Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-05-29
"We Must Carry Them.

Under this significant caption the following ed
itorial article appears in the Mississippi Brook
haven Ledger of MAY 2, 1873:
Because the people of Mississippi have re-
solved to elect six Representatives 10 Congress
this Fall the Jackson Times wants TO know II the
election is to be conducted on the ldozing plan
Yes if necesssry-on thst or any plan to keep
the Radicals out of power. Tie first thing TO do
is to resolve to carry every district. and the next
is to DO it. II Independents and Radicals league
together to defeat democratic victory treat them
alike. Mississippi is democratic and must rems
SO. Let the Times not lose sight OF that TACT:
And il is well enough 10 state here the wsnts OF
the Times do not amount to anything. The peo-
ple pay no attention to them. They know their
duty and will MAINTAIN it, and the Times can
shake the bloody shirt from now till doomsdsy
without effect VIII the Times wall again
And the Columbus Miss Independent of May
4, on the same subject, says.
We repeat, we advocate pitching the canvass on
high key. Native sons of Mississippi who have
proved themselves to be as base As csrpetbaggers
and native sons who may prove themselves 10 be
equally base by accepting the support of the ele-
ment which has been used to insult and Cypress
the people of the State. merit, and must be sub
jected TO- the same heroic treatment practced up
on aliens.
In thi. district republicans and would he demo-
Gratis who have forfeited the respect and conn
influence some prominent democrat to become an
independent candidate for Congress, promising
him the support of their black cohorts If such
one can be found weak enough TO yield, the dem
ocratic nominee must hunt him down rs an enemy
TO the safety of the community.
We have conquered, and, having once conquer.
ed must hold fiji mly and forever
Now what some of the facts as to Congress
sional districts in Mississippi;
In republican times the State elected FIVE repub-
licsn Represen atves at msjor,ties ranging from
900 to 10 600. and one democrat at a majority Of
about 5000. The districts were blocked out of
contiguous counties, and without gerrymander-
ing that could be complained of. When the de-
mocracy came into power by the shot gun policy
of 1875. they imned lately redistricted the State
without any regard to decency or right, and with
the sole view of eecting nearly solid democrat
ic delegation There is public crime connected
with this unprecedented wrong which the people
of the country should know.
By the act of 1876 e. We democratic districts were
created two very close, and one republican COM
prsing all the counties on the Mississippi river
from Memphis to New Orleans, q distance of near
" five hundred miles. II is known as the "Shoe
String" or Black Snake district, being all length
with little breadth. In some places this district
is less than tel miles across. and in no way wider
than county. 1t embraces the NEGRO belt" and
by the census of 1870 has is, 600 coloied majority
of qualified electors. This district was labelled
"Radcal" by its creators, and the most inveter-
ate bul-dozer had no idea then of its ever being
carried by his party. But the political robbers
and murderers who could subvert jorty of
40 600 in the State by meditsted and publicly
organized crime were equal, by the same means,
to IS 900 in district. A fitting leader was found
Fort Pillow, and by systematized intimidation,
bull-dozing, rioting, ballot box stung. and false
counting, Chalmers was returned elected with a
majority of $500. Three hundred pages of testi-
mony before Senator Morton's committee tell Of
the terrible prosecutions republicans suffered in
this stamping out Of their political life thirty or
more being hung TO trees or shot to death 10 sin
gle county. One thousand pages could not re-
cord The atrocities committed in that campaign in
this single district. Chalmers is now in Congress
and is feted by Bostonians in Fsneuil Hall as q
representative of Southern goodwill. honor, and
Cancellation.
The Ledger above quoted frankly acknowledges
the spirit in which the approaching canvass is to be
conducted. and solid democratic delegation from
Mississippi secured by whatever means may be re-
quired. just As was done in 1876 Yet good-na-
tured republicans in the North credulousy won
der if these things can be so. and imagine they
are made up for campaign purposes. Let them
90 there and see. MIssIssIPPIAN.