Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-09-28
MISSISSIPPI.
Speech of Senator Cameron
Recital of What He Saw and Heard
in Mississippi.
Association, Outrnges, and Intimidation OF
Republican,

Crosse, was q member of the commit
tee appointed by the Uuited States
Senate 10 take testimony and report
facts concerning the outrages in Mis-
sissippi. At meeting recently
held in La Crosse he gave a graphic
account of some of the facts elected.
We republish a synopsis from re-
port in the Inter ocean, as follows:
An announcement was made sew
eral days since that Senator Angus
Cameron would address the citizens
of La Crosse upon the subject of re-
cent Investigations made by the spec
ial committee appointed by the Sem
ate for the purpose of investigating
political affairs in Mississippi refer
ring particularly to the alleged fraud
ulent vote OF 1875, and of which
committee Mr.. Cameron was men,
Der.
THE MEETING.
At the appointed hour Solberg' s
Hall was packed with an intelligent
audience and as many more failed to
gain admission. The community
have the utmosG confidence in Sena-
tor CamerNn's ability, impartisIity
and fairness, a0d for this reason be
was listened to by the eager audience
with utmost attention, although this
was really the opening Of the cam
paign 10 this vicinity. Senator Cam
eron announced that, considering the
invitation extended, he did not in
tend to make a political speech, but
would simply give a narrative OF o
few Of the things he saw and heard
while in the South.
HOW THE SENATE COMMITTEE WAS RE-
CEIVED.
lie proceeded to give a history of
the information of the committee BY
the Senate, and stated that after the
appointment of the committee, and
before it commenced its investiga-
ton, many Southern newspapers
compIimented the President of the
Senate for his fair selection and i'm
partia! men. lie was referred to as
q conservative Republican who
would do the South no Injustice, and
he regretted 30 be compelled to adj
nit that this favorable opinion of
him then entertained by the Demo-
cratic press of the South underwent
a change soon after the committee
commenced their sl.tiDgs. The third
morning after they commenced their
examination of witnesses ct Jackson,
! received by mail one of the lead
ing Democratic papers of the South,
containing an article marked around
with blue pencil, in which num-
Der of statements not at all cOmpll-
mentary TO him were made. He was
called a "vindictive Radical" "dis-
ciple of the bloody shirt" etc, and
az n browning accusation it was
stated that ho cross examined Demo.
cratic gentlemen who testified before
he committee rs though he was
practicins in q police court.
THE WORK OF TIE COMMITTEE
The committee first sat in Jackson
the Capitol of the State. 1t appears,
by the census Of 1870, that the COL
ored population largely outnumbered
the whites, and it appeared by evil
dence taken before the committee,
that the colored population was large
" increased from 1870 to 1875 by
the INN igration of negroes from
Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
The government of these three
States had become Democratic sub
sequent to 1870, aud long. sad and
bitter experience had taught the nc
gro that he was not safe in his per-
son, property, or his political rights,
where the political and judicial pow
err of the State was in the hands of
the Democratic party; hence from
1870 to 1875, there was large influx
of negroes into Mississippi from the
Democratic States of Georgia, Ala
bama and Tennessee, so that in 1875
the negro population of Mississippi
very largely outnumbered its white
population, and at least 9S per cent of
the eolored electors of Mississippi
were Republicans. This great fact
confronts every person who seeks to
investigate tho political affairs of
Mississippi-that substantially all
the colored people are Republicans,
and from 80 to 50 per cent. of the
whites are Democrats. The small
fraction of whites in the Republican
party is composed a0out equally of
Northern men ar of native South
erners. In the vernacnlar of the
country, the former are called Gear
pet baggers" and the latter "scala-
wags," and these names have been
used so long that they are not now
considered as opprobrious, but are
employed for the purpose of dcsigna-
ton merely.
WHY NEGROES ARE REPUBLICANS.
The reason Why so many of the
negroes in the Southern States all be-
long to the Republican party can
easily be understood by reference to
a few facts, The colored people well
understand that it was Republican
President, Abraham Lincoln, who
issued the immortal proclamation OF
emancipation. They may be ignor-
ant, but they are intelligent enough
to know that the Democratic party,
as party, opposed the adoption o.
the three great constitutional amend
ments which secure liberty to man,
equal rights to citizens, and impartial
suffrage to all. The Thirteenth
Amendment to the Constitution, abol.
ishing slavery, passed the Senate on
the 18th day OF April, 1864. This
was in the heat of the rebellion, 9
year before it fell through, after all
hone of tho restoration of the Union
in its original condition had long since
departed. The great struggle had
proceeded so far that it was indepen-
dence to the Southern States or moth