The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-05-24
Situation at jackson.

i lHc GUY ana inc state are IN tlSSTaCe.
In answer to numerous enquiries,
we give below a plain, unvarnishcd
statement Of the situation, as we uu-
lcrstand it.
To understand affairs at the Cap
/ ital. it is necessary to remember that
/ it is the Capital; that it is political
| headquarters for the State; that every
successive administration leaves a
sediment of broken down, cast off pol
! iticianS, who have no business, and no
love of any business except politics;
that these men are hungry, and ex
pect to live off of the public.
At jackson there is large force of
such men. Democrats, Republicans,
Grecnbackers, Independents, whites,
| blackS-all sorts, and all agreeing ON
one thing, ie., Il living from the
public.
/ These various elements have ANAL
gamatcd, so that they have become
Il strong and dangerous power. In
many ways, persons not strictly of
their class are controlled by them,
/ through the social influences of the
official classes. through commercial
channels, and in some cases, through
fear of violence.
All this makes against the morality
and the peace of Jackson and the
State. And to fully appreciate the
| situation, il must be born i'll mind
/ that for il dozen years there has been
but one party in the State to amount
to anything. Every effort has been
to cover up the defects of that party.
/ The inevitable has resulted; this COM
bination at the Capital has controlled
State politics and perpetuated its
power by all the devices of politicians.
The penitentiary lease has been a
large factor in city and State politics
| by advantageous sub-lcases by which
many men about the Capital were
benefited and thus bound to the man
from whom their profits came. Mer-
chants in the city became subservient
to the lessee for the large trade of the
pcnitentiary. The guards and other
employees were workers in city pol
tiles, and naturally these elements
blended with the corrupt saloon ele-
ment. THIS made IL strong force, and
under its leader, it is solidly compact
ed together.
For many years there was no eX-
pOsure of these evils, no attacks made
on them. There were many good
people who deplored them, but felt
! helpless. There were others of whom
we might have expected better things,
who went with the multitude to do
evil because it paved. OF course,
year after year, matters grew worse.
Success rendered evil-doers bold and
arrogant. Rebellion against the oil
Garchy was quickly quelled. 1t came
to be understood that To antagonize
the coalition was to take ones life in
his hands, and, in this, the popular
judgment was not at fault,
One Of the evil results of the con-
tinuance of such state of things
the greatest evil-was the gradual
forming Of the public mind to a low
standard of morality and pubic pro-
bity. Boys grew up to see drunkardS,
whorcmongerS, defaulterS, tricksters,
dcadbeatS. honOred with office, and,
if they were successful, could make
show and We're free handed, even
with other peoples money, the most
elegant parlors in the city open to
them. The effect of all this is easy to
understand,
At last the issue was Joined with
these evils and their abettors. Young
men threw themselves into the fight
for the right. They struck with the
VIM, dash and imprudence of vigOr-
Gus, dauntless young manhood, con-
frOnted by evils which they had been
taught 10 dcspise. They had truth
and ineXperience on their side. There
was on the other side the cool DELHI
Grafton of age, and the desperation of
ruin, if the truth should be known.
First, one of that group of young men
fell atnight on the fatal bridge. With
in year, lacking days, another fell
as he walked alone to his office. These
boys fell fighting battle that ought
never to have been left tor them in
their youth to fight. JaeksOn's older
papers and older citizens ought to
have corrected the evils. There has
been much of criminal subserviency
on the part of men who ought to have
shown themselves different sort of
men,
The ovation given Col. Hamilton,
the central figure i'll the ring, as tele-
graphed abroad, has deepened the
public disgust for our State Capital.
Many have said that they never wish
ed to walk the streets of city so I'M
mindful of all that elevates society
and dignifies public station.
1t is due to Il large class of the cit
liens of jackson to say that they
were not represented in the motley
thrOng that drew the chief of the ring
along the streets with wild shouts,
even on the bridge, the scene of his
dreadful crime. We have been on the
ground and learned the facts. That
ovation was rendered by the classes
described above, with some relations
and lawyers. The mayor who was
so conspicuous, had been Hamilton's