The Brookhaven leader., 1889-01-10
Counties.

And agree with you that there was at the
time said census was taken white majority
OF 5Si voters in the District; and further
agree with you, that there WAS, and is no ex-
cuse for fraud and the suppression Of the
negro vote to maintain white supremacy and
civilization in this District. But deny that
said figures exhibit the true voting population
of said counties as ii existed on the eth day
of November. 1858. or that they furnish any
data from which any trustworthy estimate
can be made to determine fraud In elections.
l charge that since said census was taken
there has been n regular and continuous flow
OF the colored population from the hill coun-
ties (and those comprising this District are
SUCH, increasing in volume as succeeding
years of cotton culture impoverished the up
lands, the meanwhile tho white population in
crcas ng, until there is to-day, and was on the
9th day of November last, q clear white ma
jorty in this Congressional District of not
less than ZOO voters.
In the year lo72 the territory of which this
District is comprised may have given Grant
2579 ma torty over Greeley, and in the year
1879 it may have given u majority of 1872 votes
in favor of Ames over Alcorn for Governor,
as charged by you, but deny that this signi-
tes anyth ng, because neither Greeley nor
Acorn were Democrats, nor were they. polit-
of Democrats in Mississippi than were Grant
and Ames.
So far from being true that this District was
Republican and made Democratic in 1875 and
1876 by the shotgun" policy. as char ed by
you, assert the truth to be that it was Demo
cratic then-has been Democratic ever since
and is more decisively Democratic to-day than
ever before. 1t is not true, as charged by
you, that Amackcr, a Greenbacker, carried
the vote of the District in 1878, but was
counted out for Col. Manning; nor Is IL true
that Manning was counted in again in 1880:
nor that men were convicted, or pleaded
guilty, i'll the United States Court for count
ing him in; nor is it true that Judge Hill de-
livered charge TO the grand jury wherein he
threatened Democrats, or that democrats
were alarmed at any charge he ever gave.
The "oasis' in the desert of your political
life socms to be tho election of 1882 To this
your mind continually recurs and fingers
upon It's minutest details, with ever-increas-
ing pleasure. When Tate county, through in
advertence, certified that the l472 votes in
that county, which were in truth cast for you,
had been cast for }. X. ChGmbiSs instead of
j. X, Chalmers, and the Secretary of State in
the count gave them to Chambliss, leaving
the plurality for Manning Governor Acorn
1t is said, in expressing his pity tor you. re-
maraed. that he did not blame you for your
tears! that you presented the pitiable aspect of
having thrice been counted in to seats in Con
gress, to which you hadsnot been elected, and
had been counted out the only time you had
ever been elected in your whole life!" Under
the circumstances we WILL of course, permit
you all the comfort you can derive from the
statement that your majority was 1850 (which
was $780, and that IL was the fairest election
that had reen held In the District since 1873"
and was fair in every county except DeSoto."
1t is true that / was nominated by the DEM
ocrats in 1881, rs stated by you, and that
have, as the nominee of the Democratic
party, defeated you in three successive cleo
tions; but it is not true that have been three
times counted in, as charged by you.
And aver that these charges are not only
not true, but that you do not even believe
them yourself, and never did believe them
for you had the ampiest opportunity afforded
you for the fullest investigation, at the ex-
pense of the national government and you
declined to avail yourself of it. Having
served your notices on me that you would
contest my right TO seats in the Forty ninth
and Fiftieth Congresses, and made flourish of
them in the newspapers. you never took the
testimony of
SINGLE WITNESS
in either case. Having failed in these two
contests to find q single pitness to sustain your
charges we now find that you have fallen back
on the "old cdfpetbdgger Plan" of searching
the census" for color from which to supply
the wanting testimony. On this line you now
proceed thus: 1.-The grossness of the fraud by
which you have been counted in this time is
clearly seen by comparison of the vote of
Col Manning in 1882. when, with the exception
of DeSoto, the vote was fair, to-wit:
lss, 1888
Manning S9i5 Morgan 13,97s
Chalmers .10,O07 Chalmers ......... 5,sl7
Carter. 49,. I3l witherspoon.. I07
Total. .l9.ll3 Total. ....... .1a.sGs
This vote, as shown by the Official certificate
of Secretary Myers. used by you in the
Chalmers VS. Manning contest, to be found on
page 0, and which is correct, Is as follows. to-
wit: 49,
Manning. ,.1S
Chalmers. ...--.....-..... s..ss
Carter ...-..................- ~
Scatterln8-.. ........ 1880. ...........
IOtAl ...... -.-'''..' :. .s'r'&esoeV
"Brom this it will be seen that while the
total vote increased only 75s votes your pre-
tended majority is sisl, or nearly as much as
snI xUa a m