Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-05-30
RVRKITT,S BLAST.


well and justly said. Though we had
not expected Capt. Burkitt would oc-
cupy any equivocal position on the
subject of White Capism, it is eSpeci-
ally gratifying on account of the large
influence he yields, to hear him con
demning this form of lawlessness III
such strong and emphatic terms, while
at the same time denouncingin equally
strong language the political crimes III
Mississippi which preceded and led up
to White Capism.
But while Capt. Burkitt commends
Judge Chrisman for repulsing the mob
and maintaining the majesty of the
law. he does him an injustice i'll ascrib-
ing to him the sentiments he does. FIX
actly what Judge Chrisman Is made to
say in the particular "interview refer
red to by the Messenger we do not
know. During the height of the White
Cap excitement here the writer over
heard two New Orleans reporters
gravely discussing the feasibility of
writing up an "interview" with the
Judge without even seeing him at all.
1t may have been some such produc-
ton as that which drew forth Bro.
Burkitt's criticism. One thing Is GER
tain. the editor of THE LEADER knows
personally that Judge Chrisman enter
tains no such sentiments or purpose as
that attributed to him by the Messen-
ger. There would be some very awk-
ward facts against him, if he did,which
he is too intelligent and just not to
recognize.
Learning that some of the small-fry
local Democratic politicians whose
words have perhaps been put in
Judge Chrisman' MOUTH, were trying
to turn the White Cap outrageS to par
tisan advantage. the editor of The
LEADER interviewed the nine men i'll
the Jail here as to their political ante
cedents and was told that none of them
had ever been anything but Democrats;
while not over half the grand jury that
indicted them supported the Demo
cratic party in the last campaign. To
be altogether candid, since this phase
of the subject has been injected into
the discussion. it would be nearest the
exact truth to say that, so far as Lin
coin county is concerned, White Cap
ism is largely the outgrowth OF a war
made on merchants and the evil seeds
sown by we'll known political dema
gogue who tlourished in this county a
half dozen years ago, and who, i'll the
last campaign. was leading light i'll
the Democratic ranks.
SO far as Democratic election meth
DDS are concerned, the editor of the
Messenger ought to remember that it
was for denouncing these in becoming
terms before the Constitutional Con
vention and demanding reform that
Judge Chrisman had the whole pack of
politicians and papers yelping
1T his heels in 1890, some of them 60
ing so far at that time as to reproach
him as the receiver of stolen goods"
A report of his grand speech on that
occasion, which fairly electrified the
is as scathing, direct and
in its condemnation of old
Democratic election methods as the
editorial of the Messenger under con-
When he was presented by the New
Orleans Cotton Exchange, an organiza-
ton representing millions of wealth,
with the gold-mounted gavel, compli
and f1attered as he had been
on all sides for his brave and noble de-
Tense Of law and order, if Judge Chris
man had been a little toady of a poll
tician he would have felt pulled up by
this recognition, lost his head and
said something obsequious or foolish.
But not so with him. In acknowledge
that beautiful gift, which he did with
all of the dignity becoming his respOn-
sible position, among other things ne
said:
1T has not escaped your obServa-
ton that there is great unrest among
the tOiling masses of the country.
They believe they have a grievance. 1t
is by no means certain that they have
not. Favoritism in congressional leg
islation, disposition on the part of a
large proportion of the men who make
politics profession to regard the gov
eminent as machine oiled and run
for their special benefit and that of
their party, has created great monopo-
lies in trade, great concentration of
capital in few hands, whilst the toiling
masses, whose labor creates the COM
mon convenienceS and necessities of
life, have been forgotten and impover-
ished. 1t is difficult to determine up
on remedy for this condition of
things, but of one thing | am certain,
the remedy is not in anarchy or COM
muniSm. In my opinion, it is to be
found in the ballot box, an inheritance
of our fathers. The remedy may be
slow and long delayed, but it is peace
able and certain. Revolt against OF
ganized society can never be rem
edy."
These are the words of courageous
patriot and statesman. Judge Chris
man il right. The tOiling masses of
this country have grievance, chiefly
the result of blind partisan idolatry on
the part of the people and the treach-