The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-04-28
AFFAIRS IN MISSISSIPPI.
Letter Of Gov. Alcorn.

The following letter has been address,
ed by Governor Alcorn, of Mississippi,
to the editor 1.-THE New York Tribune:
sST-You challenge me to reply to
certain striCtpres of yours on me and
my administration. Having no po-
litical or personal interests i'm New
York, l concluded not to withdraw the
attention necessary to an acceptance
of your taunt from the pressing and
anxious duties by which am surround
cd here. On reconsideration, howeve.
er, i feel that the Misrepresentation to
which you give publicity, finding, as
they do, an echo in high places, demand
correction at my hands as duty to my
State. The ISLANDERS put upon this peo-
pie before the whole country threaten
consequences SO grave that 1 must pray
you to permit me to give through your
columns an authoritative corr ction.
The Auditor of Public Accounts, of
this State, has placed before me list
of all of the claims allowed, and paid
since March, 1860, for Coroners' in
quests. Assuming the inquests there
in set forth to represent SO MANY muir
ders, l find that the number committed
during General Ames' admin stration
of military Government, beginning
with April, 1869, and ending with
March 1879, counts up sixty-twO. Still
taking the inquests as representing so
many murders, / find the number COM
mitted during my administration of
civil Government, beginning with
April, 1870, and ending with March,
1871, counts up precisely the same num-
Der, siXty-two. / may observe that
General Am 3 assignment to duty as
District Commander having taken
place in March, begin the count of
murders in his year with April; and
my Inauguration as civil Governor hav-
ing taken place also i'm March, begin
the count of murders in the some
month.
have shown above that civil power
has been fully as effective as military
power in the suppression of violence,
on a comparison of the year succeeding
General Ames' assignment to duty
with the year succeeding my inaugura-
ton. But my Inauguration does not
designate the time of the Inauguration
of eli, il Government. The work of CIV
ing shape to that Government by legls-
lation, and of filling that shape out by
appointments to office, intervenc /.
Embracing, rs this did, the selection
and confirmation of two thousand five
hundred officers throughout the State,
it was of necessity, a work of time.
The Judiciary was not completed until
July. The courts were not ally orga-
nized until the close of the appoint
ments to clerkships and shrievalties in
tta cap,n ,nnpfhc fhof fi,,,o ~ 90
that, the military appointees having
been set aside as Sucn, their places in
the public service were coupled all
over the State 10y officers of the civil
Government.
The Military Government was not
displaced through this Safe, therefore,
until July, 1871. Though civil govern
meDt assumed the reins at that time,
the violence that prevailed during the
period of the bayOnet ran on, naturally,
Ia a greater or less extent into the pc
Rod Of the law. the change from the
one to the other cannot be held have
asserted itself at once; for it certainly
must have required some time of tram
sitiOn 10 obtain, in the popular mind, a
realization of the fact of the change in
form so decided as to arrest that inn
patience OF military rule which took
expression in popular passion. In JUS
tice TO the cause of civil government in
Mississippi, / therefore submit that,
allowing even two months for the tram
sition in the minds of the people from
military power, the working r -plts of
the civil government can he ascertain
ell fairly but by comparing the six
months of its actual rue with the cor
responding six months of the rule of the
hayonet. On This ground of justice and
reason j present the facts of the two
years embraced in the Auditors return
of ingucsts in the following detail, viz !:
April 70 September (inclusive), 1859,
II murders.
October, 1863, TO March, 1870, Qinclu-
sive), Al murders.
April TO september (inclusive), 1870,
Is murders.
October, 1870, 10 March, 1871 (inclu-
sive), 10 murders.
The foregoing analysis shows an ex-
traordinary aggravatiOn of violence in
the last half year of the Military Com.
mander's actual rule. 1t shows also,
that after his departure, the aggrava-
ton went OH under the rule of his ap-
pointees, and did SO with an impulse
which bore it forward in lis bloody
work for short period after the resto-
ration of civil government. But the
transition from a government OF force
70 government of law having then
fully passed, the half year of the full
and free operation of law shows a
most gratifying falling off in deeds OF
violence. While military power in
Mississippi &c seen in tie above state
ment of official facts, to have been des-
cending 10y rapid strides in the devel-
opment of anarcharcy, civil power in
Mississippi is seen i'm that statement,
TO he ascending by rapid strides in the
development of absolute repose.
The facts Offered here are addressed
TO your judgement and conscience.
They are cited in proof of the conclu-
sion that, in the calumnies put upon rs
this State has been made the subject OF
misrepresentation. With this proot
thus made, let me now ask who is youl
authority for most of the scandals that
have recently found utterance upor
men and things in Mississippi, in the
columns of your journal? II you give
me the name of your Jackson ceres
poIdent, think / can show YOU thai
the public has been cautioned against
him in the newspapers of Memphis
Little Rock and Nicksburg as swim
dler. And if that evidence as to char
acter should not be sufficient to con
vince youhoW unworthy his statement.
aIeOfany credeHce i think can put vol
i'm possession of documents that prove
him, i'm his attempts TO corrupt thi.
Legislature, TO he an arrant sharper
and knavc. Though the statements O
such an individual be worthy of any
notice as reflections upon man of hon
or, the New York Tribune is certainl,
not the journal in which they SHOULD
l,c looked for a. accusations of Re
publican administration.
abandon these comparisons with :
sense of shame in their recital Moth
ing but my duty TO the State could in
duce me TO bring before the country &
review of facts so derogatory to the bet
Ter mature ofthis people. For ten years
however, they have been held below
the high estate of their birthright O
freedom 10y domination of the bayo
net, and this enforcement having brok
en- down their old habit of free obedi
cnce, offers some explanation of thei
past turbulence. And that love tina
runs in the blood of our race for FIRE,
Government begins, am proud TO say
10 assert itself under civil law in til,
gratifying promise of the comparison
of the last half year of military powe