The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-03

sent to help the whites and indicate
their disapprOval of the past, urging
them, for their own good and that of
the whites, to help to maintain order
in the land. The speaker also referred
in strong terms to the unjust and un-
generous speeches recently delivered
in Memphis by President Davis, Gov.
Harris and Gen. Forrest, denouncing
the latter for proposing to march at
the head of an army against Gibson
county, ridiculing the idea of " the
father of the kuklux" fighting the
shadow of a dead ghost. He defend
ed the people for their law-abiding
course and said two thousand men
could be raised in this county to arrest
the kuklux if anybody knew who they
were. He said more murders were
committed in Memphis in one winter
than all of these put together, and
yet nobody denounced the people of
Memphis as murderers. Let Mem
phis clear the beam from her own eye
before plucking the moat from the eye
of her neighbor
GEORGE Kelley. ESQ. was not ac-
customed to public speaking, but was
willing to do all he could for law and
order. The present troubles might
bring greater ones on us. False state
ments had gone forth which might
result in the punishment Of innocent
persons. He would not harm col
ored man. His great desire was to
live in peace with all mankind. He
believed that all present were here in
good faith. If crime is committed,
let the courts administer justice-not
mobs. Advised all to forget the past
and keep up good feeling between the
races. Told the negroes there were
no white men present who would injure
them unnecessarily. If they did
wrong, they must be tried by the law
and punished, just the same as the
white man. He alluded to the fact
that short crops and the scarcity of
provisions had caused the negroes to
think they would lose their situations
and suffer, and said this had something
to do with the present troubles; but
he told them that there were good
crops in other sections, that the people
of the United States were liberal and
would not let lis starve. He coun-
selled the negroes TO work hard and
behave themselves, and all would do
well yet. . . .-..-
At this juncture the following gen.
tlemen were appointed a committee on
resolutions: DIR J. p. James, J. T.
Warren, Jr, Capt. Stephen Hale, b.
F. Northcott and W. \. Wade.
During the absence of the commit
tee, the audience was addressed in an
earnest and effective manner by Rev.
B. NJ. Burrow.
Scott Cocolo, colored, made a very
earnest and we hope representative
speech for his race. His voice was
for peace, and he wanted all-white
and black-tO agree to do better.
Said we could not live in such confu-
sion. He denounced all the recent
outrages in an earnest manner, and
the negroes present endorsed him by
frequent applause. He didn't know
what started the trouble. Some said
the kuklux, but he didn't know any
thing about it. If the negroes did
wrong on that Saturday night, they
ought to be punished. Said his race
depended on the whites for employ
ment, and if they didn't do right they
couldn't get i. and ought not to have
it. He wanted peace now and here
after.
The following is the report of the
committee, which was adopted unani-
mously by rising vote:
Whereas, this people have been for
more than one week confused and
harassed to an almost intOlerable ex-
tent by some private citizens having
been fired into by a band of armed
negroes; and
Whereas, an outrage was committed
at the Trenton Jail on the 25th inst.
by taking out Of prison and numbering
some negro prisoners by band of
disguised men; and
Whereas, the Memphis and Nash
vile press have done us great injustice
in charging us by implication with
lawlessness and disorder; therefore,
Resolved, that We denounce the
above-referrcd-to lawless acts as crimes
of the worst character, and demand
the enforcement of the laws against
all offenders, white and black.
Resolved, further, that we, as
people, Independent of race and color,
will use every effort in our power to
quellall lawlessness of every character.
The Milan EXCHANGE and other
county papers and the Memphis APP
peal were requested to publish the
proceedings Of this meeting.