The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-12-24
NO.52


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The viekssars vvar. 81
All the dispatches received from
yicksbarg relative to the mnrdcrous
riots there and the cause, il should
be recollected, ara from the party en-
gagged in numbering the negroes.
The colored people have had no
means as yet of acquainting the world
with their side of the story. Yet
from the information obtained from
the Democratic, or White League,
or whatever the white mans party
may be called, it appears the cause
of this bloody turmoil was the at
tempt Of an opposion mob to compel
the colored Republican county off,
GERS, under penalty of threatened
assassination, to resign their Offices,
which they did very Informally by
fleeing; but the colored Sheriff Vas
afterwards captured, and compelled
to resign, and new election viii be
ordered. In the meantime = strong
guard is prote ,ting the ex-Sheriff
from being lynched.
1t is charged this Sheriff Crosby,
before his capture, had aroused the
negroes of the neighborhool 10 en-
deavor to restore him to his position
ri et drm;s. AT all events the coll
ored people took up arms, marched
on the city, and were repeatedly de-
feated, with "A heavy loss of life,
while scarcely a white man suffered
This is a marked feature Of the whole
affair, that scarcely any but colored
men are killed in this difficulty. On
one day seventy-fve colored men
were killed and wounded at Vicks-
burg, and only one white man killed
and two wounded. This in itself is
proof that the negroes either were
not in the force which Vicksburg dis
patches declare them, or that they
were not properly armed, and yet
they are reported well armed.
On the 9Th, Gov. Ames issued .
proclamation, directly after receiving
the news of the first rio,ous proceed
ings at Vicksburg to compel colored
officials to resign, in which he EN-.
pha,ically rebuksl this mob violence,
and called on all good citizens TO aid
in the protection and enforcement oi
the law. The Governor is under.
stood not to be in favor Of the new
and novel White League plan ol
public officers in Mississippi resign
ing at the demand Of mass meetings
or mobs.
Now this Vicksburg affair is not
only terrible in itself, but disgracefu|
to the whole country. The question
of whether these colored officials
were incompetent, or dishonest, OF
from any cause were not efficient
officers, was not for mass meeting
of the political opponents and race
enemies of these men TO decide, nor
was mob violence and the threatened
murder of these officials the way tC
carry out such decision, and secure .
change of officers. Vicksburg may
have suffered from the inefficiency,
or even say the rascality of Sheriff
Crosby and his fellows, but the
RENE " applied was far worse thar
the evil, being in violation Of law
order and humanity. Mob violence
has never been found necessary in
the North to secure the resignation
of an improper officer, or to in some
way rid the office Of him. II will not
succeed, only in an isolated case here
aud there, in any Southern State
There are legal remedies for all such
wrongs, and there should be legaI
punishment for men who violate Law
aud order by adopting the method Of
mobocracy to remedy existing evils
Sheriff Crosby was far more justi6a'
BILE in trying by violence to retain
the position to which he was legally
elected, than were those white citi'
zens who by the force Of mob violence
oustod him from this position. 1t il
to be hoped, that if there is any Law
in Mississippi it will clutch by the
throats the leaders in this Vicksburg
difficulty.
Only few months ago the Cou-
ashat,a affair occurred in Louisiana
There the resignation Of number o
rhite Republican officials was prompt.
ly secured, by taking them out and
in cold blood numbering them. Now,
at Vicksburg, colorcd Republican
officials are compelled to resign, and
by an equally bloodily- disposed mob
Of men, as is shown by the fact tha,
Sheriff Crosby has to be kept strong.
" guarded toskeep him from being
murdered, while the other officials
have fled to save their lives. The
assassins of the white officials are moi
yet punished, although many arrests
have been made. 1t is cow fervcntly
to be hoped the leaders of the Vicks-
burg mobocrats may in some way be
punished for their course, which has
resulted in the loss Of many lives,
and this Southern way of securing
the resignation Of public officers for
ever stopped Gazette.