Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-12


payment to him,
WHAT HON. n. w. REvELS SAYS
About the Political situation I'm
Mississippi The Opinion Of a
Representative e'oiored Man.
The charges made by Senator Bout
we'll, in q recent speech in the United
States Senate, regarding the late cleo
ton in Mississippi, is still fresh in the
minds Of the people. The garbled and
false presentments made by that gen.
tleman are SC clearly refuted by the
following letter from Hon. H. w.
Revels, one of the ablest colored men
in the United States, and recently a
United States Senator from Mississippi,
that it leaves the Massachusetts, Sem
ator in the position of either an ignor-
ant %pretender or wilful falsifier. The
letter was published in the New York
World and reads as follows:
HOLLY SPRINGS, Nov. 7, 1875.
To his Erceltency y. s. Grant, PrcSi-
dent of the United States:
My DEAR SIR: In view of the result
of the recent election in I'M State, I
have determined to write you a letter
cat1vassing the situation, and giving
my views thereon. / will premise by
saying that l am no politician, though
having been honored by a seat in the
United States Senate. l never have
sought political preferment nor do 1
ask it now, but am engaged in my call
ihg-the ministry-and feeling an
earnest desire for the welfare of all the
people. irrespective of race or color, l
have deemed it advisable TO submit to
you, for consideration, q few thoughts
In regard to the political situation of
this State. Since reconstruction, the
masses of my people have been, as it
were, enslaved in mind by unprinci-
pied adventures who, caring nothing
for the country, were willing to stoop
to anything, no matter how Infamous,
to secure power to themselves aud per-
petuate it. My people are naturally
Republicans, but as they grow Older in
freedom SO do they in wisdom. A
great portion Of them have learned
that they we're being used as mere
tools, and, as in the late election, not
being able to correct the existing evil
among themselves, they determined,
by casting their ballots against these
unprincipled adv%enturers, to over
throw them. My people have been
told by these schemers, when men
we're placed upon. the ticket who were
VIGOROUSLY corrupt and dishonest,
that they must vote for them; that the
salvation of the party depended upon
1t; that the man who scratched a ticket
was not a Republican. This is only
one of the many means these malig-
nant demagogues have devised to per-
petuate the intellectual bondage of my
people. To defeat this policy at the
late election, men, irrespective of race
or party ~afiliation, united and voted
together against men known to be in
competent and dishonest.
/ cannot recognize, MOI do the masses
of my people who read, recognize the
majority of the officials who have
been In power the last two years as
Republicans. We do not believe that
Republicanism means corruption, theft
and e~mbezzlement. These three Of
enses have been prevalent among the
great portion Of u office holders. To
them must be attributed the defeat of
tho Republican party in the State, if
defeat there was, but l, with all the
lights before me, look upon it as an
uprising of the people, the whole peo-
pie, to crush out corrupt rings and men
from power. The bitterness and hate
created by the late civil strife, have in
my opinion, been obliterated in this
State, except, perhaps. in some local.
ties, and would have long since been
entirely effaced were it not for some
uuprincipled men who would keep
alive the bitterness of the past and in
culcate q hatred between the races, in
order that they may aggrandize hem
selves by Office and its emOluments to
control my people, the effect Of which
is to degrade them. l give you my
opinion, that had our State admins
tration adhered to Republican princi-
plies, and stood by the platform upon
which it was elected. the State to day
would have been on the highway of
prosperity. If the State administra-
ton had advanced only patriotic meas
ures, appointed only honest men to
office, and sought to restore confidence
between the races, b~loodshed would
have been unknown. peace would
have prevailed, Federal interference
been unthought of, and harmony,
and mutual confidence
would have taken the place of the bay
onet. In conclusion, let me say to
you, and through you to the great Re-
publican party of the North, that l
deem 1t my duty, in behalf of my peo-
pie, that / present these facts, in order
that they and the white people (their
former owners) should not suffer mis-
representation which certain dema-
go2ues seem DESTROYS of encouraging.
Respectfully,
H. w. REyELs.