While one of the civil
! Sheritfs has been killed, one of the military
Sheritfs was wounded and even his posse
fired upon. But no such outrage has been
committed on the civil administration Of
| the year just closed, as that which was COM
mitted on the military administration OF the
preceding year, on the occasion Of the bari
cading from popular violence OF civil officers
| and squad of soldiers, on the 18th January.
| 1870, la the court house OF the county OF
| SuBhower.
The riots compared above were committed
on the one hand, during the whole year Of
/ General Ames' presence In power, and. on
the other hand, during the whole year OF
my presence In power. On even that basis,
the number and bloodshed Of those popular
outbreaks are much greater la the first Of
| those years than they are In the second.
/ Dui INdhNtuk AHt GOulpAIloou 10 the pfODff
basis Of the facts during the last six months
| of General Ames' presence In power, and OF
| the facts of the last six months OF my pres
ence in power-a comparison which 1 can
/ not pause here to make In detail-the result
would present striking contrast in favor
/ of the settling down of popular passion un-
der civil government into something like
our old obedience 20 law.
| abandon these comparisons with a sense
| of shame in their recital. Nothing but my
duty to the State could induce me 20 bring
/ before the country "A review Of facts so de-
| rogatOry to the better nature Of this peO-
pie. For ten years, however, they have
/ been held below the high estate OF their
! birthright OF freedom by "A domination OF
| the bayonet, and this enforcement having
broken down their old habit of free obedi.
ence, oilers some explanation of their past
/ turbulence. And the love that runs In the
blood OF our race for free government, be-
] gins, i am proud to say, TO assert itself I'M
der civil law In the gratifying promise Of
/ the comparison OF the last half year Of mill
tdry power with the last half year-the on
| ly half year OF actual trial-of cfUa power.
But the humiliation Of the recital OF crimes
OF my own people having been incurred, 1
must now insist that the recital shows con-
clusively that, compared with the govern
ment of the bayOnet, the government 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
l pledge my honor as a man before the
Alabama, can at this moment recall but
single Instance of ku kluX outrage in this
state for the last six months; whereas the
Commanding General, Ames, gives charac-
ter to the military administration Of the
year preceding my Inauguration, when he
reports to General Sherman about the LIST Of
September, 1869, that he believed the Ku
klux were then attempting 10 create reign
of terrorl
During the writing OF this communlea-
Ice fOllOkyinU All 70.
colored member of the Legislature of this
State, has been placed In my hands -
"WAsHISGToN, ID. c., March q, 1871.
"HoN. c. f. NoRRIs.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
DEAR SIR I'll send you copy OF my
speech. You will see that l take Issue with
the Governor.
Il talk as did when held his place.
Ii seems to me that were / in his place now,
with the power he says he has. would give
the protection did then, and not have my
friends Killed by tens and hundreds, as they
are being killed now.
II think he is guilty OF great sin ia act
ing as he does. / can have no sympathy
with man who gains power or favor as he
does with the Democracy al The price Of blood,
and that The blood Of his friends.
"iours, truly,
had rather not have seen this letter. IL
having, however, fallen into my possession. |
feel constrained to give IL 70 the public as
an evidence. under the light of the official |
facts presented above, of the value attach /
ing TO the recent communications that have
swarmed from so many quarters % damage |
the interests and jeopardize the liberties Of |
this people. Whether man holding the 1
honorable position of Senator In the Con- |
gress OF the United States can afford 10 adj |
dress such extravaRant and inhammatory |
appeals TO the passions of the poor people /
struggling up amongst us to the moral and /
Intellectual level OF free GOvernment-tell- |
ing them they are being murdered under |
that free government by teas and hundreds /
lis question TO be settled, not by nv /
individual Judgment but by the jud gment 4
OF men OF honor and self-Tespect through |
ouLthe Nation.
as failure, the fact that the streets OF Jack /
son are free 70 Ierger. This accusation Is /
highly heterogeneous. Yerger committed |
his offence under the rule OF the bayonet
and was set free, as he Is now, by the rule \
OF the bayonet. After long detention un-
der the finding, he was handed over bv
General Ames TO the military civil author- 4
ties; and having been detained by them
Tor a short time In prison, was set free by a
military -civil Judge.
When the Courts OF the civil government
were established, they found Yerger AZ
large. At the prosecution Of the civil gov
eminent lac was indicted by the grand Jury,
and placed on trial before a Court OF the
civil government to answer the Indictment.
The case Is yet pending; but a future fall
ure OF finding on fts merits may be- psFhaps
explained fully by the fact that the mis-
carriage Of the military power in dealing
with his case, has embarrassed ~ now bV
the plea of jeopardy of life. With this state
ment or the facts, your condemnation OF our
civil governments In that instance IA
submit, totally gratuItous.
j suppose i understand the course vou
mr. "A = p.