The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-03
" THE YAZOO AFFAIR. ("
Considered in It's Legal and Moral
Relations to Society.

SIR Inc recent PubiiFalipb Dt the people al
lazoo, in Convention assembled setting forth
the facts and the condition of the public mind
which induced them t. demand the retirement
Of Dixon from his canvass for Sheriff Of said
county. ought to convince all minds not blinded
by pnrty zeal cultivated luminosity to the
Democratic Party, That the people were
right and Dixon wrong
Al, unusual ceusure has been cast on the " De-
I1.rracy Of Yazoo 20 by portion Of the public
press, and 70 few di-eout-utrd and seeIy poll
tlriau- ia whose wisdom and patriotism, the
Democracy no longer cyuGle, and who have
made haste ou the ~ pe7e statements OF Dixon
and Bell alone, t., manufacture cheap capital
il NOT cheap money % Tor their bankrupt
Golfers on the supposed and wished for ' sui
eide of the " Democracy Of Yazoo. " extend
iu- 20 the " Democracy ~ America, who are
alleged by the Dixouites to have everIastingy
gone up" it is but fair that the Democracy, 50
arrli1ned, tried ami condemned, without a
hearing or due process OF law in any form,
should have "a uew trial before impartial and
competent Judges, with all the evidence before
them.
By "a public Convention OF the people OF
Itl,o county. ia about equal parts of Old Line
Whi.s, Democrats aud freedmen, the situa-
tiuu " in Yazoo has been made known for the
first time 20 the public, by a statement OF the
ftrt- and attendant circumstances that led to
thr abatement ot the nuisance complained OF by
the pcaceabIe aInotion of the parties committing
the same
Preliminary TO the canvass Of the present
wear it will De remembered that in the canvass
al 1879, under the military administration Of
Governor Amc~ the colored voters Of the State
had been dccoyed into the secret oath-bound
LOYAL League of the Ames Republicans and
sworn as they thought, to support the Republican
candidates State and National. The manumis-
sion of the slave and his Investment with the con
sututioual right of an elector and otice-holder
was seized on, by the federal government un-
der the official protection of the federal army,
and q military government, to vote the colored
man against the white in Mississippi the
whites being all Democrats and the freedmen
and federal emmissaries, Republican. Under this
influence loyal leagues of colored men We're
formed, secret and oath bound and the colored
voter massed against the white, the whole pro-
cc,diugz in direct violation Of the franchise
laws al the State and of all free States. In this
manner the colnred man trained to vote
against the white man, his former master, and
i'm favor of the Republicans his pretended lib
orator, and this colorcd vote east men
fight ON account Of luminosity and not for the
election of honest and capable public officers.
The Constitutional Convention Of 1860 was
elected in this manner with but few Democrats
ina it. The result was Constitution which the
people refused to ratify and which President
Grant himself condemned in the parts objected
to bv the white electors, and at the next eee-
ton the Constitution amended by striking
out the clauses condemned by the President.
H.. - Tn, no.
tator ut Washington.
Subsequently Ames became a candidate for
the L. : Senate and with this view organized
tbe colored vote ON the basis Of elccting state
officers and State Legislature from the colored
element with q view to the election Of himself
bv the coIored Legislature to the L. ). Senate.
It was "a bargain publicly known, an open
s,erct-the state over--but none the less a
fraud ON the franchise laws of this State as of
all free States.
out OF this division Of the political ele-
,ueut- into white and black, grew the riots OF
Clinton. Nicksburg and Yazoo City, the
bloody results of which to the colored men left
u burning fountain of revenge in their bosoms
40 be exercised at the polls On all occasions,
and L. be brought into action by any demagogue
bold enough to take the peril to himself
Dixon. conspicuous, above all others, rs Stay
,r and robber, and hanger Of colored men, and
believed to Ice a robber Of the County Treasury
OF Yakoo of f3o,o0o-determined to appeal to
this fountain Of revenge to elect himself and
Bell to their respective offices.
The Republican Party of Yazoo was wholly
llnor,sanized and determined to remain so, but
holding a dominant coored vote if cast in soido
sufficient to elect Dixon and Bell whp were
now self-declarcd candidates for Sheriff and
thancerv Clerk and working in concert for this
purpose against the nominees Of the white, or
Democratic party. Their mode Of conducting
the canvass is thus set forth by the people
convention, eye witnesses of the public part OF
their canvass, the private part known by its
traits.
We believe and declare that the man H. NJ.
Dixon is running for the office OF Sherlh OF
this county on the race Issue and coior-line
preiudice alone. We declare as our belief that
he has sought and IL now seeking by all the
fevlish devices of n low corrupt lntrIguer IN
politics TO array the eolOred people OF our
county against the whItes-tO STIR up race
prejudice and race conhlct-and to oflhg
strife and confusion throughout our nofuers
and all this because he wants the ices anu
nero uisites Of the Sheriff ) othce ana sees no
other way Of getting them For these reasons
we say that the man II. NJ Dixon is not mt to
be Sheriff of our county, and we here deny thst
he has right to be allowed to run Tor sueh
Office for any office III CHS county on the
issues thus made up by him. We nave slso
some other grave reasons why the man Dix I.
should not be permitted to be the Sherin OF TINS
county. some of which we will here name
He is gambler by profession. as he admits,
and as We know him to be- lie has dec ARE
time and again that all gamblers VIII SIeaI'
and we do him no credit when we accord him
great candor in making this admission
We believe he is murderer Passing 6y me
cases of many men who have died at MS hahu5
in this county, we believe that Dixon murdereu
Mr. Samuel Harrison in cold blood. The May
or Of Yazoo City. Mr. J. IL. Holt, thought so,
and committed him to jail, without Dali Our
Circuit Judge, Hon. s. 8 Calhoun thought so,
and remanded him to jail, without bail OF
months he filled felon's cell and We oenevs
he only escaped i felOns death, for want u
Intelligence and virtue in the jury that
tried him. To sum up in brief our
opinion and estimate of the character OF
the man Dixon, we declare SIS our ,bIa~
opinion that he is murderer gamolsr 2
bulIV a thief o man of violence, OF blood, OF
lies \ man who will pack juries, low unprln,,
cipled demGgogue in politics. ana III an iHiAUsi
an religion. ,.e.b.4.bomar
We further declare as our bellef that the ma
Dixon sppropri ated 10 his own use some 80
or Sl6O0j fifteen hundred or sixteen NUM- h; -
dollars in money, warrants Shu nor LUZ psttar-
Uastaken from the body of the negro r.
son who was hung on Silver Greek IN Ioto' -
can be proved that Dixon took TINS m 1e fa,-
that when he was asksd' ~ ho had done. or
DAYS after the hanging. VhSt le ASu a'i;a5
nroposed tn do with the money, hS ~
waving his hand to the iron safe q ;etsnd
Nathan & Hirshl 1t is in there ana M =. y
that the boys shall have a good ''nhe y" -
In his new role as negro leader ana pat'is''-'
the Democratic party, and not Dixon, -
the criminal hero of his bloody tale' u !.
,.-.ts were now the slayers and enemies OF Ins
blact man-wouId hang, draw and quarter nun
,,a,,-i,,, him If his social and political righs'
and property, and reduce hlm 70 -. .o,,,e,
-,ar,..n5 want ssstiiI.hunting' about the eouh
~ for votes. afforded convenient and successlu'
,.o,.or Gov confidential communications OF thii
1;tatons character TO the eolOred men, TO WHOM
IOeho"s :. .,s,,ss in, arms participants