Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-21
~ rlorida-Federal outrages.

a. Florida-Federal Outrages-
Unwilling Of Federal MARSHALL flori-
da is a deplorable fact-one nevertheless
which II Is difficult to write about without
saving too much; for it is only the south
ern people who are likely 20 suffer any
wrongs or Inconvenience as O result OF
that homicide. The killing of Dir. LINCOLN
was the greatest wrong that could at the
time have been committed upon the peo-
pie of this section. We Of the South are
never benefited by such crimes. 1t IS the
northern Republicans of the CHANDLER
stripe who fatten upon every oct of
Injustice that is done in the States which
formed the late Southern Confederacy. II
IL we're allowable 10 fix such crimes upon
the benehciaries thereof. QUAY, CHANDLER,
and the rest OF the malignant Republicans,
North and South. would have TO pay the
penalty Of those crimes. BY the way. what
Q dtcreditable fact it is that there should
be southern-born men engaged in this I'M
holy war upon their brethren. II the
charges preferred against the best people
in this section were true instead OF false
IL would still i'll become any true southron
TO join hand in hand with the enemies Of
his native State and section.
We said yesterday that if a Federal mar
shall had been killed in Florida it must be
recollected that in Florida Federal iuries
had been packed with Republicans in or
der to insure the conviction and punish
ment of Democrats charged with crimes
against the elective franchise. This of
course was no excuse for committing homi-
eide; but when an uncultivated man is
threatened with fines and imprisonment
and his wife and children with starvation
he is not apt to look of both sides of the
question. His judgment is gone. He sees
only the irreparable wrong that is about to
be perpotrated upon him.
Perhaps the reader has forgotten the
jury-pscking to which we have just al
mded. We gave some time ago a short
history OF the affair. The New York World
has since given the details. But the letter
which we shall presently quote is long
enough and explicit enough to convince
every reader of it that the crime of the
Floridians who shot United States mar
shall had been preceded by criminal Of
fence perpetrated by Federal marshal.
Mind. we do not by any means claim that
the homicide was justified by the provoca-
tion. We do not even know thatthere was
any connection between the two crimes.
But we do hold that it is shameful out
rage upon the people of Florida TO charge
upon them the crime of an individual man
and set the whole machinery of the Fede-
raj Government to work to humiliate all
Che people of that State and of the South.
What is known as the THURMAN law T"
was passed by Congress in order to secure
impartial Federal jurors. In this cit,
Colonel III. CoAITER CABELL and Mr.. PLEA
SAINTS were the first appointees under that
law. In Florida men of the same sort
ought TO have been appointed-th is. one
good and true man from each party. Last
year, in Florida J. o. FARNELL, who had
never been considered q Democrat at all,
was appointed as q Democrat. The first
grand jury empanelled under the new
regime consisted. says the World, of twenty
two Republicans to only one Democrat,
and on the first petit jury the ratio of Re-
publicans TO Democrats was nearly the
same.
Now we republish the letter of the Uni
ted States Marshal. 1t is as follows:
OFFICE OF J. X. MIzELL,
UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOR NORTH
ERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, July 8. 1880.
o. @. KTk. Esq. DeLand, Florida;
Sir,-You will at once confer with Mr..
Brilby and make out O list of fifty or sixty
names of true and tried Republicans from
your county registratlon-list for jurors
United States Court and forward same to
Hon. L. Walter, clerk United States Court,
and il is necessary TO have them at once,
az you can see. Please acknowledge this.
am, yours truly, JOHN II. MIzKLL,
United States Marshal.
Please get the names of the parties as
near steamboat and railroad stations as
possible.
The date Of the letter shows that this is
not new outragein Florida. And when we
add that President HARRISON appointed q
new Federal Judge there less than year
ago, and that this judge seems to be no
better than the marshal who penned the
letter above quoted, the reader will under
stand that unspeakable wrongs and out
RACES had been committed upon the poor
suffering people of Florida long before the
homicide was committed about which the
Republican malignants are making just
now such TODD.