Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-08-23

the men Of his command took from thei
homes at least seven unoffending negroes an,
shot them in cold blood Within the next tw
days five other leading negroes were sum
moc ed to Rolling Fork during the day, AM
there compelled to sign statement by which
they became responsible for the good CO iduc
of all their negroes with the exception o
O certain men named, Who in fact. by that stip
ulation were made outlaws, and a. a conse
! qlence fled from their homes and their fami
lies, and abandoned their property. Since tina
4 day they have been in exile
"a. That the Democratic military organiza
ton extended throughout the state that
embraced not much less than half the whit
voters; that in the respective counties th
, members could be summoned Instantly b.
signals given by firing cannons or anvils ant
probably in less than week the entire fore
OF the state could be brought under arms.
25. That in several Of the counties the Re
publican leaders were so overawed and intimi
, dated. both black and white, that they were
compelled to withdraw from the canvass thos,
who had been nominated and to substitut,
| others, named by the Democratic leaders
and that they were compelled to vote for thu
ticket go nominated under threats that theil
lives would be taken If they did not do it.
26. That the Republican candidates them
selves, IN some instances, were compelled
through fear of bodily harm. to withdraw theil
names from the ticket and even unite them
selves ostensibly with the Democratic party
and deliver speeches in support of its policy
and candidates.
81: That at certain voting rlaces, on the day
OF election armed men assembled. sometimes
not organized, and in other cases organized
that they controlled the elections, inundated
the Republican voters, and deprived them OF
the opportunity to vote the Republican ticket
% That the single fact that the life of the
Chairman of the Republican State Com rittee
was saved by the intervention, by telegraphic
dispatch, of the Chairman of the Democratic
State Committee, illustrates the gravity of
these revolutionary. proceedings.
20. That in several places where intimidation
and fraud did not secure Democratic victory,
fraud was resorted to in conducting the cleo
ton and counting the votes.
| 30. ThsG the civil authorities have been un-
able to prevent the outrages thus enumerated
or to punish the offenders, a fact which is
also equally true Of the United States Courts
in Mississippi.
81. That the present Democratic ascenden-
cy in Mississippi is due solely to the outrages
| thus enumerated
l. 80. That If there had been free election
there would have been eighty Republicans to
] thirty-five Democrats in the House and twen-
] lv-two Republicans to fifteen Democrats in
the Senate; therefore, that the present Stat D
Legislature and State govel nment of Missis-
sippi are not lawful bodies and their acts are
not entitled to recognition by the political de-
partments of the government Of the United
States, although the President may in his dis
| cretlOn reOrgnlZe it II government de fdctO
for the preservation of the public peace
| SO. That it follows that Governor Ames is of
right the lawful Governor of Mississippi.
! 81. That, finally the State of Mississippi is
at present under the control of an organized
band of armed men, who are bound together
| bya common purpose to deprive the negro of
! the free exercise of the right Of suffrage, and
to re establish and maintain the supremacy OF
| the white line Democracy, in violation alike Of
!, the Constitution of their ow n state, and of the
Constitution OF the United States.
35. That armed men from Louisiana and
Alabama were brought over to Mississippi by
the Lamar Democracy, and helped to swell their
jority. -r.s .7-- @'e
Sc. That when decent Democrats were
! judges of elections, the White Liners COM
PEELED them to resign before the voting began.
| 81. That in one county every Republican Of
fetal was run out of the country, and all of
them have since been kept out, not being al
lowed even to sell their real estate, and no one,
even White Line Democrats, being allowed to
buy it. as
The report closes as follows:
The events VII Oh the committee were called
to investigate. by order Of the Ser ste, copsti-
| tute one of the derkest chapters in American
history. Mississippi was leading State IN
the war of the rebellion and Fl early ard per-
sistent advocate of tb ose fatal political here's
les n which the rebellion had its origin To
hsr. in as large degree as to any other state,
may be charged justly the direful evils Of the
war; and whe u the war was ended the white
/ Inhabitants resisted those measures OF equal
| ty which are essential to local and general peace
and prosperity, They refused to accept the
negro as their equal politically, and for
| ten years they have seized every fresh oppor-
tunity for s fresh denial of his lights. At
last they have regained supremacy in the
State by acts of violence, fraud and murder
fraught with more than all the horrors of open
war. without it's honor, digrity generosity or
| justice. By them the negro Is not regarded as
q citizen. and whenever he finds fliend and
/ ally in his efforts to advance himself in poit-
ical knowledge or intellectual culture, that
friend and ally, whether native of the State
or an Immigrant from the North, is treated
as public enemy. Theevil consequences of
this policy touch and paralyze every branch of
industry and the movements of business N
every channel.
Mississippi, with it's fertile soil, immense
natural resources, and favorable commercial
position, Is in feet more completely excluded
from the influence of civilization and capital
OF the more wealthy and advanced states OF
the Union than are the distant coasts Of China
and Japan. Men who possess capital are anx-
ious to escape from a state in which freedom
of opinion is not tolerated, where participation
in public affairs is punished. Often with social
Ostracism. always with business losses, and
not unfrequently, as the record shows with
exile and the abandonment of property,
through fear of death.
Consequently lands depreciate in value, the
rewards OF labor become more and more un-
certain, taxes more and more burdensome, the
evils OF general disorder are multiplied and
Intensified. aud by inevitable rule of social
and public life the evils themselves, reacting,
increase the spirit of disorder. Unless this
tendency can be arrested, every successive
chapter in the annals Of the State will be
darker and bloodier than the preceding one.
This tendency cannot be arrested by the I'M
aided efforts CT the peaceful patriotic. and
law abiding citizens of the State There is a
small body of native white persons, who, with
heroic courage. are maintaining the principles
Of justice and equality. There is also a small
body of men from the North who, with equal
couiage, endeavoring TO save the State
from anarchy and degradation. It left to
themselves, the negroes would cooperate with
these two classes.
But alrayed against them all are majority
Of the white people, who possess the larger
part of the property, who uniformly command
leisure, whether individually they possess
properly Or not; who look with contempt upon
thu black race and with hatred upon the white