Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-02-05
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 8. 1899
A shameful Suggestion.


Tbe attempt Of certain Republican jour
mails TO make party capital ont OF The murder
Of Mr.. CLAYTON, OF Arkansas, Is discredit.
able TO human uaure. II 10, TO borrow from
Mr.. Toonps, enough TO exhaust the indigns.
ton OF the southern people. And the most
outrageous article We have seen on the sub
iecf comes from MusAr HALsrEAp. or at any
rate from his paper. which but few weeks
aro made such professions OF desire to see
the North and the South living together IN
peace ~ misled Q good many persons into
tbe belief thst he had forsworn the waving
of the bloody flag Of sertionalism. To con-
meet the name OF Hon. CLIFTON X. BhEcKIN'
RIDGE 10 any manner with the ASSASSINATION
az Mr., CLAYTON Is an outrage upon the
southern people aud an unspesksbie wrong
10 Mr.. BKEcxlxmpoE. Nav. even the Repub-
lican party OF the South ought to enter Its
solemn protest against this sbsmeiul attack
upon the decencies OF society. Read what
Mr.. HALsrxAD says:
"There seems To be need Of q new rule Tor
the House OF Representatives, reading some
thing like this: sContested-el election cases
shall NOT DO settled by assassnatiop.' III
killing contestants is to be added to the
list OF industries 10 the new South the
fact cannot DO known too soon. The as
sassinatiou OF Mr.. Clayton II the second oil
the kind within n few vears In that state.
MIR. Hines, q Republican member OF the Ma
tionsl House Of Representatives, was killed by
being shot from ambush by unknown Demo-
crsss. The shooting this 4ime was to save a
seat TO the Democrats. The result should
be it, loss. A vote thus tainted, a. that OF
Mr.. Breckinridge would be. should not be
SLOWED 10 the organization OF the pext
House OF Representatives. The Republi'
can majority will be sustained by the coun-
try. and we have no doubt by lsrse part
OF the southern country, In drawing the
line at assassination In approving Its list OF
membership"
This Infamous attack upon the southern
people takes us back more than twenty
yssrs-to the time when the act OF a mad
man In numbering Mr.. LINCOLN was
charged upon the leaders OF the "rebellion,"
the most heightened men In the land.
The suggestion thai Mr. BRECKENRIDGE
oughtto be unsested because bis competitor
for the honor OF being elected 10 Congress
was slain by an assassin Ia unworthy any man
having the ordinary feelings Of mankind.
To adopt that suggestion would be TO offer
premium for murder. 1t would be indeed
o summary method OF settling contested
elections, II It may be assumed that 10 the
southern States the people are so barbarous
~ that they would kill a man In order to keep
him out Of Congress, or because he had beefs
elected to Congress-, or because be was m
the way OF somebody else who wanted to be
elected TO Congress.
why not turn out all OF the congressman
representing Chicago, Cincinnati, and other
northern cities. where there have been ten
murders committed for every one con-
mltted In Arkansas or any other southern
states
We published last week a telegram from
Kansas telling that q riot had just taken
place 10 Wichita. In which the whole district
look part. Several men who had been shot
were expected to die. In this riot "the
whole district took part" and the question
IN dispute was ~ 10 the location OF q
tchool-house. Shall the successful town be
burnedf
But We will not argue such proposition.
Mr.. HALsrRAD deserves to be clsssed with
Beast BUTLER as hostis humani generis,