The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-07-08

most corrupt, mshoneSt anu odnSerous pS-
itical organization that ever lorded it over
free people. trampling their rights under
DOT, and robbing them day by day of their !
,ard earnings If this be an offense in the
ives of the present administration, then / I
an but plead guilty.
Much has been said about the "Copiah
-ounty Resolutions as they are called.
md their authorship is charged as ZONE of
he counts in the Indictment preferred
against me. This count is not true, for
lid not know of their existence five minutes |
before they were read at the mass meeting
that assembled at the courthouse the day
after the election. On that day, i, with
others. went up into the courtroom, seeing
that crowd was gathered there When l
arrived found between 600 and 700 citi-
zens assembled; and that assembly was
of as many good, peaceable, law
abiding, honest and intelligent men as
could be found in the same number in any
county in the Union, gathered together pro-
miscuously as they were without previous
notice or selection. The meeting was
called to order, and was requested, as any
other citizen might have been, to preside.
1 did preside, and the resolutions were read
and adopted.
From the beginning of the campaign. in
fact during every campaign for years past,
Matthews had said he expected to be killed,
but said he had arranged his affairs so as to
leave money enough to his men to kill lead
ing Democrats to avenge his death. He /
also said he was going to train his boys to
follow in the wake of Jesse James. (See
Judges Wharton and Cooper's testimony
before investigating Senatorial committee |
in New Orleans, February, 1884, These |
maledictions had called forth counter |
~ Nf,&
thews was killed, and the air was full of |
rumors of all sorts, the people were excited, |
uneasy and nervous, and it was feared that
the most reckless of both sides would pre-
cipitate general conflict and bring on
additional troubles. In this state of wild
excitement it was thought best to pass the
resolutions assuring the Matthews family
and their friends of full protection so long
as they made no effort to carry out the vio-
lent threats that had come from their. side,
and for the further purpose of condemning
in advance and thereby preventing any
violence to the Matthews and their friends
by any one on our side who might feel dis
posed to take advantage of the situation to
avenge some private wrong, or vent per-
sonal spite. For these reasons the much
abused resolutions were passed, and they
certainly have had the desired effect, for
peace and quiet have had an unbroken
reign since their passage. 1t seems strange
that the action of this meeting. should fall
upon my shoulders alone, and l only be
| held responsible for what was done. Still,
it is not my purpose to apologize for the
part took in the meeting, or to evade my
| part of the responsibility therefor, for
though the Republican press of the North,
and few thumb-paper sheets of this State
have denounced the resolutions, am still
of the opinion that, under the then existing
state of affairs here, they or some other
such resolutions ought to have been adopt
ed by the people.
| 1t is also charged that led mob into
Hazlehurst the day before the election, and
| that | warned the Matthews to leave town.
| This charge is as false as the one charging
me with killing Matthews. The facts are
these: On Monday, the day before the cleo
ton, a crowd of seventy-fve or a hundred
men came in from the country to attend a
political meeting at which Major Banks
dale then candidate for Congress, was to
speak. Before they arrived it was rumored
that an armed crowd was coming in TO do
| Matthews and his family some harm. He
heard the rumors and became alarmed,
and expressed his fears to the city marshal
more than once, who assured him that he
nor his family were in any danger. He
said he would rather see me about it, and
at the request of the marshal l went to his
store and assured him that his apprehen-
sions were unfounded. He said he felt I'M
easy for his family, and l then told him
that if any of that crowd undertook to
modest his family, would go home with
him and help defend them. / then pledged
him my word that not a single gun should
be fired by that crowd on the east side oil
| Al. L. Il Il
Matthews live.) He thanked me and We
town | rode out and met them, told then
of Matthews fears and my pledge, anC
they promised me not to violate the pledg,
/ had made in their name. This promis,
they kept. When they came into town
rode ahead of the brass band that haC
, gone out to meet them. As to the warnin,
of Matthews not to vote, had no more t,
do with it than Mr.. Cleveland himself, anC
did not even know of it until after it wa
, written.
.. These, | believe, include all the charge
made against me, at least all that | hav
!. seen but which one of them influence,
Mr.. Cleveland, or whether all had thei
, effect, or whether he has seen some nev
: ones, / am unable to state, for he has KEEP
me in utter ignorance of "the reasons tina
anect the pubic welfare.
, The action of the President does no
: meet the approval of the people in thi
section, the only persons who had RICH
: to be heard in the matter but l suppos
! he cared little what they thought of il
since it meets the Endorsement of hi
Northern Republican allies. The followin
! shows that the latter class does commen
! his course, though what the negroes of Bos
: ton, Mass, have to do with the Hazehurs
! Miss, postoffice is beyond all understand
ing. This dispatch to the New York SUI
speaks for itself:
THANKS To President CLEVELAND
BosToN, June "A colored political clu
in the eleventh ward of this city ha
adopted resolutions thanking Presiden
, Cleveland for Withholding the commission
I eli j. L. Meade. who was, the resolution
states, "the head and front of the outrage
, committed on our race in Copiah county
These resolutions will be sent to the Pres
ident with the assurance that the organiza
ton will use every effort to support his ad
ministration. and the significance Of thi
is apparent from the fact that the presden
of the club, Mr.. Holyer, has long beer
quite prominent leader among the Re
publicans of this city.
The above is the statement of the cas-
with as much detail as l can give in a sin
gle article, and feel sure that an unbias
ed public will see that injustice has beer
dene me in this matter by the President, wbt
seems to have acted solely upon newspaper
rumors. And while upon the subject O
newspaper rumors it strikes me that Mr.
Cleveland ought to. be the last man to con
denim another upon charges derived from
such a source, for if that rule had beer
! invoked against him, and the American
people had listened to the newspaper
, rumors that Were afoat while he was can
didate for the Presidency. he would never
! have had the authority to either sign or re
, woke my commission postmaster.
This action of the President seems to be
but a part of the programme be has laid
out for his guidance, and if he continues az
he has begun, the future historian who un-
dertakes to write up this Democratic ad.
ministration will, l fear, often find him.
self in quandary, for the course of the
} administration will not at all harmonic
| with Is title, und the unfortunate writer
! viii be compelled to resort to the strategy
, of an amateur artist who once drew the
, picture of horse and wrote under it
: This is a horse" for upon every page Of
} his volume he will find it necessary to
stamp these words: "This was a Demo
cratic administration" Respectfully,
j. l.. MEADE.