The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-12-06
Editor NetV York Times:
FRIAK's POINT, Nov. "a 1876

nave been opened TO an attack on me l.
a correspondent from Washington sigue
y. +, and | ask that you will exten
me the same courtesy for a brief repl,
Admit, If you please, that his figure
showing the relative race strength in TIL
district are correct, and that Grants ms
Jorty over Greeley was about 100
votes IN 1872, and we will only see til
same revulsion Of opinion in the SoutI
that We see in the North, where Have
receives about 800, 900 less majority il
1916 than Grant did in 1872 The on.
result Is not more strange than the other
unless you insist on the very inconsistent
position for a Republican to assume, tina
| the negro Is incompetent to understand d
! political argument, and unmoved by the
exposure of official corruption You
correspondent neglects to state that il
this same district, in last years election
when the lmbecility of Ames disrupted
his party, the Republican majority was
reduced from II, 600 down to 1000, as
you will see by a comparison of the votes
Tor State Treasurer and this time,
starting with 900 against me, | have
beaten Mr.. Lynch about 1000 votes.
being gain of l 900, or only 1000
more than the gain of last year Your
correspondent thinks it is impossible that
this could have been fairly done, aud Sc
lects my district as Il striking example OF
the intimidation, fraud and iilegality of
elections IN the South. Now when YOU
consider that [ not only had all the
Democrats in the district thoroughly
aroused and working for me, but when
nearly all the leading Republicans and
Hayes mea-the men in office, sheriffs,
clerks, and leading merchants-men
who III past times exercised ui.bounded
sway over the colored voters-such men
as Captain Manning, the sheriff, Wad-
del, Perkins, Irvine, Owen and NesJilt,
Of Tunica Harrington, Crowley, CocL-
rana, Brodie, Workman, Walters and
Stafford, Of Coahoma Florey, Of Boil
var; Judge Jelfords, of Issaquena Gen
eral Fitzgerald, Of Warren Walter
kelrn, late private secretary of Ames,
in Jefferson; Captain Key, Federal
soldier; Griffin, mayor of Natchez;
Foster, chancery clerk OF Adams and
Noble, sheriff of Wilkinson, were my
friends and supporters; while Governor
Alcorn, my personal friend, voted against
me but did not work, and when You add
to this long list Of prominent colored
men like Wood, sheriff of Adams
Davenport and Wooley, of Claiborne
Lem Moore, Fields and Houston date
president of the supervisory, of Issaque
ma j. ID. Webster and Shadd (chancery
clerk, of Washington Murray County
Glass, Huddieston and Ben
4 u 4
and DR.. Brown, Of Coahoma Hunter,
Hall and Perkins, supervisors, and
Carter, chancery clerk, of Tunica, and a
host Of lesser lights too numerous to men
ton, who supported me and when you
are informed that Mr.. Lynch went only
to the county or principal towns, while l
went with brass bands, professions and
blrbecueS to every precinct, | think you
will agree with me that it would have
been strange if had not defeated a man
who was almost unaided and alone, The
statement that there are no more negro
Democrats than scalawag Republicans in
the South is great mistake. 1t was very
ditficalt at first to induce negroes to call
themselves Democrats. Some came to
Us last year under the name of 'the
peoples party and 'Independent Re-
and this year they proclaim
Democrats. As soon as
enough were obtained to keep each other
and to be self-protecting, we
had no difficulty in obtaining recruits.
Your correspondent asserts that Gree
lev could have obtained more negro
votes than any man not the nominee OF
the Republican party, and thought 90
too but | was an elector for Greeley,
and as strange as YOU may think 1t,
many negroes then informed me that
they would vote fer ne if running on my
own account, but that they would not
vote for Greeley. And you will permit
me here to say that many negro speak
ers who advocated Lynch said on the
stump that the only objection they had
to nv election was that | would not be
here to defend them il the courts, and
they would be sent to the penitentlary
This vas a prominent and oft repeated
argument in the district where | practice
.aw. 1t may be deemed egotism in me to
mention this, and / onIy dc 1t IN self
defense against what l consider an I'M |
ust and slanderOus assault upon me, |
aud in the same connection may add |
that after the election, when | was about
q leave home on a boat, my negro |
friends and supporters with great enthu-
,iasm drew me in buggy TO The landing |
There was certainly no evidence OF |
in this. | have been
vice candidate for State Senator |
n this same black belt, ana both times
received large negro vote, which was
each time have been can
Iidate, notwithstanding the false
charges which your correspondent now
makes about Fort Pillow were occasion
Il hurled al he. These SANDERS have |
been 50 often refuted here, and there are |
20 many men, white and black, in the |
district who know them to be false, that
no man hers who has any regard tor
truth would repeat thcms Mr.. Lynch |
tried it twice in the opening OF his can
yass, and lost many votes by It's 50 that'
by the ADVICE of his friends, he abandon
ID it. The truth ;s, the Republican
party of Mississippi have Endorsed too
many men who fought at Fort Pillow TO |
make any point on it now. i
The Republican Acknowledgement and |
former Congressman, G. h. Harris; the
asst Republican candidate for State Treas
1rer. G. w. Buchanan the Republican
official of Coahoma, @. +. Acorn, and,
more especially, the Hayes and Wheel
er elecior Of the district; l. j. wood
son, were all IN bag command at T orr
pillow. and some of them ia the line
shooting while I was on my horse
being Shot at. And, furthermore;
these gentlemen, though all opposed
to me in politics, will all testify that
all these charges made against me-
bv men who who do not even profess to
know me, were ia se. They will testify
that no woman or boy was essF murdered 7.