The Portland daily press., 1879-08-21
1.-THE free Ballot"

The Democracy of Mississippi have at last
put an end to the Yazoo complication by
the simple expedient of numbering the man
to whose high courage and sense Of inde-
pendence the complication is due. Henry
NJ Dixon, the Independent candidate for
Sheriff of Yazoo county, was, as he rode
peacefully along, shot at and killed by one
Barksdale, Democratic candidate for office.
What was the crime of Dixon? What the
motive for his murder?
Henry NJ. Dixon, who had served i'll the
Confederate army, and who had always been
a Democrat, was the Independent candidate
for Sheriff of his county this year. The
regular Democrats on hearing of his nomin-
alton, gathered in mob and drove
him from the county. AS his wife and
children were with him, and as he did not
wish to imperil their lives, he made no con-
test. Having put them in a place of safety,
he announced his intention to return. He
did return, and was at once waylaid and
murdered-murdered because of his political
opinions, because he dared to vote other
than the Democratic ticket. Murdered as you
would be, Republican, should you go to that
assassin-ridden State; murdered as you
would be, Greenbacker, should you go there
and attemptto cast your vote or express your
opinions-uness you entered into fusion
with the Democratic assassins South as you
have with the Democratic intriguers North.
Do you think, any of you, that the muir
derer of Dixon will be brought to justice?
Already his friends, the men-who rule Mis-
sissippi with the shotgun, are eontending
that the murder was merely an affair OF
honor between the murderer and the muir
dered chat it would be indelicate to take
notice of. If Barksdae be brought to trial,
do you believe he will be convicted by men
who are servants of the shotgun and MEM
bers of the mob who drove him from the
county, and who sympathize with his assas
sin? Were the murderers of Chisolm pun
ished? Has any man ever been punished
for the perpetration of political outrages in
the South? No! to each and all of these
questions, no! Barksdale will go free.
Barksdale will go free, for he is but carry
ing into effect thas freedom Of elections
which the Democrats in Congress fought for
all last winter and spring; which the fu-
sionist Ladd voted for; which the Demo-
cratic papers are contending for nova
freedom of elections that means the free
dom of Democrats at the South to shoot
down their opponents on the way to the
polls and the freedom of Democrats at the
North to stuff the ballot-boxes they control.
This is tho freedom of the ballot that you,
Greenbackers who were Republicans, are
asked to support This party of assassins
is the party you are asked to help into
power, to entrust with the ballot boxes of
Maine Remember that not single Demo-
cratic paper in this State has lisped of the
outrage or condemned it, for fear the dis
graceful news might reach your ears.
Remember that your own papers have fol-
lowed their example, or sneered at the
bloody shirt. That bloody shirt was worn
by Henry Dixon as he died contending
for freedom of opinion and the right to cast
the vote he preferred-rights the Republican
party was formed to sustain and did sustain
in many bitter contest. Remember these
things, Republican Greenbackers, and then
say where your right position is-with the
upholders of assassins and suppressors Of
free speech, or with your old allies in your
old party.