The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-14

not hesitate to denounce the work of
tne consplrators. That city had an
interest in the development of the
southeastern territory, it was on the
great highway to the Yazoo country.
and 1T looked is though a land scheme
would be of advantage to it and add
ducats to the fortunes of it's citizens.
This rainbow of promise did not make
them swerve from the path of recti-
tude and honor, and they Indignantly
denounced the steal. Their utterances
were so vigorous, and possibly impo-
lite; that there were several fights be-
tween the citizens of Augusta and the
gang of Ali Babbas.
The Great Yazoo fraud was still
subject of conversation among individ-
uals. and was used as an iniquitous
reference by newspapers, when 1 was
boy. If there was anything espec-
tally wicked and required a compar-
lson to make it odious, the Yazoo
fraud was an appropriate and we'll
understood illustration
Aside from those who are readers of
the states history there is lament
able ignorance among people on the
subject of this early effort of "prac-
teal politicians" AS an experiment /
mentioned the Yazoo fraud to a num-
Der of intelligent gentlemen, and not
one out of two had heard of it, and
some of those who had, knew very
little about it. Yet hundred years
or so since, that great effort to steal
millions of acres of land, shook Geor-
gia from center to circumference the
political quake extended as far as
Philadelphia, then the seat of the gen.
eral government, and upset one Geor-
fnT ont Of ~
signed him to oblivion and obloquy,
and made the other senator, the fore
most public man in the state. One
saw, or thought he did, fortune in
the Yazoo land grab. The
other saw in it, or something
like it, treason, and resigned
his seat in Congress, came home and
raised Cain" This senator was elect
ed to the Legislature from Savannah,
and lead the honest voters of the state
in solid phalanx against those who
aided and abetted the passage of the
obnoxious law. The Yazoo Land Act
was repealed amidst the shouts of the
people of Georgia.
This patriot and statesman was Gen.
James Jackson of Savannah, a lieu
tenant colonel in the Revolutionary.
army. and uncle of the late Gen. Henry
r. Jackson, and man very much like
his nephew, aggressive and fearless,
and the great great grandfathe of Jo-
seph w. Jackson of this city and Nat.
Jackson of Atlanta.
Its history may have been forgotten
by others, but there is one spot in
Georgia, however, alive with the story
of the Yazoo fraud, and where it's
memory is still kept green, and that is
the town of Louisville, then the new
capital of the state, where the act was
repealed and the documents connected
with the fraud were burned in the
public square. The blaze that con-
sumed the papers was kindled by
bringing down fire from heaven, by
means of sun glass, and thus the
vengeance of the people was exempli-
fed by a most picturesque ceremony.
1t is difficult to realize the extent
and intensity of the excitement IN
those eventful days. Doubtless there
was a large modicum of partisan poll
tics in the whole business; it was Re-
publicans Democrats of to-day
against Federals Republicans of to-
day., but it played havoc with the
losing side.
The people were afiame with unrea-
soning and unrelenting passion. Men in
high positions, judges, senator's and
soldiers, men who had fought gallant
ly in the American Revolution, but who
voted for the Yazoo fraud, were chased
out of their counties by armed mobs
of their late constituents, and the in
nocent, as usual, suffered with the
guilty. One member of the Legisla-
ture who fled to South Carolina was
pursued into that state and killed. 1t
was hot times in the old state.
1t is not surprising that the people
were indignant and violent, because
before the Yazoo act was passed, they
protested against it, but the men who
had the bill in hand needed not their
protests. The lives of the members of
the Legislature who opposed the pas
sage of the bill which virtually gave
away the states property, and who
could not be bribed were threatened
with death. A judge of the Supreme
Court of the United States from Penn
sylvania had $4,000 with which to buy
votes, and handled it with the noncha-
lance of fakir at fair. Some men,
bers left their seats and went home
rather than submit to the insults of
the vote buyers. Others with more
nerve defied the Yazootes to the last
and went down in defeat with their
banners waving.
The county Court House of Jeffer-
son county stands upon the site of
the old state capitol, and bricks of
which 1t is built are those that once
were the walls of Georgias first state
house. The place where the Yazoo
act was burned was pointed out to
me. 1t is 80 or 40 feet from the ent-
rance to the Court House, and a tree
marks it. 1t is simply justice, how
ever, to state that it is asserted by
some that the tree does not mark the
historic spot, but that the real place
where the evidence of the great iniq-
nifty was consummated is across the
public square. ! shall leave the ques-
ton where / found ii, in the hands of
the good people of Louisville.
THE Louisville Road" is familiar to
Savannahians as one Of the highways
leading out of their city. It was built
by the state soon after the Revolution
airy War as the means Of giving set
tiers along the north bank Of the Ogee-
choe river, or nearby. the means Of
communication with Savannah, where
they sold their products and bought
supplies, and extended nOrtbwestWard
10 Louisville. The Augusta road, from
which the Louisville road branches on
about a mile west N West Broad
street. was a. that time the only road
10 the interior and followed the gener-
al course Of the Savannah river snd
was built by order ~ Gen. Oglethorpe
as the means Of Communication be-
tween Savannah and Augusta, then