The Ouachita telegraph., 1878-03-08
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE.
senator cowan to senator Furlong.

Senator COwan to Senator FurlOng.
Mr.. Furlong offered the following
amendment to section 113: And pro-
vided, that the Board of Supervisors
of Warren county may be permitted
to levy a tax, which, added to the
State tax shall not exceed twenty-five
dollars on the thousand.
Mr.. Cowan arose and said that this
was an attempt to continue the robbery
and oppression of the Taxpayers of
Warren county which had heretofore
been practiced by the Radical party.
He remembered the time when the
carpet-baggers hovered around the city
of Vicksburg and waited for the United
States Government, under the authori-
ty of the Reconstruction Laws, to bay
onet the people into submission, and
tie them, hand and foot, in order that
they might plunder them and suck
their substance; like the cowardly
Mexican lancers who held aloof from
the battle, and plundered the dead and
dying, when the fight was over like
carrion crows sailing around the strick-
en- body of some noble animal, seeking
an opportunity to pluck out his eyes
and tear his flesh, like pack of jack
ais waiting for the strength of a wound
ed lion to become exhausted that they
may safely approach and lap up his
blood, like a pack of sneaking wolves
who howl around in the distance, when
the battle is raging between contend
ing armies, with the intent to steal in
under the shadows of night and fasten
their teeth upon the PROSTATE bodies
of the dead and dying heroes. He re-
membered the time when a Sheriff of
Warren county, appointed by General
Ord, q military commander under the
infamous reconstruction acts, massed
together the Ignorant negroes, and had
them sworn in nUnion Leagues" for
the purpose of perpetuating his power,
and p1undering and depressing our
people. He remembered also when
that same Sheriff was brick-batted by
an outraged and indignant people
while riding at the head of drunken
negro mob. He remembered that this
same Sheriff had said on one occasion
that he would take the word of a mis-
erable, ignorant, drunken negro, in
| preference to the oath of any Southern
white man. He remembered that this
same Sheriff had debauched the negro
churches in Vicksburg and converted
the courthouse of the county into a
negro bawdy house.
Senator Allen, interrupting, said he
did not think it was proper for one
Senator to denounce another on the
floor of the Senate in such terms, and
submitted that Senator Cowan was out
of order. Senator Cowan disclaimed
any intention OF rejecting upon Sena-
tor Pratt, Republican from Madison
county, and said he had mentioned no
Senator's name, thot he was speaking
oftl former Sheriff of Warren county.
He continued: Show me carpet
bagger who held Office and got rich in
those dark days of oppression, outrage
and robbery of the people, and (turn-
ing and pointing his finger at Senator
Furlong) L will show you thief; /
will show you L perjurer; I will show
you a man who has been guilty of en-
bezzlement and bribery.
Lieut.. Gov. Sims asked Mr.. Cowan
if he intended to reflect upon any Sen
ator on this floor, to which question no
reply was made.
Gov. Sims then said that the Senator
could not proceed If he reflected upon
any Senator upon this floor.
Mr.. Allen made the point of order
that Mr.. Cowan's time was out.
The President decided that Senator
Cowan could go on five minutes longer.
Mr.. Cowan said that he could not
iOIScl IiiSSC SolpCl-DttSsSSlS WnO HaIi
plundered and oppressed him and his
people. He knew there We're those who
were willing to bow down and worship
the golden calf, who were willing to
speak of these miserable creatures as
"our honored Senators" and Repre-
sentatives, and make friends, associates
and boon companions of them, but he
thanked God that his parents had
fought him in his childhood to detest
thievery and PERJURY; he supposed,
however, that this was a matter of taste
and was determined by the manner in
which man was raised. But he was
proud of one thing, these thieves might
by bribery and fraud get official posi-
tions, even get into a Democratic Leg
islature, but they could not purchase
social position in Vicksburg and War
ren county. The noble ladies of his
county could not be induced to asso-
ciate with, or even speak to, such crea-
lures. They could not forget the
wrongs they had suffered at their hands
and never would forget them. He al
luded to the troubles in Nicksburg in
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