The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-08-19

promptly interpreted by the late rebels
he was sent to govern as withdrawal
of military supervision over the civil
authorities they had themselves set
up. In that order he said: The
General commanding is gratifed to
learn that peace and quiet reign in
this department" He had in fact
learned nothing Of the sort. He as
sumed a state of affairs which did not
exist as an excuse for reversing the
policy Of General Sheridan and put
ting in force the policy Of Andrew
johnson.
Let us inquire what sort Of "peace
and quiet" reigned in the With Dis
trict. An abundance Of testimony on
this point is furnished by the investi-
cations Of Congressional Committees,
the reports of the officers of the
Freedmen's Bureau, and those of
General Hancock's own subordinates.
We will pass this evidence by for the
present, and go to another source for
information. In 1868 a convention
was held in Texas under the authority
Of the Reconstruction Acts, to form
new Constitution. 1t appointed
special committee to investigate the
lawlessness and violence prevailing in
the State. The Committee reported
on June 80, about seven months after
Hancock issued his order. Included
in their report were the following
statistics Of murders committed in
Texas from the end of the war in
1865 to June 80, 1868: Killed in 1865,
80 whites, 50 freedmen; total, II.
Killed in 1866, 20 whites, y freed
men; total, 142. Killed in 1867, 166
whites, 165 freedmen; total. 331.
Killed during the first six months of
1868, III whites, 165 freedmen; total,
304. Killed, year unknown, "a whites,
81 freedmen; total Is. Killed of un-
known race, 40 Grand total, 939.
OF these 939 homicides, the Commit
tee found that 833 We're committed by
whites, So by freedmen and As by per-
sons Of unknown race. White men
killed 460 whites and 373 freedmen.
Freedmen killed 10 whites and As of
their own race.
Commenting upon the remarkable
increase in the number Of murders
during the first six months. of 1868,
the Committee traced the cause di-
rectly to General Hancock's new pol
icy. During the three months before
he took command, the administration
of Governor Pease, sustained by Gen
eral Sheridan, had reduced the num-
Der Of homicides to 9 per month. In
the first month after Hancock issued
his order 80 murders were reported by
the Freedmen's Bureau. Fuller re-
ports," said the Committee, "show
that since the policy of General Han
cock war inaugurated, sustained as it
is by President Johnson, the homi-
cides in Texas have averaged So per
and for the last five months
they have averaged 60 per month. 1t
is for the commander of the Fifth
District to answer to the
public for at least two-thirds of the
$50 or more homicides committed in
Texas since the first Of December,
1867"
The practice of numbering white
and colored Republicans hourished in
Texas until General Hancock's rule
came to an end and the State passed |
into the hands of the Republican Gov
ernment, at the head of which was
Governor E. J. Davis. The energetic
Davis adopted greatly di-
minished the number of homicides.
Even the Texas Democrats acknowl-
edge that there was less lawlessness in
5he State under his administration
han at any time before or since dur
ng the past fifteen years.
OF course General Hancock had no
sympathy with murder in Texas. He
assumed that peace and quiet pre-
vailed there, because Andrew Johnson
md the Democratic party wanted him
to so assume as an excuse for putting
their let-alone policy in operation.
Matters were bad enough in the Fifth |
District before he took command.
Even the.s stern measures of General |
Sheridan could not keep the spirit of |
the beaten rebellion from manifesting
itself in the murder Of freedmen and
IF white Republicans. A wholesome
fear Of the military authorities tended |
to limit the number Of homicides,
however; but the murderers had no
Of civil courts composed |
IF Judges and iuries who sympathized |
with them, and when Hancock gave !
notice that the military authority was
to the civil power, car
lival of killing began.