Daily Republican., 1883-11-24
The Bloody shirt lssue.


a charge of raising the bloody shirt
issue as political factor IN the ap-
p coaching campaign. The papers that
are so much opposed to a bloody
shirt issue should condemn the party
that gives the cause for raising it. Ii
there Is to be no more Of it the Southern
Bourbons should Immediately stop the
murder of either white or black Repub-
licans for opinion sake. Republican
papers can hardly be induced to keep
silence even for the sake of peace when
Republicans are shot dead in their
tracks simply for being Republicans
and working for that party as was the
case in Copiah County, Mississippi, at
the late election. A respectable white
man named Matthews saw proper to be
a Republican. He thought that the fact
that elections were held carried with
it the right of a man to choose for
himself the man he would vote for In
preference to another. He rightly i'm
agined that if everybody were to be of
one way of thinking there would be but
little use in holding elections at all in
fact elections would be but farce.
Mr.. Matthews had no doubt made HIM
self acquainted with the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution Of
the United States, which guaranteed to
every man the right of free thought,
free speech and free action and he no
doubt inferred from that declaration
that he had as good right to be Re.
publican as he had to be Democrat.
Being an intelligent man he had read
of the divi sion Of the people of the
prosperous North into political parties
and how they went to the elections and
voted for the men of their choice with.
out the fear Of molestation or being
shot in the back for doing 30 after the
Mississippi plan. Mr.. Matthews was
foolish enough to bel eve that be could
exercise the same privileges in MisSis'
sippi that he could in New York or
Pennsylvania and believing this he
promulgated his belief by organizing
the Republican party in Copiah Coun-
ty, tho same ~ the Democrats had or
ganized their party. This seems to
have been the extent Of his offending
He has not been charged with being
an aggressive, quarrelsome man like
Chalmers, but his sin consisted simply
in being a Republican and in doing
legitimate work for the party that he
believed to be right This, however,
was too much for the liberty loving
Dem ycrats. What, man in Hazel
hurst, Copiah County, Mississippi, to
set himself up az q Republican and to
act as leader Of his party Preposter-
GUS thought That can never be per.
mitted by the Democratic freemen Of
Copiah County. Something must be
done 10 silence this man. If something
Is OF done, the county may elect Re-
publicans to Office This cannot be
permitted. The liberty loving Demo
Gratis of Copiah County must be called
together and action must speedily be
taken. Copiah County must be kept
solid Mississippi must be kept solid.
The South must be- kept solid at all
hazards. Matthews must 90. Mr..
Matthews, for his zeal in the cause Of
Republcanism, was made chairman Of
the Republican Executive Committee
of Copiah County, and as the Republi'
cans had large majority in the county
there was prospect that they would
be permitted peaceabe election and a
victory to which they were entitled by
the force of a preponderance of votes
But they were not to be permitted to
peacefully score a victory. AS If by
preconcerted action the dogs of politi-
cal war were let loose and Immediately
seri Of outrages ensued..
Bands Of armed men rode about at
night, fired into houses and whipped
negroes, but were so COnsderate as not
to kill more than one as a warning Of
~ hhb WbNIi ioIl'" II luVy plUh w
vote on election day. An armed body
Of men on the day before the election
called upon Matthews and warned him
not to attempt to vo;e. This armed
body was headed by a man named
Wheeler, 3 peace officer Of the
County Matthews, however, did not
suppose that the blood thirsty devils
would dare molest him and in the exer-
else of his constitutional rights AZ a
citizen he went to the polls and voted
But he was watched, and JUST rs he
turned to walk quietly away Wheeler,
the officer, drew pistol and shot him
dead.
We have never read any account OF
the arrest of the murderer, but in place
we do read an account Of the calling
of Democratic mass meeting after the
shooting al which resolutions were
passed warning the relatives Of Mat.
thews that any attempt on their part to
avengs his death would place them
without the pale and protection Of
the law and would be considered com
mon enemies of society" The Ma =
thtwS family were also told to k ep
out of politlcs" under a plainly implied
penalty Of death. As Il characteristics
sequel 70 this cold blOohed murder
comes the following proclamation of
the Mayor Of Hazelhurst
HAZELHuRsT, November 9Th, 1SH3.--
Whereas, AS there has been for the past
few days more or less excitement, and
AS women and children haye become 80