Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-12
WHAT HON. III. W. KEVELS SAYS
About the Political Situation in
Mississippi-The Opinion of n
Representative COiOred Man.

0OIOTeu MAN..
The charges made by Senator Bout.
well, in a 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 so clearly refuted by the
following letter from Hon. II. w.
~Itevels, one of the ablest colored men
in the United States, and recently a
United States Senator from Mississippi,
that it leaves the Massachusetts SEN
alto in the position of either an ignor-
ant pretender or wilful falsitier. The
letter was published in the New York
World and reads as follows:
HOLLY SPRINGS, Nov. :, 1875.
To his EfcelIency L. s. Grant, Presi-
dent Of the United States:
My DEAR SIR: In view of the result
of the recent election in orr State, |
have determined to write you a letter
canvassing the situation, and giving
my views thereon. l will premise by
saving that l am no politician. though
having been honored by a seat III the
United States Senate. | never have
sought political preferment nor do /
ask it now, but am engaged in my call
ing-the ministry-aud feeling an
earnest desire for the welfare of all the
people. irrespective of race or color,
have deemed it advisable to submit to
YOU, for consideration, a 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 unprlncl-
pied adventures who, caring nothing
for the country, were willing to stoop
to anything, no matter how infamous,
to secure power to themselves and per-
petuate it. My people are naturally
Republicans, but as they grow older i'll
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 adventures, to over
throw them. My people have been
told by these schcmerS, when men
were placed upon the ticket who were
VIGOROUSLY corrupt and dishonest,
that they must vote for them; that the
salvation of the party depended upon
it; that the ma who scratched a ticket
was not a Republican. This is only
one OF the many means these mal!g
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 utilization, united and voted
together against men known to be in
competent and dishonest.
| cannot recognize, nor DO the masses
OF my people who read, recognize the
majority of the officials who have
been i'll power the last w years as
Republicans. We do not believe that
Republicani>m means corruption, theft
and embezzlement. These three Of
enses have been prevalent among the
great portion Of our office holders. To
them must be attributed the defeat OF
the Republican party in the State, if
defeat there was, but |, with all the
lights before me, look upon it as an
uprising of the people, the whole peo-
pie, to crush ont corrupt rings and men
from power. The bitterness and hate
created by the late civil strife, have in
my opinion, been oblitrrated in this
State, except, perhaps, in some locali-
ties, anu "Ouiu nave loliS SlhOC bCCii
entirely effaced were it not for some
u~nprincipled men who would keep
alive the bitterness of the past and in
culcate a hatred between the races, in
order that they may aggrandize them
selves by office and its emolumentS to
control my people, the effect of which
is to degrade them. | give You my
opinion, that bad 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 adninistra-
ton had advanced only patriotic meas
ures, appointed only honest men to
office, and sought to restore confidence
between the races, bloodshed would
have been unknown, peace would
have prevailed, Federal interference
been unthought of, and harmony,
friendship 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 it 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-
gogueS seem DESTROYS of encouraging.
Respectfully,
IL. w. REvELS.