The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1875-09-25
Is There an Insrrrectisa In MIS-
siSSippii

49, >>@ss @e@@AsAf A@ot NaAs OtiC VI
rim, who held at the same time the
offices of Deputy United States
Marshal, United States Supervisor
of Elections and Distributor ofGov-
ernment Bacon, was also a candid
ate for the Legislature. Fearing
that the election would go against
him, he went out in the woods one
evening and shot a hole through
his hat. and thereupon rushed to
headquarters and ordered a squad
of Federal troops toscour the county
in search Of Ku-Klux, who, he as
serted, had shot at him. He gave
to the troops blank warrants to ar
rest such Democrats as should seem
to them suspicious characters and
in his sworn testimony on this mat
ter he remarked that, in fact, u
number Of planters LEFT the county
to avoid arrest.
1t looks a little as though Gov
ernor Ames had been firing a hole
through his own hat. He calls for
United States troops, on the ground
that he is not able to maintain the
peace of the State. 1t Is, unfortu-
nately for him, an old trick Of his,
and it looks a little as though he
had now tried 1t once too often, for
the Attorney-General Is going to
find out whether there is really an
insurrection, and whether the Gov
ernor has really made an effort to
preserve the peace, If there is one,
before he advises the President to
put Federal troops under his orders.
We hope Mr.. Pierrepont will make
10 thorough Investigation, and we
tender him in the Herald Of this
morning the evi1epce of one Mis-
slssippians, who is 20 little alarm
ed about the condition Of affairs IN
the soscalled insurrectlonary dis.
trict. that on Tuesday last having
occasion to come to New York OH
business, he left his wife and chill
lren on a plantation in six miles ol
Clinton without the least fear Of
their suffering violence. II the
two races were actually In hostile
array In this region, us Governor
Ames pretends, white women and
children would be very quickly re
moved, for the county In which
Clinton lies has u very large pre-
pouderance of colored people, and
If they were attacking them they
would, even though beaten ant
dispersed, take care to retaliate
The same informant REPORTS thu
when he left Clinton on Tuesday
morning the colored people were Il
the fields picking cotton, WHICH i
an essentially peaceful occupation
| In which women and children q
well as men engage, and which ha
never, SO far as we know, been pur
sued under the fire Of All enemy.
Governor Ames has probabl.
overshot his mark. Instead ofcall
ing out for Federal troops, his dut
was to go TO the scene Of fthe riot an
take care that the Sheriff did hi
, duty in preserving the peace an
arresting offenders. Instead of tha
/. we hear that the Sheriff, coIore
man, ran away from Clinton q
. soon as he heard the first shot fire.
/. and was, two days after the riot, !
v jackson, in consultation with I'll
Governor. Meantime, so incap'
ble or worthless are the authoritit
Of the county, with the Govcrn'
back of them, that the duty of p
licing the disturbed district seen
to have bcen surrendered by the
to companies Of private citizens.
The whole affair shows clear
the vicious consequences Of the p
Icy Of Federal interference In Il
local police Of the States. 1t dem
!, ralizes the local authorities and e
y courages lawlessness Governor
Sheriffs, and other peace office
shirk their duty and fling it up
y Federal troops, and naturally,
Z such state Of things, demagogu
use their power to command Feds
= al troops, not only to put down d
orders, but to create and prolol
. them.
n Governor Ames is not fit to ha
: the control Of Federal troops VIII
he is the civil ruler of Mississippi
He has shown on previous ocs
sions that he is capable of misusi
= this power very grossly and da
s gerously. While he can comma
!. the troops at his pleasure he &C
= trolls the negro vote, which Is,
Y this show Of his power, misled
w believe him the representative
:. Nhe will Of the Northern peop 9.
y the President refuses to ihterf'
= now Nhe will do much to restore .
maintain order in Mississippi,
he will cripple Ames. II
A Presbyterian mimster, VIII
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