The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-10-17
The Canton Affair.


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Having published the statements Of
Maj. Foote, Gen. Mckee and others,
concerning the recent atiray in Canton,
We will copy the following from Capt.
Ross of the Mail:
The Hon. George G. Mckee, came to
Canton last Saturday to address the peo-
pie. lie spoke from the Courthouse
steps, commencing at , o'clock 2, NJ, as
follows.
Fellow.Cilizens Mine years ago
had the honor OF addressing the citizens
OF this county. | came then to raise the
Republican standard in your county and
to defend Republican principles, aud
am here to day Tor the same purpose.
| learn, tellow.citizens, that there has
been great change in Madison county
IN the last few years-that your county,
which was largely Republican, is now
claimed by the Democrats, that the Den
ocrats assert that they have control
the county; this is not so, we will show
them that the Republican party has the
county in the hollow Of its hand. Eel
low, citizens, the Democrats tell YOU that
they are advancing" that they are
marching forward. This is not so, they
are not advancing, unless it be like cat
pulled by the tail on a carpet, they only
advanced when the Republican party
made them advance, they only marched
forward when Republicans made them
do so at the point of the bayonet. Now
fellow. citizens, the Democrats charge
that the Republican party has stolen
public funds, that it made way
with the school fund give me your
attention and will show you that
this is not so, and that the Democrats
have done what they say our party has
DONE. g., that they have stolen the
school funds that should have gone to
the education OF your children. charge
that the Democratcps " stole 1 1000, QUO
acres Of laiid, aud S2.VU0, 900 OF money
Of the Chickasaw school fund Where il
this landp Where is this money ? Who
got it? Cleaning forward and in nm in
suting and menancing manner, shaking
his index finger at group OF white men
who, up to this time, had listened to his
remarks without interrupting him. J
"rhe Democrats stole it, aud | dare you
to deny it," said the speaker. Here a
bystander pronounced the statement of
Mckee "a lie" At this Mckee replied,
"You are damned lying Democratic
s-n of BIB" aud grasping
his stick, leaped to the pavement
from the Courthouse steps and
started for the bystander Mckee, be-
sides the stick, had on his person dirk
and brace of pistols He had gone but
a few yards after jumping from the
steps. when he received blow over the
head that felled him to the ground, and
here the meeting was ended by the
scattering of the audience. We doubt
not that Mckee, from the tone of his
speech, its inaammatOry character, de-
sired row, and thought that the ne.
groes would rally to him in waging battle
against the whites. No doubt he felt
that the blood Of twenty-five or thirty
negroes was essential for the good of the
Republican party in Mississippi. But
the gallant George came to the wrong
county, mistook his men. The negroes
of Madison county have cut their eye.
teeth, they don't rally worth a cent, al
though last Saturday was good day
for rallying and there we're three negroes
to one white man in Canton that day.
While Mckee was making his opening
remarks, prominent Republican official
of our county expressed his disapproyal
of what he was saying, and said such
remarks were wrong, that they we're out
Of time and place and he had hoped that
Mckee would address himself to the in
telligence of his hearers and not to their
passions.
We have known Gen. Mckee for up
wards of eight years, and always thought
kindly Of him, but we must say, that
from all we have heard about this matter,
he acted unwisely, and brought down
upon his head stick, that would have
been as readily used in his defense, had
he kept himself within the bounds Of
propriety, as it was used in re2elling
gross insult.