The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-02-17
The AeDr1a LlEtsIk j. slper1te At
tempt tc 1rhlluft rlure Opinion for
tae Defeated Republican Candidate.

me 1sson1 nizt:|k i sipsrats At
Tempt tc Manufactures Opinion foi
tie Defeated Republican Candidate
IF any candidate was ever fairly elect
! ed TO an office, that candidate was Col
]. Van II. Manning to Congress from tn
r I'd Mississippi District. Pursuant to &
: system of wholesale contesting all alons
the line in the Southern States, hi
/ competitor relying upon partizan sup
: port has undertaken to deprive him o
q his seat, and worse than all, the people
: of the I'd District of their righful Rep
resentative. To help on this move
: ment, numerous false reports have been
: circulated. For instance it is stated by
Washington writers for the Northern
Republican press that Capt. Buchanan
, witnesses are invariably tempered with
/ by Democrats, who sometimes form
, themselves into mobs at places where
he is advertised to take testimony and
drive them away altogether" In proof
of the utter falsity of this charge, we
would cite the following conclusive
statement by Mr. j. E. Ballard, the
Commissioners elected by the contestant,
(Mr. Buchanan himself:
HOLLY SPRINGS, Feb 9Th, 1881.
Mr.. E. NJ. Watson
i DEAR SIR-In reply to your inquiry /
take pleasure in stating that as the COM
missioner chosen by Capt. Geo. NJ. Buchan-
an TO take his testimony in the matter of his
contest with Col. Van II. Manning for a
seat in the 47th u. 5. Congress, | have been
present and officiated at the taking of all
his testimony, except probably the testi
mony OF three or four witnesses, and have
observed the uniform kindness and courtesy
that has been extended to him by all citi-
zens of every political faith No more ex-
citement has been awakened by taking this
testimony than ordinarily attends the tax
| ing of testimony in a common civil suit
/ pending before one of our State Courts.
! There has been no mob, nor the slightest
appearance of or approach to a mob or I'M
friendly demonstration anywhere. No
witness summoned by him has been run off
or induced to stay away by any means so far
as | have heard. There has not been the
slightest tampering with any of his witness
es so far as l know or have reason to believe,
nor has any influence been brought to bear
upon them for the purpose of changing the
testimony or inducing them to speak any
thing but the truth. The witnesses have
spoken freely, and their examination has
generally been conducted in the presence of
no other Democrats that Col. Mannng's
attorneys. Never more than half dozen
Democrats have been present. / feel sure
that Capt. Buchanan has not authorized the
statements have seen in print, contradict
ing the foregoing, for ! am convinced that
he, as well as myself, appreciates the fair
and courteous treatment received at the
hands of every Democrat with whom we
have come in contract in our long and tedi-
GUS round which closes with this day.
Very truly,
j. f. BALLARD, Commissioner.
In addition to the foregoing, Z. NJ |
Watson, Esq, of counsel for Mr..
Manning, and who stands second to no
other member of the Mississippi bar
for ability, truth and courage, has
authorized the Holly Springs South to
say that the telegram, imputing bull
doing and violence to witnesses sum-
moned in behalf of Mr.. Buchanan, are
''lies put out for an infamous and
partisan purpose, that no witnesses have
been tempered with by Democrats,
that no 'mobs at places where he |
buchanan was advertised to take
testimony have assembled or been
known, heard or thought OF, and that
none had by any means been driven
away" or attempted to be driven away.
Mr.. Watson states that everywhere,
throughout all the examinations and
places visited, the utmost courtesy has
been shown by Democrats, places and
facilities at all times being offered and
provided by them for the investigations
throughout the ID District"
The partisans who are scheming to
opinion in behalf of the
contestant are publishing with loud dis
play, the fact that persons who were
indicted for violating the election laws
have declined to contest their cases and
submitted to be fined. Everybody in
knows that these prosecu-
lions were instituted to get up testi-
mony for the defeated Republican
in the first place and that
in the second place, they preferred
paying moderate fine, as a measure of
than to bear the expense of
trial
Col Manning is entitled to the seat. .
His majority was large and it was I
fair and honest expression of the will
Of the people of his District, and we ,
have no fear that the desperate effort
which is made to deprive him of it will !
result in anything but a handsome !
appropriation for Capt. Buchanan, from :
he United States Treasury, at the end :
If the contest.
The San Francisco Examiner says !.
hat Stanley Matthews, of Ohio, the
asst nomination of Hayes for the United