Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-07-20
ALEX ANDRlA.
THURSDAY, JULY 20. 1875.
sFOR PRESIDENT.
SAMUEL J.TILDEN, OF NEW YORK;
FOR VICE-PRESIDENT,
THOs. A.HENDRICKS, OF INDIANA

or the numerous editorial articles that are
now appesring 10 the Northern newspapers,
concerning the late Hamburg affair." the follow
ing, from that able and high toned journal, the
New York Journal of Commerce, is about the
fairest we have seen, and expresses in few
words the cause Of the disturbance, and the
prevailing opinion in the South with regard
to it:
I'm his report of the massacre OF colored mil
itiamen at Hamburg, 5. o., on the atn OF Ju!y'
addressed to Senator Robertson, OF that State,
Gov. Chamberlain says: i am glad to testify
TO The horror which this event has excited among
many here who have not been wont to condemn
heartily many of the past bloody occurrences at
the South Gov. Chamberlain is republican,
aud has his political prejudices. But be is Hota
bitter partisan, and does not Join those who seek
to make it appear that the Ham burg affair grew
out of party anmosities o, widespread Eatred
OF the negroes by the whites, or IS ]ustined py
respectable people at the south. iemPteo as ne
is to make political capital for himself and his
friends at Washington, the Governors statement
of the facts is much fairer than could have been
expected from man in his place on the eve OF
an exciting Presidential campaign. There Is
some difference of opinion ns to the Responsible
ty of the origin of the trouble which LED up 10
the massacre; but of the deliberate slaughter of
six urarmed negroes after they had surrendered
to an armed mob of two hundred or three hun
dred whites. there is no divergence of views
No newspapers and no men OF any standing 81
the south defend that cowsrdly and -blooded
p;ecs Of business. Its few apologists are the
men who were engaged in it, or their neighbors
and personal friends. The occurrences previous
to that atrocity might be explained by a misun-
Outstanding OF the merits OF the dispute between
the blacks and whites at Hamburg-as most OF
the rioters came in from thesurroundlngc country
and some from the neighboring State of Geor-
gia, fred by false reports of an impending negro
Instruction, and full of rum and fight, and car
ing nothing for the peace and good name OF the
little village of Hamburg. Many were doubtless
rowdies and ruttsns, and would have quarreied
among themselves or with the Hamburg people
if the blacks had not offered target for their
guns. They broke open stores and houses be-
longing to whites and negroes and stole whateV-
or they could lay hands on. They cut the ropes
in tho public wells and attempted to set dwell
lings on fire, endsngering the existence, OF the
settlement. They were only savages with thin
veneering of, civilization, like the three brother
nurderers of Newark and other men OF other
places all over the United States who commit
horrors quite in the line Of the Sioux and Apa-
ches Creatures like these are found IN all CIV
lized countries, and they are no plenter at the
South than st the North. 1t would be just as
true to accuse the great honest majority IN New
York of having sympathy with the old Dead
Rabbits or the draft rioters as to charge the
South with kindly feeling toward the butchers e
iii feeling among the mass of Southern whites
toward the negroes is proved by the era of peace
between them which had lasted many months
until b.oken by the sudden and wholly unex.
pected disturbances at Hamburg. Since that
occurrence all has been peace again and this
may last for long time to come. Common hui
mainly aside, the Southern whites have every
selfish motive Tor treating the negroes well and .nd
Furnishing to the full extent of the law the
wretchss who are guilty of outrages like that
which has made Hamburg notorious. Ihey
should, and we believe will, stand by Governor
Chamber in his attempt to discover and pun"
ish those directly responsible for the massacre.
Failing to do this, they would confrm the Rad
icals at Washington in their policy of maintain
nutb and withholding general amnesty, while
III, would hinder the impending political rev.
tho do from working out its proper results In
raj Government"