The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-08-17
Both Sides.

We call particular attention to the
following synopais of the majority and
minority reports of the Senatorial Com
mittee sent here to investigate our af-
fairs:
The report presented by Senator
Boutwell,, il behalf of the majority of
the Mississippi Investigating Commit
tee, reaches the conclusion that the pre-
sent Legislature of Mississippi was
elected by fraud and intimidation, and
lis, the%fore, not a legal body. The
Resignation Of Governor Ames is not
%amenabie to any Just charge affecting
his Integs4ty and tithess - Chief Mag~
~istrate; tbgt there wse no foundation
Tor reparsS that Negroes were ar3ed. pr
were arming, and massing in lage bod.
les for the destruction Of the 3whiteR
there being no such organizations, ana
the negroes We're not armed generally;
that outrages were perpetrated in the
counties of Alcorn, Amite, Chickasaw,
Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, DeSoto, Gre
NADIA, Kinds. Holmes, Kemper, Lee,
Lowndes, Madison, Marshall, Monroe,
Noxubee, Rankin, Scott, Warren, Wash
ington and Yazoo; and that the Demo
cratic victory in the State was due to
the outrages so perpetrated. Ii, IN the
counties named, there had been a fair
election, Republican candidates would
have been chosen; that the State Of
Mississippi is at present under the con-
troll of political organizations. composed
largely of armed men, whose common
purpose is to deprive the negroes of
the free right OF suffrage; that these Or
carnations will, if left to themselves,
retain control yforce and fraud; that
the power of the National Government
will be invoked, and should be exercls-
ed, in order to make good its guarantee
of a Republican form of government to
the State of Mississippi.
The minority Of the committee,
Messrs. Bayard and Mcdonald, present
their views at length. They say if the
testimony touching the subjects within
the scope of the resolution of the Sen
ceivable under the rules of evidence, as
recognized courts of justice and by the
Senate while sitting as a Court, the tes-
timony taken in Mississippi by this
Committee would be confined to dozen
pages of manuscript. The rest is rumor,
hearsay and opinion. Not only so, but
nearly all the witnesses examined for
what may be termed the prosecution Of
the white people of the State of AIissis-
sippi were defeated candidates in the
election of 1875, or other interested
supporters or persons who had lost and
failed of disappointment. Most of the
witnesses, when pinned down by cross
examination to give names of persons
concerned and dates, were directly and
fatty contradicted as to those facts, and
many of the occurrences either shown
to have been not only untrue but i'm
possible, or else accompanied by facts
which subjected them TO o totally diff
ferent construction. A large body of
these witnesses were negroes of the
most ignorant and %uncivilized descrip-
ton, who did not hesitate to state any,
thing. and whose declarations were fire.
duently of the widest and most absurd
character.
The minority enter upon a complete
review of Governor Ames' administra-
ton, showing at length its corruptions,
the ignorance of it's officials, many of
whom could not read and write; the dis
cussion of the ~dissensions in the Re-
publican party which drove Ames from
power; the great discomfort which fol-
lowed these dissensions; the enslave
ment of the colored people to his will;
the colored militia organization and
war-hke preparations; orders for the
same. etc, etc. They then speak of
Ames' direct responsibility for his own
party's overthrow as follows: 1.-The ap-
~prehensions of both races thus excited
grew to fever-heat, and o condition OF
affairs absolutely alarming to the stout.
est hearts prevailed over the State OF
Mississippi, and at last penetrated the
mind of Governor Ames himself. He
had conjured up o spirit OF despair ana
anxiety upon the part of the unhappy
people over whom he had been placed
to rule which threatened to wrap that
State in flame and blood. He threaten
ed to remove the Sheriff of Yazoo co9n-
ty by force of armed militia, and the
troubles in that county, which led to
the killing of several ..colored Repub-
lican leaders, the Generalization Of the
Republican forces and their practical
abandonment of the canvass. are di-
rectly traceable to the threat of an arm
ed military expedition organized by
Ames to replace Morgan by force in
the Sheriffs Office then held by another
white Republican"