Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-07-15

the right of trial by jury, the
habeas corpus, the liberty of the
press, the freedom Of speech, and
the natural rights of persons and
property must be preserved."-
Will you question the truth Of these
declarations Which one of these
great principles Of liberty are you
ready to deny and repudiate &
Whoever does SO avows himself
the enemy Of human liberty and
the advocate of desrotism. Was
there any intimation in general
: orders No, 40 that any crimes or
breaches of law would be counten-
anccd ! You know that there was
not. On the contrary, yen know
perfectly well that while "the con-
slderation of the crime and offences
committed in the fifth military
district was referred to the iuGg-
ment Of the regular civil tribunals" "
pledge was given in order No.
40, which all understood, tina. tri-
bunals would be supported in their
lawful jurisdiction, and that s'forci-
ble resistance to law would he in
statly suppressed by arms.'' You
will not affirm that this pledge has
over been forfeited. There has not
been moment since l have been
III command Of the fifth district
when the whole military force in
my hands has not been ready to
support shc civil authorities of
Texas in the execution OF the laws.
And | am unwilling to believe thew
would refuse to call Tor aid if they
needed it.
There are some considerations
which, it seems some, should cause
you to hesitate before indulging in
Wholesale censurcs against the civil
authorities of Texas. You are your
self the Chief of these authoritlcs,
not elected b, the people, but
created by the military. Not long
after you had thus come into office
all the Judges OF the Supreme
Court OF IeNas-fvc in number
were removed from office. aud new
appointments made ; twelve of the
seventeen district Judges were re
moved and others appointed
County officers, more or less, in
sevcnty-tvc out of one hundred
and twenty-cight counties, were
removed, and others appointed il,
their places. 1t is fair to conclude
that the executive and judicial
functionaIics in Texas are the per-
sons whom you desired TO fill the
offices. 1t is proper to mention,
also, that none but registered citi-
gems, and only those who could
take the test oath, have been al
lowed toserve as jurors during your
administration. Now, it is against
this local government, created by
military power prior to my coming
here, aid SO composed of your
personal and pollticrl friends, that
y ou have preferred the most griev-
ions complaints. 1t is OF them that
you have asserted they will not do
their duty they will not maintain
justice will not arrest offenders J;
will not punish crimes and that
ont Of one Hundred homicides COM
mittcd in the last twelve months,
not over ten arrests have been
made, and 10y no means Of such
gross disregard Of duty, you de-
clare that neither property nor life
is safe in Texas.
Certainly yon could have said
nothing moro to the discredit of
the officials who are now in office.
Ii the facts be as you allcge, a
mystery is presented for whi"h l
can imagine no explanation. Why
Is it that your political friends,
backed up and sustained by the
whole military power ct the United
States in this district, should he un-
willing to enforce the laws against
that part of the population lately
in rebellion, and whom you reprc-
sent as the offenders In all the
history of these troubles, have
never seen or heard before of such
\ fact. l repeat, il the fact be So,
it is a profound mystery, utterly
surprising my comprehension. |
am constrained to ueclare that j
believe you are in very great error
AS to facts. On careful examina-
ton at the proper source, l find
that at the date Of your letter four
cases only of ho,nioides had been
reported to these headquarters as
having occurred since November
30, 1867, the date OF order 40, and
these cases were ordered to bt
tried o, investigated as soon .s the
reports were received. However,
the fact of the one hundred hoini-
cidcs may still he corret, as stated
by you, The Freedman's Bureau
in Texas reported one hundred and
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