The Brookhaven leader., 1884-02-28
Some Democratic Press Com
mrnts en- the CorIsh lnvesti-
gation.
The OUTRAGE MILLS.

Two Of these establishments have
been in operation for about a week,
the one at Washington, the other at
New Orleans. The one st New Or
leans, over which Hoar presides,
VIC are most interested in, and its
work has reference altogether IN an
incident of the last election in this
State.
AZ is known this sub committee at
New Orleans is engaged in investi
eating the Print Matthews killing
in Copiah county. They have sum
moned before them a number of wit
nesses, all Of whom have given an
abundance of testimony. AS what
they have related proves pretty con
clusivelv that Matthews was killed
on account of his politics, it all
forms excellent campaign material
Tor the Republican party. There is
no mistake ABOUT it, this Copiah
affair is = good thing for the Repub-
licans, and they are making the most
of it. The more it is investigated
the worse it seems to be, and if Hoar
and his Republican colleagues do not
succeed in working it up into form
in which it will appear as available
and useful party literature this year
we are much mistaken in the men.
Just after it occurred we took oc
CASTOR to denouuce it. When after
wards it was endorsed bv a public
m, citing of citizens OF Copiah, we
stated that 1t was thereby made
incumbent on the white people of the
S ate to repudiate it as an act Of law
lessness which they reprobated, in
which they had no hand, and fol
which they were not responsible
The more enlightened public senti.
meut Of the State took this view, and
we were enabled to give the as
surance that in no part of the coun
try was the killing of Print Matthews
and the course OF the Copiah peopl,
in reference to the affair more sin
cerely and deeply regretted and de
plored than in Mississippi.
The event and what followed it In
volved only locality. The Demo
cratic party Of this State had NJ
hand in the bloody scene that occur
red in Copiah on that election day
nor in the events which followed il
and which were designed to justif,
it. This was the point we made, ant
IF THE PRESS OF THE STATE, with ont
accord, had taken the same lew anC
urgued it. this outrage committee
wOnld probably never have been or
ganized in face of pronounced pub
lie sentiment in vindication Of Law
and order; its work we would now
have M cause to look upon with ap
prehension.
As it ia, in despite of the fact tina
some Of the newspapers of the State
under the mistaken idea that de
fence of violence ut an election is thu
best test of fidelity to the Democratic
party-apolooized for the crime that
has heen committed, instead of de
nouncing it, the white people of Mis-
sissippi in their hearts condemned it.
They regarded it, and still regard il
as an outrage on the parties made tC
suffer and as =. decd bringing unjust
reproach upon themselves. II is
this fact upon which we re- v tC
counteract and destroy mnlign in
fluences of the work in the interest
Of the Republican party which this
sub Committee at New Orleans are
engaged upop.-Colum6uS index.
The hoody-shirt ia still grinding out Tho
Copiah case. The sherman committee hole
their sessions at the cusiomhouse n New
Orleans. The Matthews frierds have beer
before them and testified. The case is bat
enough, but is a State. or any other people
than those wild men of the mob TO be helC
responsible for their ctions?'-Clarion.
1t is we'll enough for the Clarion tc
deny the responsibility of the State
for the action Of the few individuals
in Copiah county, which with al
allowances made for the exaggerated
testimony of some of the witnesses
is, as that paper says, bad enough. "
But the people OF other States will
hold the State responsible for the
bad acts of these men, as they will
hold it responsible for the barharity
of some of the sub-lessees Of the
penitentiary and county convicts
The State will have to bear The
blame because the laws of the State
have not punished the crimes com
mitted by its citizens. Proper in
vcs'igation by the constituted au
thoi tiles of the State would obviate
any excuse for investigation by
hostile members Of Republican
senate.-Natchez Democrat