The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-08-23

and the machinery for choosing juries,
in the hands OF the dominant party il
| those coun:iesF
A. Yes, sir.
O-I need not ask you if all the United
| States officers in that State were moi
members of the republican party; that
was so. was it not?
A. Yes, sir.
O. Then the grand juries and the petit
juries, and the judges, AMI the sheritts,
and the supervisors, by whom the jurors
were selected, were all controlled by the
dominant party in those counties.
A. They were all belonging to the
dominant party.
OF course every official of the Federal
Government, district judges, district at
torneys, marshals, deputy marshals, sup
ervisors, postmasters, revenue officers,
were all of the same party and necces-
sarilv active adherents. 1t may be tru-
lv said that there was no trace whatever
of official power in the State of Mississip
nj in the hands of the democratic party
until the 1st day of January, 1876.
Now, let us consider into what con
dition, social, moral, and financial, Mis-.
sissippi was brought, in the spring OF
1875, under the administration which
has lust been described. The popula-
ton of Mississippi, by the census of 1870,
had total of S27, 922 souls. OF these
3S2, 1876 were white people, 444, 20l col
ore1 people, and the remainder Indians
and persons not classed. The State was
divided into seventy three counties. The
negro majority was thus about sixty
thousand, but was distributed chiefly in
the rich river counties and on the richer
cotton-producing lands of the State, in
which they greatly outnumbered the
white population, and in these counties
their large numerical majority was con-
solidated.
The domestic institutions of the State
had been completely revolutionized, and
the relations of the white and black races
had not been permitted to adjust them
selves into that harmony and good feeling
which the interest of both made so es-
sential to happiness and good order.
The whites, as the result of the war
were impoverished to a most painful ex-
tent, which must impress itself upon any
person who visits the State, which pre-
sents even to casual eye unmistakable
evidences of wide spread and lamenable
prostration. This brings with it increas
ed privation to the colored, people who
never had property, and who depended,
necessarily, upon prOperty-Owners for
their support. When their employ
ers ruined the blow fell severely upon the
employed. Theirs was a common lot,
and that which struck down and crippled
the one fell also heavily upon the other,
Unfortunately the new and arbitrary
political conditions imposed upon both
races by the will of Congress were dis
turbed by the presence of class of un-
scrupulous, needy, and rapacious adven-
turers, who came down to fill the politi-
cal offices to which prejudice against the
Southern whites on the part Of those who
held power in the Federal government
and the absolute ignorance and incompe-
tence Of the negroes prevented those
whites from being appointed. The re
suit was, as the testimony everywhere
disclOses, that the State and Federal of
fees to which any considerable emolu
ment was attached fell into the hands of
white men newly arrived within the bor-
ders of the State, ignorant and unsympa-
thetic of the wishes and feelings of the
white population, and bent wholly upon
using the political material which they
found ready at their hands in the shape of
masses of ignorant, superstitious, and
suspicious negroes to sustain themselves
in affice and power. Instead of encour-
aging the colored population to relations
of amity and confidence with the whites
who gave them employment and furnish
ed them means Of subsistence, it has
been plainly the object and intent of
these political adventures to increase
the distruSt between the races and to en-
courage on the part of the blacks and to
intensity the instinct and feeling of race
opposition. In this by means of low arts
thep have been unhappily too successful,
and the negroes of the State of Mississip-
pi have been banded tQgether in all un-
thinking mass, under the lead and
blind control of handful of Northern
strangers, with here and there a native
white man.
Throughout the testimony il is evident
the white people of Mississippi, in the in
terests of the entire community, made
every attempt to penetrate this alliance
against them, and resorted to every
means of combination and alliance with
their political opponents to procure even
a tolerable and decent administration of
public affairs. Since 1868 they had
given up their party name and candi
dates, had voted for Dent, Republican,
had voted for Alcorn, Republican, and
essayed in every way to appease and
molhfy the party led by Governor Ames
but all in vain. They witnessed the Sc
lection of men either incompetent or
criminal, or both, for important Offices in
the State. They saw their best men,
most virtuous, experienced, and able
citizens passed by in contempt. They
saw men VIGOROUSLY vicious, and justly
prescribed, taken into the confidence and
friendship Of Ames and placed in author
ity. (See the case of William Gray, ne
gro brigadier-general, page =, and
his character described by Republican
witness, Putnam, p. Also, see Judge
Shacklef6rd, p; w. A, Ferguson,
p; Judge John A. G. Watson, p-.)
Cardozo. the forging clerk of the cir
cult court and defrauding State superin-
tendent of public instruction Daven-
port, the negro forger and county clerk
Q. P. Lee, white, aide de-camp, defan!!:.etr
and red handed mardN--er OF two black
t..cco-men; Morgan, the aherifi Of
Yazoo county, with the indictment for
the murder Of billiard, his Republican
predecessor and contestant, hanging over
him; Davis, (col.) Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor, the vendor of pardons of
any crime for money; these are
specimens of the men whom he
took to his confidence and made
made his political associates, and to com
plants against whom he accorded such
treatment as in the case of the applica-