The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-02-24
REPORT.


The following Is the re port OF the Ahes
Investigating Committee as submitted e4
Mr.. FeatherstOn. chairman, on TUESDAY
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI,
February 22i, 1867
Mr.. SPEAKER: - The undersigned,
special Committee appointed uhder
resolution of this House. adopted on
the 6th day of January last, TO investigate
rbe official conduct of his ENceliency, AGel-
bert Ames, Governor OF the state OF MIS-
sissippi aud to report the result OF such IN
vestiGation back to this House. beg leave To
submit the following report:
For thirty-eigh day your Committee mas
been diligently and industrlouely engaged
in the discharge OF the duties devolved upon
If by the adoption of the resolution afore-
said 1t has sat from three 10 five hours eV-
cry day. aud has examined hlty-HFe Wiz
nessas; thirty-siX OF whom AHA clAS7lh-
ed as Republicans. and nineteen as Demo
Gratis. At the beginning of the laveStlga-
n.vour Committee directed the Republic
can memb Der thereof to inform his ENcelltH-
CIV Governor AmeS. Of the points on Whlci
witnesses were being examined, from gay
10 dav touching his official conduct, ana 10
request him to send IN TO the COMMITTEE the
names of such witnesses as ne might
desire TO have summoned and examined IN
yirdication of his official acts, your Com
mittee states, with pleasure That TINS re-
quest has been complied with, anu quite
numbe of witnesses has been summoned
and examined at the instance OF his Excel
lency. the Governor, and in fact. all whose
presence before, and examination by your
Committee was requested by him. have
been summoned and examined fully, WIN
the exception OF one whose Illness after he
was summoned, prevented his attendance
The testimony taken has not been eG pdTte,
and with a view of developing but one side
Of no
fairness and justice, endeavOred TO reach
conclusion fully justihcd by the proofs on
both sides, and impartial as between the
people OF the State and his ENcellency the
Governor. Your Committee has considered
it a question of too much importance TO adj
nit of a hasty or superficial examination.
And in pursuing this inquiry, its members
have endeAVoreI to dlYeat themselves OF all
partisan feeling and political and personal
prejudice, and to keep steadily in view the
one great object TO be attained by this in
vestigatIOn, that is, to ascertain whether the
official conduct of Governor Ames has fur
nshed the people of the State with grounds
which would justify and demand his i'm
parchment. How far your Committee has
succeeded in excluding from their dcIibtra-
! lions all improper Influences, and IN baSlng
| their report upon the impregnaOle lOunda-
ton OF truth as furnished by the testimony.
| they submit to the Judgment OF this House
and to the arbltrament OF an impartial pub
lie. The conclusion reached by your
! Committee has not been sought, or de-
sired, but has been forced on them by
! convictions OF duty. and gladly would they
| have arrived at a different conclusion, for
! the honor of the State and its chief eXecu-
| tive officer, If the testimony in the case had
| justified them in doing so.
| Your Committee, therefore. submit that
! Adelbert AmeS. Governor of the state OF
! Mississippi, should be i'm ne ,chpd and re
moved from office for his offic al miscon-
duet in the following Instance:
| |. In refusing to execute the laws by fail
! ing to remove w. M Conner, Sheriff OF
| NOXnbee county, from office in Angus,
! 1875, at which time he was reported to him
as a defaulter. holding twenty two thousand
dollars ($22,000) of public money, and re-
fusing to pay over the same to the comfy of
| NOXu bee.
2 In refusing to eXecte the laws in the
case of NJ. l.. Holland State Treasurer, who
was reported to him by the Attorney Gen
eral OF the State in the summer of 1875, to
be in office and in charge of the State Treas
ury without having given bond and secu-
rity, as the law requires.
3. In calling for United States troops in
January, 1875, and causing A. j. Flanagan,
Sheriff of Warren county, to be elected from
his office by sad troops, and another man
installed IN his stead, in violation of the
Constitution and laws of the State.
4. In permitting H. Cassidy. Jr., Chan
cellor of the - District, and j. B. Deason,
| District-AttOrney OF the - District. TO
exchange offices, in violation of the Con-
stltution and laws of the State.
D. In permitting the cOnvicts in the
penltentlary: by contracts approved by
him, to be leased out to his partisan friends.
Messrs. French & Jobes, in 1873 without
| pay or com penSatiOn, when the same con-
victs were leased to other parties within a
very short time, by French & Jobes for a
large sum of money.
6. In the removal Of w. Is. Peytop.
Chancellor of the 10th District.
Z. In the removal of w. A. brennan.
Chancellor of the 18th District
s. In the removal of Thompson Chris.
tian, Chancellor OF the 4th District.
j. In the appointment of G.. Cullens, l..
Y AOOott, j. ID. Barton and VIM Breck
Chancellors of their respective Districts.
10. In his abuse of power and violation
/ OflaW in directing Peter Crosby's return to
Vicksburg in December, 1874, and in sus-
tanning said Crosby in his efforts to take
| possession OF the office of Sheriff of Warren
county by force OF arms, whereby a conflict
between the races was brought on and
lost.
IL. For his official acts in armino the
militia of Kinds county in September and
! october, 1875, in time of peace and esneci-
ally for detailing Charles Caldwen's com
pany composed of cOored men, to escort
arms 70 EDWARDS Depot, said com pany be-
/ ing Ofticered in part by, and the rank and
lille composed of, colored men known TO have
| participated in the Clinton riot, and CAUSING
them, armed and defiant, to parade the
streets of Clinton, going to and return
ing from Edwards Depot with the deliber-
aGe intent to create disturbance and
! plunge the country in war of races with
all Its attendant horrors.
In support of the foregoing specifications.
your Committee is of the opinion that the
proof Will show that the Judicial Denart-
nent OF the State Government has not only
oeen tempered with by his Excellency. bnt
that he has sought to paralvze. to dwarf 70
emasculate and to render it entirely sub
servient to his will.
mat his EXceIlency has failed and
refused TO execute the laws by nom
action IN some instances, and by the
/ removal of Offinnrc in