The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-01-12

the Munchausen stories of disappointed
office-holders he would have discovered
that 1853, 565 votes is an exceedingly
moderate poll for this State. According
to the census of 1870, the population of
Mississippi was as follows:
White. Observation-Disclosures. 382.S96.
Black .........--.. 444,2Ol-
Total 827, O97.
Increase since 1870, say, $4,000.
Grand total. ...........-...---- S'',O9'.
1t is usual to estimate one voter in
every five of the gross population. Ac-
cording to this data the State ought to
have voting population of 175,O Gin
round numbers), whereas at the late
election, according to Senator Morton's
figures, the whole vote was but 1853, $50.
1t will thus be seen how the plausi-
BILE theory of the Senator is scattered
into thin air by facts and fgures-the
logical results of which no cunning soph-
istry can oyerturn. The error of Mr..
Morton's calculation is in the assumption
that in the elections of 1869, II, and'73,
the Democrats polled their full vote,
though it is we'll known here IN Missis-
sippi as any fact can be, that in all those
elections, tens of thousands of white vo-
tiers staid away from the polls. In 1869
brother-in-law Dent was the candidate
for Governor against Alcorn, (the Re
publican nominee) and for reasons not
necessary here to discuss, immense num-
bers of whites did not register. In 1872,
the deep-seated disgust which existed
among Democrats in all parts of the
Union was upon them i'll conse-
quence of the nomination of Greeley
and the result was the same as in 1869.
And in 1873, when the choice was be-
tween Ames and Alcorn (both Republi-
cans, the dissemination among Demo
Gratis and Conservatives to decide between
them, again operated to keep large num-
bers from voting.
These are undeniable truths which we
are stating not for the purpose of arguing
the wisdom or the unWisdom Of the policy
of abstention which was adopted by large
numbers of white voters, but to show the
falIacy of the Indiana Senator's theory
that the result of 1875, was produced by
fraud and violence.
The negroes who voted with the whites
at the late election for a change of adminis-
tration, did it enthusiastically. They were
assured that in all things, they would be
treated fairly and justly and that there
would be no discrimination on account of
race, color or previous condition, in
Democratic legislation. They had expe-
rienced the hypocrisy of their carpet-bag
guides, as well as the bitterness and OPP
preston of carpet-bag rule, and thousands
of them, as the result has shown, went to
the polls and voted the Democratic Con
sentative ticket The whites themselves
were aroused as they had never been be-
fore. They felt that the time had come
when they must stop the downward ca
reer Of the State to eonfiSeation, bank
ruptcy and remedies ruin under the rule
of corruption and ignorance-that they
must arouse themselves to a determined
struggle to save it from the horrors of
anarchy and barbarism-or make up
their minds to abandon their homes
as utterly lost to thea aud theirs forever.
Under the influence Of this conviction
and the determination and enthusiasm of
a righteous cause, they carried the cleo
tiOa for Reform by a sweeping majority.
1t is an Insult to the intelligence of the
American people FOR Senator Morton to
parade the figures quoted above, to make
ont a case Of. fraud against the voters Of
Mississippi, who broke the rod of carpet
bag misrule ia the late election. is
too well-informed not to know the fuc-
tuations that attend popular elections.
Take the year 1872 for example In
most of the Northern States the Demo
Gratis failed, by. many thousands,
to poll tkeie tnll vote for the Greeley
ticket. Two years sfteyward, they raj
lied, and swept the country like tornado.
The Democratic gains in 1874 over the
vote of 1872, were proportioned to the
Republican IogseS. And yet it does not
follow that the result was attained by
improper means. In Ohio, the popular
vote at the late election was more than
fifty thousand larger than it had ever
been. VIM. Allen, the defeated Demo-
cratic candidate for Governor, actually
received much larger vote than he did
two years before, when he was elected
and yet the figures are not used to sustain
charge of fraud against the successful
Republican candidate, much less are they
made the pretext for Congressional
inquiry into the election.
Let Senator Merton continue to wave
the flag of the bloody shirt. Let
him continue to press his resolutions
for Senatorial inquisition into the af-
fairs of Mississippi in violation of the
Constitution and in aderogation of her