National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-09-15

of humanity, law aud justice, than with any
purpose to visit punishment upon the muir
derer When the jury entered the box they
did so with q full understanding that they
were to render verdict of acquittal, no
matter how strongly the proofs of guilt
might be presented. Judge, jury, deiend-
ant counsel, and spectators, all sat through
that mockery of trial, and listened to evil
dence, argument, and the expounding of
law by II hypocritical tribunal, knowing
tnat in the event justice would be disarmed
and dabolical crime would go unpun-
ished. Weregard such a condition of things
in any portion of the American Republic as
u disgrace to humanity, civilization, law,
justice and National reputation.
The State of Mississippi is National
blotch. Scarcely township or neighbor-
hood exists to-day within its borders
wherein the blood of murder does not
fertilize the soil and stamp the To-
cality with infamy. When the blood of the
negro fais to irrigate the earth, then the
whites who have dared to differ in opinion
with the murderous gang who rule the
State are sought, us in the cases of the CHS
HoLMs, G1LMER and DIXON, aud they are
made victims of a prevailing thirst for muir
der, which the perpetrators know will 90
unwhipped of justice. This is no overdrawn
picture, but is justified by the truth of his
tory SO far as the annals of crime are known
in that section. This is the record of one
of the United States of America in the
nineteenth century-when all the world is
| Boosting Of the advancement ofcivlization,
and none more loudly than this Republic
and yet the barbarities practiced in that
State alone would shame the barbarisms of
the darkest ages in the history of the worlds
progress. Is this Republic clothed with
q Republican form of government, with
history crammed full of diabolical murders
and the arm of justice paralyzed to an eX-
tent that encourages the preparation of
crime We doubt if any sane man would
to-day attempt to vindicate this as Repub-
| lican form of government in the light of
the history made in the South during the
last decade. The Alghanistaus and Zulus
are no more barbarous and murderous than
the people of Mississippi, who are repre-
sented in Congress by men who applaud
their crimes and screen them from punish
ment.
If there is no power in the South to
punish crime, or in some way to stay the
bloody hand of murder is it not the duty OF
the Federal Government TO interpose under
its Constitutional prerogatives and secure
to the State of Mississippi n Republican
form of government, under which its people
can sharv S9ual rights and full protection
of life and pr5nertyS If not, then the
Union is just what secessIc" "llu reoe'ion
attempted to make it-a failure, W..h u
voceless and powerless Constitution, which
is of no effect as against the most atrocious
crimes, or in sustaining government based
upon the laws of civilization. 1t is about
time the Federal Administration went on q
tour Of discovery through our fundamental
law tosee if there is not some power residing
there which will guarantee to society some
safeguards against wholesale murder, ant
some protection to the righ is of citizenship
in each State comprised within this Union
And when found, if it exists there, let tha
power be welded with an avenging arm
until i" life, property and the pursuit o
Happiness are vouchsafed to all the peo
pie alike.