New-York tribune., 1874-10-12
THE SLANDERED STATE.
A MAJORITY OF MR.. HAYSS STATEMENTS
PROVED TO BE WlLLFUL LIES.

| "A uhcOhiII Or HAIOS Ola
| PROVED TO BE WlLLFUL LIES.
| NO " WAR OF RACES" so FAR FOUND EXIST IN ALA
| BAMA-CHARLEs HAYs's CHARGES INvEsTIGATEu
| -THREE-FoURTHs OF HIS STATEMENTS UNTRUE
| MAssACREs IN WHICH NOBODY Is HURT-MUR-
DERED MEN WHO REAPPEAR WITH AFfIDAvITs
TO THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. TOLD WIFE
FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACTS.
| fFROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
| MONTGOMERY, Ala, Oct. 5.-Failing to find Gov
Lewis at his post and in the absence Of any Official
information in regard to the War of Races" said
| to be waged in the western part of this State,
have been obliged to pursue my inquiries here at
| the Capital Of Alabama through other channels. L
have, therefore, spent the last three four days
| chiefly in conversation with leading men Of botc
parties. have listened to what they all have had
| to say. I have invited them TO show me the eyi-
dence of the truth of their assertions, and my sole
aim has been to sift from the of contradictory
| statements the precious grains of truth.
In order fully to understand the controversy hero
! touching the alleged War of Races'-for party
denies its existence positively the other
tit is necessary to keep in mind few facts which
l have not yet set forth in any Northern jour-
nal The first of these is that the District repre-
sented in Congress by Mr.. Charles Hays whose
letter to Gen. Hawey has startled the North with
its fearful list of assasslnations and other outrages
is believed by the Republicans to be the pivotal
of the State. IF we lose that district if we fail
| to carry it by our usual majority, shall be in
danger of losing the State" said one of the leading
Republicans of this city to me yesterday. The
second fact is that the Democrats expect defeat
Mr. Hays or failing to do that greatly to reduce bis
| majority, which was about $500 in 1872
DEMOCRATIC HOPES OF THE ELECTION.
This expectation of the Democrats seems 10 me 10
have some foundation. In the first place, the Re-
| nf this ia IN rid
two horses at the time the question of Civil
Rights. The declaration which they made in their
platform this subject of those shuflingl
evasve statements of their position which is fish 0
the negro, flesh to the white Republican, and fowl
to everybody else. Republican speakers in this and
other negro counties demand the passage Of tho
Civil Rights BILL and promise their audiences every
thing which its most radical advocate ever dreamed
of, while all over Northern Alabama the dead walla
are covered with posters announcing campaign
speeches by Gov. Lewis, who candidate for
election and across the face of each III big blOcks
| type, is printed:
"NO SOCIAL EQUALITY ENFORCED BY LAW"
In view of these facts 1t would be very hazardouG
for any one to predict that the full Republican vot0
will come out in the election next month. Thid
two-faced policy fails to deceive the white Repub
licans of whom there are, perhaps, 10000 in thd
State and not few of the more intelligent baeka
see through 1t. Another reason why the Democrats
hope to reduce the Republican majority in Hays'S
district: The Democratic nominee for Congress a
Mr. Jones of Marengo County, whoss
brother is a very prominent aud very infu-
entail Republican officer of the county, and il
| is expected that the former will have the sup<
port of the latter in the coming contest. Finally.
Sumter County, which in 1879 gave a Republican,
majority of about 700, went Democratic at specials
election in February last, when it canvassed by
several of the most prominent Republican State Of
cias and the election took place in the presence Of
United States troops This is the district in which
the War of Races is said have broken out, and
to which it has thus far been confined, and these
the conditions under which the election is about to
take place.
MR.. CHARLES HAYS THE PRINCIPAL WITNESS AGAINST
HIS STATE.
The principal witness to the reign of terror in
this district SO far as the North is concerned Mr.
Charles Hays, the man who represents it IN Cons
gress, and who is a candidate for reelection. Gov.
Hawley has introduced him to the world as man,
of unimpeachable honor" About his character d
know very little. The Democrats here say that be-
fore the war he was nOtoriousy cruel to his slayesS
and on that account lost the respect Of decent peo-
pie. The Republicans whom l have asked about
him have little to say One of them candid than.
others replied to my question on Saturday: Well
Hayss character has really nothing to do with the
questions at issue. He said in introducing his let
ter:
shall be particular TO relate runfors, TO color no
atrocity to set down naught In malice but simply to
localities. that every man in the land may bmse,t
verify the accuracy OF my statements II ne deems IL he'
cessary.
The Democrats of Alabama, the people who were
accused of the atrocities ated in the letter.
did deem il necessary to verify the accuracy OF hiss
statements and am indebted to the editor Of Tho
MONTGOMERY advertiser and the Chairman Of the
Democratic State Committee for the evidence that
Mr.. HAYS did relate rumors," and that he did not
confine himself to well authenticated facts" Some
of this evidence may have been printed in frag-
mentary form in the North, but have brought it
all together and shall give abstract Of it. The
original aflidavits are now before me.
Mr.. Hays begins his letter with long accounts OF
| the assassination of Billings and Joy in Sumter
County in August Last. These murders are well au-
| thenticated; they have been alike condemned by
Democrats and Republicans, as showed in my last
letter. The United States Marshal has already ar:
rested four men who are accused of having been
concerned in these outragss, and has taken them to
| Mobile for examination. If they are guilty and the
proof against them is clear, l believe that public
opinion will sustain the Government in punish,ng
| them to the full extent Of the law.
THE FIRST LIE SET DOWN FOR Mr.. HAYS.
| As sequel to the Billings assassination. Mr.. Hays
| saws that hotel keeper named Allen, Democrat,
| who had asserted that Billings was murdered on ac-
count of his politics. was set upon by gang of
| ruffans, who beat him numerically with theirs
pistols and threatened to kill HIM If he didn't keep
| his mouth shut about that Id Yankee Billings
Now Mr.. Allen has published Q card in which be
denies that his house was invaded or that he vas
| hat LaA