Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-08-12
president Grant ,n the South.


GDufltE-JOu
President Grant seems to be con-
yerting all his Official messages into
Campaign documents. In response to I
a Senate resolution he has commune |
Gated to that body not only the infor-
nation called for in the Hamburg af- |
fair. but he has travelled out of his |
way to deliver an opinion on the stu
alton in Mississippi and Louisiana
AS specimen of the style and test
of the worth of this singular message
we invite attention particularly 30 that 4
part of it relating to Mississippi.
The president has made his letter OF
July 26 to Gov. Chamberlain part of
his message. In that letter he says:
Mississippi is governed to-day by Of
ficials chosen through fraud and vio
lence, such as would be scarcely ac-
credited to savages,, much less to civ
ilized aud Christian people In the
body Of the message he says Re
Gently a committee of the Senate of
the United States visited the State of
Mississippi to take testimony on the
subject Of the frauds and violence in
the election. Their report has not
yet been made public, but l await Its
forthcoming with feeling OF conti-
denee that it will fully sustain all that
/ have stated in relation to fraud aud
violence in the State of Mississippi.
It's quite evident from this state
ment that the president has not made
up his mind on the Mississippi case
from facts developed by the Senate in
vestigating COMMITTEES, and he very
strongly intimates that he has no pos
tive knoWlege Of what the report of
the committee will be, but that he
merely feels confident that it will agree
with his statements because what he
states is the truth. Now let us look
at the record outside of what the COM
mittee may have to say-and it is the
record from which the president must
have derived his information-and see
how far it sustains the charge in the
message.
Last fall there was a warm political
canvass In Mississippi to elect mem
bers of the Legislature, members of
Congress, and to fill the Office Of State
treasurer, il which there was vacan-
cy occasioned by the death of the in
cumbent Of that office. Both parties
held conventions, both put tickets in
TIC H6lu. anu DULu lnC
of the black man as well as the white,
and appealed to the voters of all races
and all shades of political sentiment
to rally to their side. There were sew
eral disturbances during the canvass,
and finally, on September 4, at Gin
ton, Kinds county, a Republican bar
becue was held, at which there was a
discussion between a prominent Re-
publican and a Democratic speaker.
a fight occurred on the outskirts of
the crowd, growing out of some slight
personal difficulty, and two colOred
men were shot A general attack was
then made on the whites by the ne
groes, who formed the greater part of
the crowd, and three white men were
killed and several wounded. The
alarm was given that general attack
was to be made by the collored men on
Clinton, and armed white men gather
ed from various quarters. In the dis
turbance that ensued during the night
seven or eight negroes were killed, but
it was soon discovered that no general
conflict was to occur, and the armed
men dispersed.
On September z Gov. Ames made
this occurrence the basis of an appli-
cation to the president for the aid of
Federal troops. Thereupon the chair
man of the Democratic State Executive
Committee telegraphed to the attorney
general at Washington that there was
no disturbance in the State and no OBJ
struction to the execution of the law.
Gov. Ames was asked for further in
formation, and reitered his statement
that the civil officers could not enforce
the law. At this point the president,
who was absent from Washington,
telegraphed to the attorney general ::
1.-The whole public are tired out with
these autumnal outbreaks in the
South, and the great majority are
ready now to condemn any interior
ence on the part of the Government"
Attorney-General Pierrepont commu-
nicated this statement to Gov. Ames,
and added thereto this comment: . on
see from this the mind of the presi-
dent-with which | and every member
of the Cabinent who has been consult
ed are in full accord. We
can not understand why you do not
strengthen yourself in the way the
president suggests by exhausting his
own resources in restoring order !, nor
do we see why you do not call the Leg
islature together and obtain from them
whatever power and money and arms
you need"
From these circumstances one of
two possible conclusions must be
drawn. Either the president had de-
termined to abandon the course he had
been following, or he did not perceive
in the Mississippi troubles, painted in
their darkest oolors by Gov. Ames.
any of that violence and danger to the
rights of the black man which he
he claimed in justification of his in
reference in other Southern States.
The tone of his present message does
not manifest disposition to leave such
disturbances to the correction of the
State authorities; so the conclusion is
left that in the Mississippi case he did
not discover circumstances sufficiently
aggravating to invite his interference.
OF course this does not dispose of the
whole of the presidents charge, but it
shows the degree of enormity in which
he now describes in such horrible col
Ors, and so far is an answer to the ex-
travagant terms of his message.
Now let us go still further into the
record and see what other ground is
left to the president. Subsequent to
the Clinton riot an outbreak occurred
Mt Friar's Point. which was melted by
a colored sheriff, who had called to-
gether a body of armed negroes to en-
able him to control the county conven-
ton. The negroes were dispersed by
the whites, and the sheriff was driven
from the county. The most authorita-
tive information which President
Grant got of this affair was in a dis
patch from United States Senator AL
corn, one of the senators from Misls-
sippi, to the attorney general, which
made this statement:
'Taving read several incorrect and SEN
sational dispatches touching the recent
race troubles at Friar's Point, beg to as
sure you that there need be no alarm ioI
the peace of this county. Several num-
dred armed negroes who had been 1nclted
hy an itl-tempered sheriff marched on our
town, and We're readily repulSed by the
whites under the lead of the most prudent
citizens, who have been following up the
armed bands of negroes and dispensing
them with rs little violence as posi- IDLE, and
urging them to go home. The mob mas
been dispersed, and L think VIII remain
quiet. There is no question OF politics In
this excitement. The whites are to n man Tor
defense. Those OF the negroes who have
been miSled are fast being reconciled. A
community ofplanters may be relied on for
have made no demonstration of hostility
TO the NEGROES of this county, but are anX1-