Wichita eagle., 1888-08-02
THE SMALL SIDE.
Senator Pugh Submits the Minority Re
port in the Jackson Riots lnVes-
tiGatiOn.

WASHINGTON, Aug 1.-The minority re-
port of the senate judiciary committee on
the Jackson, Miss, political riot was SUD
mitted by Senator Pugh TO the senate to-
day. The minority says the hearings were
held with closed doors and in Washington
more than 900 miles from the locality of
the transaction. Hence the members of
the committee had no opportunity of ex-
amning the great mass of witnesses who
were on the ground. "How unsatisfactory
and misleading such course is says the
report. will be evident of those who care
fully examine the reported evidence" The
minority says that for many years there
existed in Jackson the best of feeling be-
tween the two races, and that before Janu-
airy 1883, the colored voters of Jackson had
uniformly voted and their votes had been
counted. The report describes the local
option contest Of 1886, the killing of Editor
Gambrell and the consequent excitement
and bitter feeling which followed. Affairs
were in this condition when the events of
December "a occurred. Edward Eugene
Baldwin, lawyer of intelligence, and, as
the minority asserts, the investig gator of this
investigation, is quoted as representing
that matters were riotous among the young
men on that day. Says the report: about
o'clock that night Willie Mitchell, with
some of his friends, encountered a des-
perate negro named Bob Whitesides, and
in the end both parties were killed. Upon
this the white league was formed having
for its sole object the finding of the police
man and others implicated and having
them punished. No proper measures were
taken by the officers to discover the
murderers. Thus matters stood
on Tuesday night when the
nominating convention was held
This meeting, though called Democratic,
was really a meeting of all parties. The
Republicans were on the committee on
resolutions and were actively participating
in the movement. More than one-half the
white Republicans in town were sympa-
thzers in the movement and actively par
ticipating in it. The proceeding of this
meeting were, in the language used
in the resolutions, and in some of the
expressions of the speakers Incorporate,
but there was nothing said or done which
looked to q suppression of the colored vote
or any vote at all The avowal of pur-
pose to elect the ticket nominated ought
not to be construed and was never meant
to be construed into threat that the col
ored vote or any other vote was to be inter
fered with. And it has no such legitimate
meaning. The minority quotes
Mayor McGill as saying to
ex-Congressman Barksdale, personal
friend, who advised that he withdraw from
the contest, that he was determined to as
certain the wishes of the white people of
the town or majority of them, that he
would try and learn that evening or the
next morning, and if majority of the
white voters of the town did not desire
him to be candidate he would not be-
The minority finds that McGill's inquiries
led him TO believe that he could be elected
by the white vote alone, so instead of
withdrawing "he determined to have the
negroes Withdraw ana leave him in the
field" McGilfs letter to General Henry,
proposing in the interest of q fair and
peaceable election, that the colored voters
voluntarily abstain from all participation
in the election. and not a single vote be
poled by that class, - is quoted, which prop
ositlon was rejected by the committee of
101 because it was ''impracticabie and con-
tanned stipulations which no one was an
tnorized to make This CONSPIRACY"
says the minority, "of MctIill and BALDWIN
TO eliminate the negro vote and to secure
the cooperation of the committee of 100 is
suggestive of the methods by which these
southern outrages are manufactured for
political purposes
The minority followed at great length
every detail of the occurrences under in
vestigation II declares that Baldwin
stands impeached as utterly unworthy of
credit. Ii finds the evidence against the
federal officers inculpatei by the majority
as unimportant, untr0stworty and illegal.
1t is not shown" the minority says.
that any one OF the federal officers in
eliminated by the committee did q
single illegal act or aided or ad-
vised in the doings of such" 1t
argues that the bitterness and strife
engendered by the prohibition contest,
trough iulled to slumber, were awakened
IN the rwinkling of an eye by the cruel
murder as tue people believed. of a young
white man by negro bully in the pres
ence of negro policeman, who instead of
preserving the peace and protecting human
life, aided and encouraged the
murder. The city government
was incapable of protecting life aud
property. Appalled, and stunned itself at
the crime and its consequences it stood
still in HELPLESS imbeclltty Then there