The daily gazette., 1874-12-24
- gren ths Baltimore Sun. ~.
The Predicate NesC Vicks6 arg
~ Campaign.

!. The lasrels which General Grant once
won ct Vicksburg will scarcely gather
any additional lustre from the proclama.
tion which he has Just launahed at the
devoted heads Of the citizens of that
historic town. The aiege OF Vicksbure
In 1853 was o feat Of arms, memorable
alike for the obstinate courage Of the
attack and defence. Now, unless the
Presidents imagination has peopled
anew those silent and grass.erown ram
parts with the ghosts Of Pemberton's
know to (which enemy he addresses his
present summons 10 surrender, or where
the armed forces are concealed to whom
he gives five days in which to disperse.
Certainly there is nothing in the tenor
OF present advices from Vicksburg to
suggest any necessity for these warlike
proceedings. The proclamation purports
to be based upon the call Of the Legisla-
turs OF Mississippi and representations
made ny that body. In other words the
President has made the partisan action
OF the radical majority OF the. Legisla-
ture Of Mississippi the basis Of his own
action, ignoring the fact that the truth
OF the representations which he adopts
and Incorporates into the text OF his
proclamation is positively denied not
only by the citizens of Vicksburg in q
published address signed by the leading
white Republicans as well az Democrats,
but by forty nine members of the Legis-
turc, representing the entire conserva.
tive minority, and who have united in O
formal protest against the call and the
necessity for any federal intervention.
The case was not one in which it was
obligatory upon the President to act
The law which authorizes the employ
vuauf hv tho DraesIou< - LII.
forces OF the Union for the suppression
Of insurrectionary proceedings within q
State upon the reQuisition of the proper
| authorities Of the State, does not take
| away from him all discretion in the
premises.
The law under which the proclamation
Is issued tsection 5388 of the Revised
Statutes Of the United States) expressly
says: Whenever, in the judgment of the
Prsssdenf, 1t becomes necessary to use the
military forces under this title, (title,
Insurrection, } the President shai. forth
with, by proclamation, command the in
surgents to disperse and return peacea-
bly, to their respective abodes within a
limited time" The President is to Judge
OF the necessity for his intervention.
How much Judgment he has exercised
in the present instance may be inferred
from his adopting as true o version Of
the late disturbances at Vicksburg that
has been discredited by nearly every res.
lpectable republican journal at the North
That there are any disturbances aosu re.
quiring the aid Of the military to sup.
press, nobody will pretend to be true
For the past occurrences, instead OF the
citizens address and legislative protest
already referred to. we are content te
refer to the letters of the special cores
Il NJ ha L,
ablest and most influential organ Of the
Republican party, and until lately o.
President Grants administration. II
those letters. written from the spot by
person who has been ut evident pains II
obtain trustworthy information, anS
who certainly Ia not influenced by AMI
prejudice against the negro. We find botl
the causes Of the outbreak and its Incl
) dents accurately portrayed. For tn,
causes, the correspondent. tells US. wha
|, we also learn from other sources, tina
under the administration of ignoran
and corrupt county officials, nearly al
to tive per cent. upon all valuations
while the money collected by taxation
was wasted and stolen.
Forged county warrants had been Ia
sued, ard the records Of the courts hat
been falsifed and mutilated by Off
, cials, who were indicted for thei
crimes by grand jury composed of
majority of blacks. The sheriff Of tn
county, also a negro, had given Q worth
less oftlcial bond, which tho count,
board Of supervisors, composed of ne
groes, refused to compel him to renew
Under these circumstances the sheril
'|(Crosby) was asked to resign, and di
Iao 0ho IT,, nnpraopnpdont xprftfv
after an interview with Crosby In tn
county Jail, where he was placed fo
safety, his life being In danger fror
the friends of the slaughtered black
whom be had led to destruction, as wei
as from some Of the more exasperate
whites, states upon the authority @
"a number Of German merchants G
IVicksburg-men who have no politics
|prejudices and took no part In the n
Icent confiict"--that the demand Of tb
Taxpayers for Crosby's resignatio
Twas "couched In courteous terms, an
unaccompanied by any display or act
of violence. The attack ofthe negroe
upon Vicksburg, followed Crosby
Resignation, instigsted by, the lattel
: there seems no reason to doubt, an
Encouraged by Governor Ames, as
lgenerally, believed. Touching tb
assembling Of the negroes, " the Tim
}. correspondent further states that the
y came in large numbers; that at lea
three hundred of them were arme
with more or less effective weapon
) and that they were led by desperai
land unscrupulous men. Had they been a
d loaped to enter the tom HORRIBLE mass
ere Of sohsts and black could surely ha1
Ibssa the result" As measure of n
cessary self-defence, they were met 0
the outskirts of the town by the cit
liens, and when driven back with col
siderable loss Of life, which the Pres
dent describes In his proclamation .
the killing of many peaceable cit
:. zens-" The disproportion in the nun
'' ber Of whites and blacks killed, Il
= same correspondent further prove
was not the result Of any wanton (
useless slaughter Of the latter by Il
Iformer, but the inevitable result /,
' any and every conaict between Il
lipferior and superior race, whether
!, taku place on the Gold Coast Of Afl
Ga, il the crater at Petersburg, or b
fore the old breastworks Of Vicksbur
10 The negroes, ignorant Of the first pri