The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-09-27
THE INTIMIDATION OF 1875
noas the Democratic Party symPa-
mise with BuIIdOxers7

diately previous to that eiecton'
All the machinery of the State govern
ment was employed to rivet the chains OF
sitting anarchy and smothering rule upo
the people of Mississippi. The Executive
the Legislative and the Judicial depart
ments we're all prostituted, with few hon
orable exceptions, to the basest OF pul
poses. The Governor manipulated his cor
rupt Legislature for his own personal ends
and sought to debase his judges to IN
same ignoble purpose. He made the Leg
islature pass law giving to him the ap
pointment of all the tax collectors of tn
State, thus turning over to him the purs
as well as the sword of the State, for tn
open, avowed and undisguised object O.
giving him the ownership of the incoming
Legislature, which he intended should 70
turn him to the United States Senate. lie
approved an act providing for the appoint
ment of II or 10 Special Agents TO investi
gate county officers-to prowl around ovel
the counties and encourage defalcatlo III
among rascally Sheriffs, and then to divide
the swag between themselves and the State
And he actually proceeded to appoint ano
commission these public robbers. This
was monstrous and brazen scheme FOL
the wholesale plumber of the people. Ames,
perhaps, did not comprehend the full IN
tent and meaning of it-he was SO intent
upon rewarding. friends in consideration OF
their having furthered his schemes to quar-
ter himself upon the State for six years,
that he gave no thought and felt no concern
for the protection of the people against his
official vampires.
Naturally the public were shocked at
these and many other high-handed ad-
vances. The whole State was afame. And
the dark clouds of bloody anarchy lowered
all around our borders. Riots were OF
frequent occurrence in various sections OF
the State. The Judiciary, feeble and
shaky at best, covered before the storm OF
indignation that had been raised. 1t was
utterly powerless to preserve the peace
The miserable hirelings of the Legislature
took to their holes. The Governor himself
trembled in his boots, and, unlike Belshaz-
Ear, was able to read "the hand writing on
tie wall,n He called piteously and Justify
to Grant for troops, but ne might as well
have called 'spirits from the vastly deep. y
The operations of his and kindred usurpa
tons in the South, were so monstrous and
villainous, that they turned the stomach of
the whole North, and Grant, with all of his
stolid, bulldog brutal courage, was afraid to
send Federal troops to Ames. Like the high
wayman driven at last to his lair, Governor
Ames stood like criminal in his Executive
office and abjectly begged for terms before
a committee of citizens, headed by Gen.
George and Gen. Lowry.
In the canvast of that year, the people
took off their coats. They rolled up their
sleeves, Their hearte were in it. Ihey
meant business. And -- the result is |
known. The Radical majorities faded out
Of sight, and the gallant Democracy march
I'D triumphantly to victory, with over
&C, 900 majority. OF course it was revo-
luton that struck terror and CONSERVATION |
into :the ranks of the plunderers. They
ak about intimidation. We admit it. But |
or the most part it was the intimidation of
high, and honest, and determined pur-
,ose upon a corrupt and bringing con-
ciousness of guilt was the intimida-
ion of the righteous Indignation of the
reused lion against the stealthy and creep
ng encroachments of the plundering
yena.
We know very well that there was an
ther kind Of intimidation in 1875 which cut
small figure in the canvass of that year,
,hich we do not now and never have de-
ended. And we proceed now to notice
lis class of intimidators or bulldozers.
When a house is on fire aud the lurid
ames are tapping their fiery tongues over
ontiguous buildings, threatening the con-
agration of an entire city, the gallant army
f firemen do not stop to inquire into the
loral or religious status of the men who
id them in quenching the fame. In such
n hour of supreme peril, rowdies and out +
ws and bulldozers have full swing. The
reat, absorbing, concentrated effort of the Y
oment is to put out the fire. So +
was in Mississippi in 1875. A de- +
,uring political fire was raging over g
,r hills, plains and valleys, and it q
I'd to be stopped. Whatever was neces- n
ny to arrest the consuming flames 6
.ould have been and was resorted to. The
st horde of hungry and ravenous wolves q
ere destroying our sheep-fOlds, and it was a
necessity of our situation to repel them s.
all hazards and at every sacrifice. O
But the army that fought and quenched d
ese flames, and drove out this ravenous i,
ride of hungry wolves were the brave and il
ne and tried and honest and determined =,
liens of the State, and they won the W
eat victory by iair and honorable work
lie bulldozers and shot gun intimidators- W
, men whose argument was the pistol o,
something towards the result g
just enough to mar the glory of it-but To
, grand triumph YVES won by another and at
tier class.
These men who argued with the pistol in
10, piumed themselves as victors--took
themselves the credit of the success.
t it will be observed that none of them
We been endorsed by the Democratic
-ty. There is not, perhaps, a single G.
ldozer in Office in the entire State, and M
S escape Of the bulldozer from Office is st,
attributable TO the fact that he don't wi
ut or don't seek office. We never saw in
yer heard tell of bulldozer that didn an
Mt an Office. His keenness Of scent for
Ice is only surpassed by that of the We
petbagger. What better evidence could
al.