The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-09-03
Quotations From and For the
Argus.

There is not enough of this Captain Dixon,
of Yazoo county. out of which to make hero
and martyr. He gained his title of captain
as the commander of a force of ruffians who
bulldozed Republicans of his county until the
party was extinguished. When he was not
satisfied with the share of the political spoils
allotted to him, and made move to reward
himself better his old comrades turned his for
mer tactics against himself and choked off the
young mans vaulting ambition at the muzzle
OF the shotgun 1t is very plain case OF
dog og-eat-dog.-Toledo Blade, Republican.
The above is quoted by the argus with
the purpose, apparently, of apologizing for
the men con the shoot" in Mississippi. The
extract from the Blade is true, every word of
it. Captain Dixon was bull-dozer: that goes
without telling-for he was Mississippi
Democrat. He was the man to whom Mis-
sissippi Democrats gave a silver pitcher, in
scribed ''To the Bravest of the Brave" for
his services in 1875. Those services con-
sisted of intimidating and shooting and
hanging negroes and white Republicans.
So long as he confined himself to that pas
time not a word of objection was made.
Not Mississippi Democrat condemned him.
The argus contented itself with laughing at
the crimes committed by him and his fel-
lows, and assured us that there was no bull
doing in that State. 1t was when Dixon
left the Democracy that the Mississippi
Democrats turned against him; that they
said he was bull-dozer; that the argus
confessed there was bull-dozing in the
South. He was shot because he left the
Democracy, as he had shot other men for
doing the same thing. Remember too that
he is the only man out of all the bull-dozers
in Mississippi that the argus has ever con-
demned. 1t excused the Chisolm massacre
as it excuses the murder of Dixon.
The argus liked the Blade quotation.
Perhaps it would like to print the following
quotation from another Republican paper,
the Cleveland Herald. 1t may not have
seen the extract. Here it is:
All the com fort the Confedro-Democrats can
derive from the bowling that Dixon was a
.sba-ad man. they are heartily welcome to-
OF course he was a bad man. How could
man be Mississippi Democratic bull-dozer
without being bad man, at least a bad man
according to the civilized idea of what bad
man is? But there are bad men, and bad men,
and what constitutes a bad man in one COM
munity makes good man, virtuous man, a
man to whom the people present silver pitch
ers in another community. A bad man in Va
zoo City is a man who enters the political field
in opposition to the Confedro-Democratic party.
When man commits this deadly sin down in
Yazoo they shoot him in the streets as they
would a mad dog The Dixon affair is simply
interesting as particularly fine specimen of
the Mississippi plan-of the means by which
the South is kept solid for the Democracy.
Dixon's character has nothing to do with it.
We are willing to admit, if it will promote the
comfort of esteemed Confedro-Democratic
contemporaries, that Dixon was "ba-ad
man."
The argus may be pleased also to learn
how its allies here, the Greenbackers, are to
be treated in Mississippi. The Greenback-
ers surely will be interested. Information
on that point may be found in the following
Record. Perhaps the Argus would like to
copy thai too. 1t is from a Democratic
paper. Here it is:
Our people are beginning to realize in earn
est that the Inauguration of the Independent
Greenback movement is nothing but the reor-
ganization of the worst type OF the radical par
ty. Their emssaries are travelling in every
direction, studiously endeavoring to hoodwink
and deceive our people. They are promoters
of discord and fomenters of sedition in our
midst Their insidious attempts to disunite
and disorganize the Republican party will be
met and foiled. Their determined efforts to
precipitate another race conflict and engender
strife throughout the land will be thwarted
and punished. We must arouse from our leth-
argy, and, if necessary to the success and vim
dication of the Democratic party-the great
party of the people-resort to desperate meas
ures. The vindiotive and serpentlne maligni-
ty of the radical leaders for our people are un-
bounded. The old wet dog radical smell will
invariably betray them, however sweetly they
prate about the rights of the people. The sue
cess of the so-called Independents will merely
be the restoration of the radicals to power in
our State and the moral desolatiOn and death
of her every interest. Be not deceived. Let
not the honeyed accents of these false prophets
throw you off your guard. Arm for the con-
flict and wage the war to the bitter end. Pro
claim to the world that you are free men and
will never become the dupes and victims OF
radical wiles and villainy. The Greenback
party were ultimately ripped from the great
womb of radicalism, and let us strangle, crush
and annihilate it in this its natal hour. Pass
the watchword along the lines, and let our bat
tie cry be death to the traitors and enemies OF
our people Our brethren below are already
az are II Matching on to glorious victory. The
mutterings Of the coming storm are audible in
the distance and if the lesson of 1915 has to be
repeated the sooner we begin the better. Let
us cry aloud and spare not-for Davis, Vasser,
and their horrid crews of demagogues, are
more dangerous enemies to the liberties OF our
people than the worst leaders that ever mar
shailed the hosts of radcalism in our midst