The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-10-02
HE DECLINES FURTHER PAR
TICIPATION ~ THE
CANVASS.
To the People OF Desoto County

J
avowed Republican. 1t is true, ! did
not support a single nominee of that
party in the last election, except A. T.
Howe for Congress, and j. NJ. Buch-
anau, for Treasurer. A set of corrupt
vagabonls secured the control Of the
party in the county during that canvas,
and | felt it TO be my duty to oppose
their election 20 Office, not that ] WAS
any less Republican, but the future
welfare and prosperity Of the country i'm.
peratively demanded, in my judgment,
the united opposition Of all honest men
to such ticket When the Cincinnati
Convention met and nominated Hayes
over Blaine ana Morton, ! regarded it
as a just rebuke to the bloody shirt wing
OF the Republican party aud ! made up
my mind to support that ticket. The
Republicans of this county met IN Con.
vention aud selected County Execu-
tive Committee, aud proposed TO make
me its chairman. Seeing lot Of the
same creatures ON the Committee who
had wrecked the party last fall, ! de-
clined TO serve, aud the Committee broke
up without organization. Subsequently
they met and informed me these ohjec.
tionable fellows had been removed, /
then consented to serve them provided,
they would change the policy Of conduc-
ting the campaign, and laid before them
programme which was unanimously
adopted. The leading feature of this
policy was the abandonment of every.
thing which had in the past proved to
be cause Of irritation to the white race,
such as the use of drums and flies, turn
ing out to political meetings in military
style, and the carrying of fire arms TO
such places, | at first opposed the or.
ganization of clubs, but seeing the ne.
cessity OF some precinct organization to
10 secure full registration, | consented
for clubs to be organized in each pre-
cinct for that purpose alone. 1t was fur
Their resolved, that the party would not
hear one side at Ia time; but that they
would only turn out to hear the joint
discussion Of the opposing candidates for
Congress and Eleclor was not aware
of any departure from this programme
till | saw the negroes come in town on
Monday last. As soon MS heard Judge
Waltons speech at Pleasant Hill on
Friday, | was apprehensive that n rep.
etition Of his speech Mt fernando, would
so inhame tho minds Of the negroes and
enrage the whites, that the pacific course
the committee had adopted would be no
longer regarded by the blacks. | ad.
vised Judge Walton that | did not ap.
prove Of all Of his speech, and that |
had made up my mind to resign the
Chairmanship of the County Executive
Committee, and to withdraw from the
canvass in the county, He was my
guest until he left for Arkobuta, on
Monday evening, and repeatedly told
him Of the course had resolved on.
The Committee was to meet ON Mon
day, and notified those saw ON Satur-
day and Sunday, of my determination
to resign. still, however, did not up
to Monday morning when | saw the
black column come into town, believe
the negroes would so suddenly abandon
their pacific policy--ior | did not sup.
pose enough of them heard Judge Wal
tons speech at Pleasant liill to effect
the masses all over the county. | am
satisfied now, that some restless spirits
who did hear him, made the rounds of
the county on Saturday and Sunday,
and pre.arronged the plan Of turn out,
What transpired at the stand on Mon.
day so far rs my personal knowledge ex.
tends, has been in the main correctly
stated in the published reports in your
columns, | had just arrived when the
collision took place and left Immediately.
| have never believed in bloody shirt
speeches TO negroes on the contrary, |
it has ever been my aim and purpose TO !
bring about a feeling Of trust and conf.
dence between the races, am satisfied |
the line Of argument adopted by Judge
Walton, if persisted in, will lead to riot
and bloodshed on the contrary, | be.
lieve the policy | attempted to inaugu.
rate would have resulted in peace. |
desire to say in conclusion to my Repub
lican and Democratic friends, and hope
| have many in both parties, that | have
for the reason given withdrawn from the
Republican Executive Committe, and
that | shall in the future take no part in
the canvass, further than to vote us my
conscience and judgment dictates. Some
men have approached me since the riot
with request that | assist in getting up
peace meetings. | have said and do |
now say to them and to all others who
want peace, TO 60 home and call their
clubs together, and read the peace reso-
lutions they have received from the Ex. |
ecutive Committee n month ago, and
obey the instructions contained in them
and they will have peace A disregard
of those resolutions has brought the en-.
tire negro population in this county to
grief, has split the blood of both races,
and engendered a hatred and strife
which time alone can eflace. No one
deplored more than myself the riot on
and its fatal consequences, and
no one will go further than myself to
prevent the recurrence of such scenes.
J. N. CAMPBELL.
Iowa iuries hold that in case a marriage