New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-03
THE LAST MISSISSIPPI MURDER.

The coarse cruelty of Mississippi Democrats
in hcaping obloquy on the memory of Captain
Dixon after they had murdered him can only
be measured by the additional fortunes which
these uuseasonabe ISLANDERS must have inflicted
upon the dead mans widow. 1t is the over
whelmng grief of the ubly-stricken woman
which adds such Il profound pathos to her
appeal-an appeal which has touched the SYM
nathies of n million readers. And yet no ord
nary murder, under whatever circumstances
OF cowardice or cruelty il might have
been perpetrated, could kndlc such wide
spread resentment ; no merely private grief
could cause such universal outiIowing OF
sympathy. The fact is that this crime has
National significance it comes directly home
to every citizen of the Republic, and every
voter feels that he has some duties and re-
sponsibilities IN the premises. 1t was not
typical Southern encounter" although the
principals were men of violence. 1t was not
simply an evidence of the sem-barbarous
condition OF society in of the Southern
States, although 1T could have happened no
where else. Dixon was killed by the or
ganized force which holds the South solid,
which has made it solid by other
murders actual and possible. which comes to
Washington and col trolls the majority in both
branches of The National Legislature, and
which our own representatives are compelled
to face. General Garfield was right when he
said at Biddeford the other evening Every
"vote you east i'll Maine against the Republic
"can party is vote to let the rascality OF
" Southern caucuses control the country that
- you live in. and make the laws for youD
And "rascalityn is q mild word to charac-
terize the shotgun plan of conducting South
ern caucuses.
OF course all Southern Democrats are neither
murderers nor murderous. But none the less
is the statement true that but for murder and
threatened murder the South would not be
solid to-day. 1t is most significant passage
in Mrs. Dixon's statement, published in yes
terday's TRIBUNE, where she recalls the day
when her husband was crowned with laurel
for service in the cause of Democracy, aud
when he drew his braves up in review before
Singleton and Lamar to receive the commen-
dation of b Sc leaders. Singleton and Lamar
are not exceptionally violent men-ndeed.
they are rather more highly civilized than the
average Southern Congressman But here
stand both these Lawmakers smiling appro-
baton upon an armed array Of lawess
rlIffians because they had won political
victory with shotguns. Did not these lead
ers thus formally recognize the potency of
this new force in politics, and, at the
same time, assume share OF the RESPONSE
blity for all the blood spilled in sitting
opposition to the Democracy Singleton Is
oil the stump in Mississippi to-day struggling
to talk himself into the Senate. Does he utter
a word of mildest censure upon the pastimes
of Yazoyi And Lamar in Washington is dumb.
What cdn they say when the seats they now
occupy in Congress were both bought with
violence, If not with bloodf
This is the fundamental reason for tie PRO-
found feeling aroused by this sample Msss-
sippi murder. 1t is q representative incident
1t Eliminates the whole method Of Southern
qualification. 1t stands for hundred other
murders which have never been heard Of. be-
cause the victims were poor Republicans, in
stead of eminent Democrats. 1t calls atten-
ton to the fact that one Democrat with a shot
gun in the South has more political power
than half dozen Republicans in the
North with nothing but ballot apiece.