Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-12-16
THAT NEGRO RIOT.

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That vieksburg riot is reported at an
and. The result is just what has been
heretofore chroniclsd in all cases oil so
called NEGRO riots" "ssventy-one
,srsons were killed and q large number
wounded" 90 say the dispatches. But
they also add that out OF this large num-
her Of dead. skilled in q negro riot"
thu citizens lost but too men. Sixty
nine negroes and two whites killed in
this "war Of races!" And what for!
Need the question DO asksdi Was II to
maintain law and ordsri Was it to
guarantee peace and prosperity TO the
citizens OF vicksburgi No indeed. In
the light Of every dispatch. garbled or
otherwise. which has reached Us from
that disgraced locality. the bald fact
stands forth in plain view, that the
whole trouble grew out OF lawlsss action
on the part Of 70 called citizens who not
being in q majority. and therefore not
legally competent to select pablo off,
GERS, determined to substitute bullets
for ballots. brute force for jury trials,
and mob Law for that which. under the
Constitution Of the State OF Mississippi.
and the fundamental charter Of this Ma
ton, should be, and II we are 10 have q
government. must bs suprsms-ths do
cision Of the ballot box.
II matters not whether Sheriff Crosby
or othss intimidatsd and illegally ousted
officials are black or white; neither for
the purpose Of analysing the acts OF
the mob which drove them from their
Offices, is ii material whether they were
incompetent or guilty Of dishonest acts.
The question Of their legal election once
settled. there were but two courses left
for law abiding citizens TO pursue. either
to GUST them by legal means, or 10 sub
NIT to their acts until their term OF Of
fee should expire. But this the vicks-
burg whites were net willing to do. The
thought Of being arrested BY q negro
Sheriff CALLED the proud eo~tton-raisers,
who. mayhap. once owned these very
officials. And so they demanded that
the negroes should resign. Nay, forced
them 90 to do. And when. as legally
bound to do tho Sheriff. reinforced, en-
dsavorsd to rs-occupy his Office, a riot
snsued. and singular to relate, only heo
whites were killed while siIty-nins
negroes bit the dust. A "war Of races"
indeed!
We say that such conflicts, between
law on the one hand. and a minority, be
they whites or blacks. are not only en-
tirsly unjustihsblo and disgracsful. but
entirely subversivs Of free Government.
II Sheriff Crosby fled no bond. q Court
would have oustsd him. II he or his
fellow officials were criminals. q Court
would have taken cognizance OF the fact
and punished them; but in no case had
any body Of men. be 1t majority or mi
nority. taxpayers or hoodlums, the
right to force, upon pain OF death. the
resignation Of any elected officer. And
IL We are TO have peace now or hereafter,
IL nust be oncs and forever settled that
Law shall rule ~ we'll in Mississippi as
at the North. That terrorism and vio-
lsncs shall not supsrsede Courts and
juries. and that those amendments to
our National Constitution. which give to
every citizen equal rights, including that
OF holding Office. and guarantee him in
full exercise thereof. shall be carried
out in spirit and in letter everywhere
throughout our land. IL was this turbu-
lent spirit. this insolsnt defiance Of law
which gave US war. And II IL this same
spirit which ever and non breaks out
afrssh in the Southern States. Until 1t
dies out with the present generation. is
wrenchsd out by the strong arm OF pow
or. or is reduced to ashes by the flames
Of yet another war. we shall have no
peace in Dixie.