Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-08-08
War on the South.


complete and convincing refutaton Of the Ut
touodcd charges brought against one OF the
States in the Uniou Try the President OF the
Who'll, Union,a AID to day We lay before our read
ers the reporI of the minority OF the committee
appointed to investigate the same charges
They say that while writing they read With
surprise and regret the message of the Presl
dent Of July 81, transmitting to Congress Ger
| tain correspondence relating to murders lately
committed at Hamburg, 10 which he says:
| ''Bu, recently u committee Of the Senate OF the
United States visited the State Of Mississippi
to take testimony 90 The subject Of frauds aud
gioleuce 10 elections. Their report has not yet
| been made public, bat await is forthcoming
VII h feeling of confidence thatit will fully SUI
| rain all that | have stat d relating to fraud and
violence 10 the State o.! Mississippi" ln bis
letter IF the 2G;h Of July to Governor Cham
berlan he hal stated: Mississippi is governed
to-day by officials chosen through fraud and
violence such as would scarcely be accredited
to savagcs much less 10 civilized and CHRISTIAN
people.
! This last statement, come from whom it may,
We pronounce IN the face OF testimony taken
by this committee and not yet printed, to be
untrue and uaw GRANTED by the facts disclosed
| The tone Of luminosity to the white people oil
the South, which breathe- throughout the
| President message and letter s unmlslakaolc
Iu his message Of July 81 six days subsequent
to this letter. the President says: The report
In Mi>sissippi) has DOT yet been made public.
Why should he anticipate? We hold 1t ana
bciicvr it would be so held by right thinking
meg every whore discredltable Tor the Chlci
MAGISTRATE thus to have hlbted such cyl
/ .,r, ND
fellow cltizsns Il adds, however, but another
proof TO tne many given heretofore that the
heart and mind o President Grant are closed
to all sense Of JUS, zee where his political oppo
ncu,s, especially in the Southern States, are
concerned.
The minority show that other attempts to
iorcstall pubic opluoo 10 relation to affairs 10
Mississippi; have been made and are circulated
70 grossly mislead When Gov. Amrs took
his seat, on the first day of January, 1874,
elected in the month Of November previous,
there Was uol 40 Official Of The State who was
20, meulber cf the republican party. There
was not county official to be appointed by tic
Governor who was uut in close affinity with hlu
In Ill the republican counties, and all we're re.
publican, 10 which negroes were 10 majority,
every official was a member OF the same party
Thus the entire control OF the State was 10 the
hands of Governor Amcs and his party asso.
cat1s. La ali these republican stronghoids ID
which the char2es Of turbulence and mlSgoV.
crnment are alleged to have existed 1t Is notId
that the entire local power was 10 republican
hands The minority thcn speaks OF the ef
tecis of the republican system NJ mlsEoVcrn
meut upon real estate ana property and SHOW
at some length that Governor AmcS prostltut"d
his office aud bargalned with appointcs, and
speak OF the State militia being ORGANIZED pre-
paraory 10 the campaign, the ctilciaIs beng
| among the most notorious and unScruru!ous
psrtlsaus, black and white, Of the State admin
lstra,iup. many OF them being unable to read.
This created great alarm among the white pop.
uiation, and violence, boudshod and force as
the only arbiter of the election were first sug-
gescd in time of profound Ielce in the State
| OF Mississippi by Gov. Ames and his political
associates The minority sag to justify any
legislation by Congress to enforce the Fifteenth
amendment, obstruction of the right 90 vote,
must be for the sole reason OF race or color or
previous condition, &c., aod there is no power
in Congress to interfere Tor any other cause
u hatever. There Is not. from beginning to
end of this testimony single case OF obstruc
ton of q voter bee use he was c1lored man.
Await majority oil tic people Of Mississippi have
ev.ry elcmuu; that constitutes good Amerl
can citizen, bu they have been the victims OF
a msruic shlch they sought IN vain TO avoid or
reucdy. The reformation in the cglslsuoo
and aim ns!ratiaD of Mississippi by the party
In control since January 1876, has been import
ant and marked with great D"n' lit to the en-
tire community. The minority make lew re-
marks upon the coalition Of Mississippi 10
Juuc last, saying 20 &C: OF turbulent ur dis
orderly nature Was witnessed by the committee
\ 4 tlttu Cd Y
hbtcd, but on the contrary, courtesy ADD re
<ncct were on all hands extended to the COM
mitee. The poverty Of the people Was appa-
rent 10 their garD, the appearance OF their
| houses, AID The marked absence of good and
comfortable vehicles. The only exhibition of
pleasure seeking witnessed was by the coored
people, whose PROFESSIONS passed the Commit.
tee room, and whose holiday excursions by rail-
way started from the depot opposite. The
only CANON sound was from their republican
ratification meeting, and theirs was the only
uu-c beard by us in Mississippi. The poverty
OF the coIored people also was often painfully
apparent 10 groups OF witnesses who clustered
upon long galleries, Wretched In appearance
and miscrably clad, giving to the hotel the ap-
pcarance OF a county aimShouSe. 1nterierence
| by Federal uhority 10 State elections aud To-
ternsl affairs has since the close OF the war ire
| gu aDtty taken pace, anu ncVcf HlLuut uepio'
raole and disastrous results; and on the other
baod application of minoriI,es, defeated by the
popular vote. to be nevertheless installed 10
Office has never been denied by Federal au-
thoriies without such denial being followed by
ben, fi.a results. Such interference has al
ways been followed. and very naturally, by To-
Cal discomfort and disorder, as in the case Of
Louisiana and Alabama, while Tennessee, Fr-
u,nia North C,arolina Enoryia Texas and Ar
Kansas are living proofs, 10 their increased
prosperity and tranquility, of the wisdom of
| nou Interference.
10 the United States Senate, yesterday, Mr..
Eaton, of Connecticut, in reply to Mr.. Ed
munds, said, against his taste and Judgment he
entered into political discussion on this floor,
bur it seemed that upon mere resolution OF
the Senator from Indiana, to print extra copies
of message this political debate had again
been forced upon the Senate. He would not