Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-08-08

ration and explanation of that formerly
given by him. In reply to question
concerning immunity, he said 1t was
mistake to suppose that to whom IL wal
promised escaped punishment. In bis
epinion they were severely punished by
the ignomiDy of the confession of theil
guilt, and the loss of their property; be-
cause loss Of property to some persons Il
more severe than loss of liberty. AS tC
criminal punishment he could say moth
ing.
The Mississippi Investigation.
MINORITY REPORT.
The minority OF tbs committee, Sen.
stors Bsyard and M'Dorald, present
their views at length. They say thai
while writing them they read with sur
prise and regret the message OF the Pres
ident, OF July 3lst, transmitting to con.
gress certain correspondence relating TO
the murd rs committed at Hamburg, In
| which he says: "But recently 8 COM
mittee of the senate OF the United States
visited the State of Mississippi to take
| testimony on the subject of frauds and
violence in elections. Their report has
not yet been made public, but / await its
forthcoming with a feeling of conf
dence that it will fully settle all that I
have stated relating to fraud and vic.
| lence in the State of Mississippi" In
his letter OF the twenty sixth of July, to
| Governor Chamberlain, he had stated /:
mississippi is governed to-day by Off
cisls chosen through fraud and violence,
such IS would scarcely be accredited to
ssvages, much less to a civilized and a
christian people," This last statement,
| come from whom it may, we pronounce,
In hn tnof
mony taken by this COM
mittee and not printed, to be untrue
Inc minority then review the testimc-
| ny and the character OF the witnesses,
| and show that the greater number of the
witnesses relied upon by the majority to
maintain their conclusions were those
who were personally interested, such as
defeated candidates for office, etc. One
important fact was established, that on
the day of the election in Mississippi not
one single case of violence at the polls
occurred throughout the whole State.
There are sixty cOuntit in Missis sippi,
and yet the majority rely upon the tes-
timony taken in only seven to sustain
the. charge which is made in their
report that the Democrats carried the
election by violence and intimidation.
1t was established beyond controversy
that whatever trouble did occur in the
State was due entirely to the conduct of
the carpetbsg Governor Ames. He sur
rounded himself with men of the most
desperate and abandoned character Of
both races, and never ought the ac-
quAint0nee even of men of intelligence
and position who had the respecs Of the
people. To show how the reports of out
RACES are exaggerated the case Of what
is designated as the Clinton massacre"
may be alluded to. In this affair
witnesses before the committee, whose
testimony had been "cooked upn in ad-
vance, pat the Z lmber of colored people
killed SIS all the way from thirty 10 sev.
enty; yet when they were called upon
for names not one of them could men
ton more than three or four persons.
Months before the election Ames COM
menced to organize his negro militia;
arms and ammunition were distributed
with lavish hand, and there was
scarcely an adult male negro in the
State but had his revolver, gun or other
deadly weapon. They became under
the teachings Of Ames and his miniOns
insolent and threatening in their de-
meanOr. AS consequence the whites
were compelled 10 arm for the protection
OF their families and friends. Collisions,
more Or less, did occur, and, as always
will be the case, the inferior race was
worsted; but, as said above, there was no
disorder nor violence on the day of elec-
ton. Chase, the special agent sant out
by the department Of justice, was before
the committee, and detailed his move
ments in the State prior to the election
Of 1874. He was surprised to 1iud that
Governor Ames had no acquaintance at
all with those representing the property
and the intelligence of the State, and it
was through him that Ames met such
prominent Democrats as Messrs. J.
u. George and E. Barksdale, who
as members OF the State com.
mittee were conducting the Democratic
campaign, 1t was the habit of Ames to
turn over to Chase the letters and COM
plants he received alleging Outrages on
the colored people. These were imme.
diately taken by Mr.. Chase to the Dsm-
ocratic committee and an explanation
demanded. Inquiries would then be set
on foot by the committee to ascertain
the facts, as Mr.. Chase in ormed them if
quiet was not maintained he would
recommend to the authorities at Wash
ington to send troops into the State. 1t
is very questionable after all their exer.
tions whether the Radical members of
committee will be able to make much of
a campaign document out of their re-
port, notwithstanding that they resort
to the disingenuOus method of selecting
detached portions of the testimony on
which to base their conclusions. 1t is
expected that both reports will be pre-
sented next week.
MAJORITY REPORT.
e The senate Committee appointed to
investigate Mississippi affairs, asserts
that the testimony taken fully supports
the allegation that force, fraud and in
timidation were used generally and sue
csssfully in the political canvass of 1875.
They find that Governor Ames is not
amenable to any just charge affecting
his integrity or fitness as chief magis.
trste. The committee finds that the
young men Of the State, especially those
who have reached manhood during the
war, or who have arrived at that cOD9i-
tion since the war, constitute the nu-
cleus and main force OF the dangerous
element. AS far as the testimony taken
by the committee throws any light upon
the subject, it tends, however, 10 estab-
lish the fact that the Democratic orgar-
ization, both in the counties and in the
State encouraged the young men in their
course, accepted the political advantages
of their conJuct, and are in large de-
gree responsible for their criminal re-
suits. Democratic clubs were organized
in all parts Of the State, and the able
bodied members were also organized
generally into military companies and
furnished with the best arms that could
be procured in the country. Members
of these organizations, the major
ity assert, are shown by the evil
dence to have tTaveTsed va
rious counties for weeks before the
election, menacing voters, preventing,
disturbing or breaking up Republican
meetings, causing riots at Vicksburg
and Clinton, and killing large number
OF unoffending persons throughout the
country. About one-half the white
voters in Republican districts were thus
organized, and by intimidation they
compelled the Republican nominations
to be Withdrawn IN some counties, and
forced Republicans to vote the Demo-
Gratis ticket, or deprived them of any
opportunity TO vote otherwise.
The msj )rity also find that the
civil authorities have been unable
to prevent these outrages or to punish
offenders. The committee ASSERT that
the Democratic victory in the Slate was
due to outrages perpetrated, and that if
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