The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-02-28
"I,awlessness, and Where the
Responsibility Lies"
- Old FOCStiI.

An anonymous correspondent IN last
weeks Clarion Ledger, sailing under
the felicitously happy nom de plume Of
old Foggy", INDUCES in silly and
impotent TRADE against that great and
progressive newspaper, the Memphi:
Appeal, over the shoulders of tho
LEADER, because the Appeal copies
with its editorial endorsement oul
article of the 9TH INST, headed, claw
lessuess,apd Where the Responsibility
hies." The Appeal being amply able,
ON all occasions, to take care of it.
self, we will simply say for the infor-
nation of those who do not enjoy the
privilege of reading it, that it is one
of the ablest, Invest, fairest and best
newspapers in all the South, and hav
ing a larger circulation in Mississippi
than any paper published in the
State, has right to speak on Missis-
sippi affairs, and is doing more for the
true interests of the State than all the
ring papers and their correspondents
combined.
AS will be remembered, in the
LEADERS, article which furnished "Old
Smoky"-or rather, cold Foggy"-
with his text, we made four distinct
allegations, substantially rs follows:
1) that lawlessness in Mississippi, es-
pecially homicides, is fearfully on the
increase, and human life cheaper than
ever before in the history of the State;
(2) that one cause of this is our faulty
jury system; (3) another the outra-
geous abuse of the pardoning power,
whereby criminals escape after all
the expense and difficulty of convic
ton; and (4) lastly, that responsibility
for the pardoning power, rests large
" on the shoulders of influential and
reputable citizens who are too ready
to petition the Governor for pardons,
thus furnishing him plausible excuse
for defeating the ends of justice.
Some of our readers, among them
one of the most sensible lawyers in
South Mississippi, paid us the compli-
ment of saying it was one of the
ablest and most timely articles which
ever appeared in the LEADERS col
umns. But not so with "Old Misty
we beg pardon, cold Foggy". He
says:
at is well-known to the people OF
Mississippi that the BRooKHAvEN
LEADER is not in very extensive favor
with the State administration, and
that it never permits an opportunity
to pass to whack the pate of our Chief
Executive; and if the opportunity
does nOt'present itself at least once a
week, the LEADER begins to hustle
about for some excuse to make an
attack
Ave. there's the rub! "The LEADER
IS not in rery ertemsire .tarOr with thu
State administration" That is to say
TO be in fdror covers a multitude Of
sins (and much erookedness) as the
people have ample reason to know
This is dead give away, and shows
that "Old Smoky" with all of hi'
combined age and wisdom, is not able
to conceal his ears.
OF the latter part of the above par
agraph, it is sufficient to say tha
honors are at least even on that score
If the opportunity doesn't presen
itself at least once week for some
of the GOvernors's satellites to say
something justly in his praise, they arr
sure to 'hustle about" and hunt III
some pretext for piling on the taffy.
cold Smoky" further makes on
this terrible indictment against thu
LEADERS, article
"Of all the Outrages that have beer
laid at the door of Mississippi, of al
the mean things that have been salt
about us, have seen nothing, no
even in the. Gobe- Democrat or Inter
ocean, that is calculated to do NOR
injury to the State of Mississippi"
After making this mighty observa
ton, with such vast soTemnity, on
would naturally expect "Old Smoky
10 offer some argument. or proof 4
show that what the LEADER said wa
untrue, but all who looked for such
thing looked in vain. His whole TRAD
isA string of brazen-faced assertions
without u scintilla of proof or argu
ment eOntrOverting anything w
stated, and the only thing that hint
at an argument is the inference that
II all we asserted were true, tn
truth ought to he concealed, hi'
under 4 bushel, for fear the North
ern politicians and newspaper
might make capital out of it.
At the risk of making this articl
400 lengthy, We want to say in al
seriousness, that it is time for Missis
sippians to cease paying heed to wha
Northern, politicians say about us
when We have evils to correct a
home. Chandler, Sherman, Ingalls,
ihe Tribune, Globe-Demoerat, Inter
Ocean and other bloody shirt politi
llama aud uonara will ,.avar eaao