Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-08-28
THE SHOT GUN POLICY.
The Cold-Blooded Murder of
Dixon in Yazoo City.
The Perils of Attempting to Oppose
the Democratic Party in the
South.
From Chicago Tribune, Ang. a1st.

| AnOlner telegram says:
| VICKsBURG, Miss, Aug 2O.-H NJ Dixon, late
independent candidate for sheriff of Yazoo coun-
ty, was shot aud died last evening. The affair i:
shrouded in mystery.
We showed yesterday that Maj. Barks
dale, chairman of the state democratic
committee of Mississippi, in company
with Congressman Singleton, visited
Yazoo county just previous to the cul
minatiOn of the late difficulty, and or
| dered the suppression Of the independ
ent party organized under the leadership
of the late Mr.. Dixon The result of
the order was the assembling Of the mob
| and the retirement of Dixon from his
candidacy for the shrievalty under threats
OF death. After this achievement the
local paper announced that peace reigncd
in YazoO county. 1t did reign there
precisely as peace once reigned at War
saw. The peace enjoyed in Yazoo coun-
ty was the peace of the shot gun policy
But Dixon was not content with that sort
OF peace. He had been a bull-dOZer of
the most approved democratic type for
years, and he didn't like to take his own
physic. He declared that an agreement
entered into under duress was not bind
ing, and that his agreement to retire
from the shrievalty contest was not con-
sidered binding by himself or his
friends, and added:
1t was never nv intention to abide by it. and
am now free to say that l am still candidate
ana Will continue TO be, and if elected, which l
FULLY expect to be, will take charge OF the office
upon filing my bond and oath of office, or test
my rights under the law OF the land"
This resolution of Dixon to resume
the contest has cost him his life. He
talked glibly forty-eight hours ago about
testing his rights under the laws of the
land" and now he is dead! "Shot to
death by democrat under orders of the
state democratic committee of Missis-
sippT'-this should be the verdict of the
coroner's jury sitting on the remains of
Dixon. "Rights under the laws of the
land" indeed! There is no such thing
as "the laws of the land" in the state Of
Mississippi! 1t may be very disgraceful
to the republic, the nation, but it is fact
nevertheless, and the people of the north
had best consider how long the barbar-
ism of the mob can be permitted to reign
in Mississippi without communicating
its poison to every part of the body po-
iitic. The democratic leaders of Missis-
sippi ordered the democrats of Yazoo
county to raise a mob and suppress
Dixon as candidate for sheriff The
mob assembled with shot guns and said
'DiXOn, retire from the canvass or We'll
shoot you" Dixon at first refused, but
his wife and six children needed him,
as the mob numbered 600 and only one
man in YaZoo county offered to stand by
him, he surrendered. Then Mai. Barks
dale issued a circular declaring that the
campaign Of 1879 should be conducted as
those of 1875, 1876 and 1877 were con-
Quoted, namely: under the shots gun pol
icy. In word, Maj. Barksdale directed
the suppression Of such independent
parties as should be organized in any of
the counties by Mississippi mobs! We
wish it to be distinctly understood that
Maj Barksdale, chairman of the demo
cratic state committee, speaking for the
democrat party of Mississippi, decreed
the shooting ofDixon simply because he
dared to become a candidate for office
against the regular demO-copfederate or
ganization! And we go farther and say
that the democratic leaders of the north
are responsible for the assassination of
Dixon! Here is an assassination in
spirited by the democratic leaders, not of
YaZoo county, but Of the state of Missis-
sippi. The foul deed is committed in
the interest Of "Solid South" and the
northern wing of the democratic party
calculates upon holding the south solid
by this means-assassination 1t can be
held by no other means. Abolish ter
rOrism throughout the south and several
southern states are sure to 90 republican.
1t follows that the northern wing of the
democratic party consentsto murder in or
der to win party victory at the polls!
How do you like to wear this brand of
intamy-how do you like it, respectable
democrats
There is a campaign in progress in
the state of Ohio. Speakers-democrats
from all parts of the north will parti,
cipate in that campaign. What have
you got TO say, gentlemen, about the
fiendish murder, instigated by the dem
oCratic committees of Mississippi! Dare
you defend it? Dare you attempt to ex-
plain it? You, General Ewing; what do
you think of shotgun campaigning
What do you, once brave soldier, now
acting with that party, think of demo
cratic state committee ordering the as
sembling of mob to threaten a candi-
date for office with death, and finally,
when he refuses to retire ordering an as
sassin to sneak upon his tracks in the
dark and shoot him dead But we care
not what northern democratic office
seekers and speakers think OF the Mis-
sissippi plan. We appeal from them to
democratic citizens, who love their cOun-
try and hate towards and assassins even
though they wear the livery of the dem
ocratic party management They, as we,
know that the shotgun policy must be
abolished in Mississippi as well as in
Illinois, even though we have to fight for
it
An attempt is made to palliate the bru-
tai murder of Capt Dixon by the trans
mission over the telegraph wires, along
with the report of the murder, of most
malicious and contemplate attack upon
the character of the dead man. Up to
the time of his Identification with the
independent movement Capt. Dixon was
one of the wealthiest and most prominent
democrats of Yazoo county, man fore
most in their councils, and of the highest
standing in his party; and it was not NJ
til he availed himself of the inalienable
right 10 take part in a movement and or
ganiZatiOn which threatened the sOlidity
and supremacy of the democratic party
in that county that the discovery was
made, "by a committee, u that Capt.
Dixon was "a detestable monster" and
''not fit, in any sense, to hold any Office of
honor, profit, or trust" etc. The "com-
mittee" further declared that he should