Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-02-16
The Mississippi Plan.

The Mississippi Plan.
The reports of the Marshals and their
deputies appointed in connection with the
election on November 9TH, give valuable
evidence as to the manner in which the
elections were conducted in States where
the mississippi plan" was adopted. Ex-
tracts from these have recently appeared
In a communication made hy the Attorney
General to the Senate. They confirm the
statements which have been published OF
the violent and brutal manner in which
Tilden's votes were obtained,
The Marshal of South Carolina says
that emissaries from Mississippi had visit
ed all parts of the former State. inst:ucting
the democratic organizations. The "shot-
gun" or mississippi plan" was explained,
endorsed and enforced with telling effect
against the republicans. la the course OF
his report the Marshal says: AT num-
Der of precincts the deputies were driven
away without being allowed to vote them
selves. and in several counties on the Sa-
vannah River particularly in Edgefeld)
men who were voting the democratic
ticket boasted of being Georgians, and
dared the authority OF the Deputy Mar
shals."
The Marshals of Georgia, Alabama and
Mississippi tell the same story, in their re-
ports, of lawlessness and violence by the
democrats. The Marshal of the northern
district of Mississippi concludes his re-
port as follows: "I am justified in saying
that to have carried out the law at any
voting precinct in my district would have
cost the life of the officer executing it.
Myself and deputies were subjected to re-
peated indignities, and threatened with
arrest for interfering to discharge our du-
ties at the hands OF the members Of the
party claiming to possess all the
intelligence. virtue, and patriotism of the
country. have. therefore, to report that
l was powerless to check the lawlessness
which swept over this State at and prior
to the 9Th day of November. 1876, law
lessness so organized and controlled and
guided by madness that it paralyzed JUS
tice and made human rights mockery."
The Marshal for the southern district
of Alabama states as the cause for the en-
p'oyment of deputies "ihe almost total
disregard of the rights of republican vot
ers by the class in possession of the bal
lot-boxes." He adds farther: bribery
aud cajolery is first attempted to control
the vote of the colored people. This fail
Ing. violence and intimidation are prac-
ticed. This failing. fraud aud chicanery
are resorted to, and ballots cast for repub-
lican candidates in the morning came out
for democratic candidates in the evening""
This mississippi plan,h carried out in
the manner described above, was the
means upon which Samuel j. Tilden re-
lied to make him President. 1t was de-
liberately adopted and relentlessly carried
out wherever it could be and was deemed
available. The history of border ruflian
ism in Kansas and Nebraska appears fee
bic in villainy when compared with the
lawlessness and atrocities OF the kuklux
and White Regulators of tho southern
States in the late election. Had the cleo
toral commission decided to disregard the
rights Of the States and investigated the
operation of the Mississippi plan suffi-
ciently TO make the truth appear, it wonld
have opened up chapter of political bar
barity, cruelty, oppression and fraud on
the part of the democratic party that
would cover the land with shame and
arouse the fiery indignation of all decent
people.