Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-01-02
Letters Of the Thief CardOZa to
the Usurping Sheriff Crosby
How the War Of Races
Was to be Kept Up
4 Heavy Load Of Aecumulatea
Wrongs Carried by a Too Pa
tient PeOpIe-TestimOny
Against Grant and
his Murderers,

VICKsBURG, January 1.-The con
gressiOnal Ommittee met at ten O'Clock
and the examination of Colonel Horace
Miller was continued:
To Mr.. OBrieu-Held the offict
of Judge OF the criminal court il
1867. In 1852 he was appointed
chdrqC a. .G6uires 10 Bolivia, which 20
sitiOn he filled three or four years. Ii
answer to the origin of the s0-calleC
c0lor-line, he stated that for some time
after the war the whites made earnes
efforts to accommodate themselves tC
the new state Of affairs, especially with
reference TO the negroes voting, by bold
ing cut every inducement to get then
20 vote with the whites by nominating
some OF them for office. This was con-
! tinued for years without success, wheT
| it became a Bell-TecogniZed fact thai
/ every negro whose name was placed OIL
| the Conservative ticket was OstraciseC
| by his own race, no matter what his
! former connection with them had been
! After many unsuccessful attempts oi
| this kind, the feeling grew upon the
| community that 1t was impossible tC
conciliate that element, owing to the
fact that the prejudices of the blacks
were continually lHfiamed against the
whites by the appeals of caTpethaggers,
! political adventures and the worst ele-
ments of the white race, to the effect
1 that the whites were their natural ene-
mics, and exaggerated statements oi
cTuelties and punishments Inflicted on
| the blacks 10 slave times, and that the
object OF the Democratic party was TO
reduce them to slavery again, and their
only safety was in adheriDg TO the Re
publican party. Every element of dis
cord was constantly kept before them,
and the re tsult was that ia every election
FIR a series of years the negroes were
voted in almost solid mass, and often
carried to the polls in military array un-
| der leaders, where they remained until
| the whole column had voted, the lead
ers handing them their tickets, or else
Gepositiug their ballots for them. This
state OF Affairs produced a color. line,
the whites being satisfied that it was
useless 30 attempt to cOaIesce with the
negroes in voting, and that they
were incapable of administering any
office for the benefit of the country, aud
determined in the future TO vote only
for white men for office. but in this they
hsd no intention OF d priving the ne
groes of the right of franchise or other
vested rights guaranteed them under the
constitution. Never had heard OF the
abridgement of any OF their rights as
voters discussed at all. The whites of
Mississippi accept in good faith the con-
stitutlOnal amendments and laws passed
by congress in relation to the negroes.
The only exception to the blacks being
free TO vote as they please comes from
their own race, and such is the intimida-
tion used in this case that they dare not
vote against the Republican party He
cited two individual cases of colOred
men; one, bis former slave, wanted to
vote the Democratic ticket, but he Mil
ler) advised him not to do so, as his
black neighbOrs would Kill him; that
OF the other, in Vicksburg, called Ed
muud, who, on two occasions, had been
escorted to the polls by the whites in or
der TO deposit Democratic vote, and
leach time, on returning home, was as
saulted by mobs of black men and wO.
men, and escaped being murdered by the
interfeT nee of the whites. He knew Of
no instance where negroes had been dis
charged fOI not voting the Democratic
ticket; had heard men say, in conse-
unence of onerous taxation, that they
"ONAA AlCA ANE1OCo NlO NOlSu
with those who had saddled their taxes
on them. On Friday, December Attn
Crosby told him, in the presence of Gen.
eTal Writ Adams, that he could not per-
feet his bond, and tried, after cousuita-
ton with a number of Taxpayers, to
effect compromise by getting Crosby
10 appoint some man acceptable to the
taxpayers as deputy who could give
bond, and give him possession of the
Office with full authority to dis
charge the duties; Crosby thought
be was entitled to the emolumenls Of
the office; told him any one so selected
would doubtless make a satisfactory ar
rsngement; Crosby aske1 time to con-
slider the question; made two appoint |
ments to meet him and get an answer, |
but Crosby kept neither Of them; after. |
ward learned that ne went to Jackson |
that night; he returne' the next morn |
ing, and issued his proclamation on the |
night of December 9TH; when told him |
what OWeas had said about him, be |
said Owens and the colOTed people had |
misunderstood his order; he had not in |
stTucted them to come TO town; then, |
again, he admitted that he had done so;
his answers in reference TO the card pub |
lished over his name were cOntr6dic. |
toy; he said the card was written by q |
fellow in Jackson, who signed his name 4
to it, and vino had made it stronger /
than he Crosby wanted il, but admit
ted thst it was written at his request |
and circulated by his orders; General |
Packer and Colonel Lee said, when they |
saw the card, that it was dangerous and
likely to produce bad results; they were
both in the city the day Of the fight. but
he Miller did not see them, they had |
told him they were here; pecuiati0ns IN
{ III e here dated back TO the accession
TO Office of Crosby as county treasurer
and Csrd0zl as circuit court clerk; the
iD taxation here hss been rapid
ami enormous; now the entire taxation
State, county aud city-wss nearly six
per cent; a reduction had been msue in
Ite rate of city taxation since Demo-
cratic government was elected; the for
mer city governments, since 1872. have
been Republican, it is difficult to e-ti-
mate the assessments on land outside
the city with the real value, but in near
!y every case, il put up at public sale, it
would not bUug its assessed value; the
value o. lands in the State, since before /
lhe war. has deteriorated from Fl ty TO
seventy.fve pr cent; lands in the
woT ID, prlor TO the war, tWen-
ly-fve TO fly dollars per aCre, now only
worth Eve 10 ten dollars. The Cslifor-
MIA plantation, on the Louisiana side,
which sold before the var for one hum
dred Thousand dollars, sold recently for
fifteen thousand dollars. He also in
stauced E case in Isssquena county.
To Mr.. Speer-Lsrge bodies OF lard ia
this and adjoining counties have been
abandoned by the owners, or else for
feited to the State for lakes, because of
eIcessiv taxation. There was no secret |
political association among the whites
The taxpayers association was not pO-
lilICal organization.
To Mr. HuTlbeIt-TheTe was no organ
liz alton to establish u color-line; there .
never had teen s convention OF that |
kind held; but knew this feeling pre-
vailed throughout the State, but had not !
yet taken shape, but doubtless would re-
salt iu political organic alton. At the |
late municipal election, the color-line, |
being in IT. incipiency, did not enter
L 70 it. The Repuhlicans, prior to this
election, had q small majority; knew Of
~ ;pe,,,a ,drtiop fnWRrd tho CfffoaFs