Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-06-01
From the New York Tines
Southern Opinion.

public sentiment OF the seclion III "h'o"
they are published, their comments on
soma recent events would not be encour-
aeinp. Take, for instance, the trials now
going ON in Charleston, ;. c., of persons
accused of completely in the EIlenton mas
sacre. and take, also, the recent murder
of the Chisolms in Mississippi.
The tone in which these matters are
treated is one of the most unO.u>hIng
apology for the guilty parties. aud oil H.
concealed anger that the North should pre-
sumo 10 have any feeling in regard to
them. The fact that the Charleston trials
are being conducted in the Federal Courts.
before bench on which sits the Chiei
Justice of the United States, seems to eX-
cite not the regret or the modification oi
the Southern newspaper writers. but rather
a sense of offence. The interpositi0n OF
the Federal Government is looked upon
as an ''impertnence The law under
which the trials are proceeding i charac-
terized as part of IA system OF "oppres-
sive legislation" The journals which re-
fer to the matter, almost without eNcep-
ton, show a certain sympathy with the
accused, and every suggestion that can
extenuate their guilt, or explain their po-
sition, is brought forward. And. what Is
the most unpleasant feature in the affair.
some of the Southern papers seem to
think that the arrest ard trial of the men
suspected of being engaged in the muir
der at Elenton are, in some way, viola
ton of what they are pleased to call the
"policy of Cancellation"
Again, with reference TO the Chisolm
outrage. the Southern papers make no
effort to explain the failure OF the Gov
ernor of Mississippi to move in the dlrec-
ton of Furnishing its perpetrators aud the
hint contained in our dispatches the other
day, that the President might deem it his
duty to urge the affair on the attention OF
the Mississippi authorities, is received
with disgust. We are told that any such
course would be "illegal, not to say i'm
pertinent" and that $50 far from further
ing, it would but retard. and perhaps de-
feat, the object" That is to say, that il
the President. in the exercise OF his dis
erection, should simply call attention to IA
crime which has deeply moved and great
ly shocked the feelings of a large part OF
the country, the democratic rulers in Mis-
sissippi would be offended, and would let
their anger go so far as to prevent them
from even trying to bring the guilty to
justice. This is surely very low esti
mate to make of the decency Of the men
who, for good or for i'll, govern Mssis-
sippi. In the same spirit, the nature OF
the murder of the Chisolms is constantly
ignored, or it is misrep esented. We are
told that ii was not ''political;'' but, Gu
riously enough, it is one OF class Of
crimes which do not get committed
against any but republicans. We are as
sured that 1t was the result of a feud be-
tween the Gully family and the Chsolms;
but it was feud in which several hun
dreds were enlisted, all democrats, so far
white population of the district were in
sympathy with the assailants, and one the
outbreak OF which the democratic Gov
ernor does not dare to try to punish or
even investigate.
For ourselves. after weighing such evil
dence as we can get from all sources, we
see no reason to doubt that the principal
motive of the mob which killed the CHS
olms was political. That there was some
personal hatred and some family hostility
involved, is possible; but the chief pas
sion which summoned the large crowd,
and which inspired it with the necessary
ferocity, was, in our opinion partisan
This conclusion is one which is very gen
orally entertained at the North. II may
be an unjust one, and may seriously wrong
the people of Mississippi. Bat the way to
prove that ii is unjust is not to boldly deny
the character of the occurrence, and to
resent all suggestion of investigation. 1t
is to promptly and vigorously set the legal
machinery of the State at work to find out
the truth and TO punish the guilty. Every
man of sense south OF the Potomac knows
that a crime of the extent and the suspi-
cious character of this one could not be
committed in any well-ordered State with
out being Immediately taken in hand By
the proper courts. That this is not done
In Mississippi is unfortunate for the good
name Of the State, and for the good name
OF the party which governs it. Doubtless
there is in the South considerable body
of respectable people who regret such
crimes as the Eienton aud De alb muir
ders, and who would like to see those
who are guilty of them exposed aud pun
ished. But this portion Of the community
does not make itself heard. AT a mo-
ment when the South has the deepest
Interest in having the North form u favor.
able and kindly estimate OF its social and
political condition, it cannot be denied
that its newspapers are doing q great deal