Year: 1879

The Social Condition OF Mississippi. |


Putting aside the political aspects of the |
Dixon assassination in Mississippi, which are
elsewhere discussed, it is worth while to
consider the social state OF which this affair
| is symptom. Persons who are acquainted
| with the state of things in Mississippi, as
the present writer is, know that civilization
| there is much lower, very much nearer akin
| to savagery than in any other part OF the
country. The assassinations, the violence
and the intolerance which have marked
and disgraced Mississippi politics have a
deeper meaning than a political one.
| These things are done in politics there not
| so much because of the intensity of political
| feeling as because of the social state and
temper of large part of the people. The
| pistol and shotgun have a function in
| political discussion there only because the
| people are accustomed to their use in pri-
vate debate, and while the political condi-
ton of the state is lamentable, its social
| condition is still worse.


During a residence of many months in
Mississippi the present writer knew of no
court day or other occasion of the sort
which did not bring with it at least one
aifray with pistols at the county scat.
These affairs usually occurred in the imme-
|
they very frequently resulted in the killing
of one or the other Of the combatents-
sometimes in the shooting of unlucky
bystanders. Every man carried large
pistol under his coat tails, and it was
universally understood that when men
came to high words each would draw his
pistol and begin firing This was quite as
much a matter of course as it is for the
batteries of an army in position to open
fire whenever the enemy advances in line
of battle. Without being quite ready to
formulate the opinion in words, the pnblic
) of Mississippi generally recognized the
pistol as a perfectly proper and necessary
means of conducting dispute to its settle
ment. Men fought with pistols when the
; hogs of one tresspassed upon the fields OF
the other. They shot each other because
| they could not agree upon the amount OF
small debts. Pistols were used to deter
mine the smallest points Of difference.
Upon one occasion two men shot their
! | pistols empty at each other within fifty
5 yards of Court House, and managed with
out hurting each other, to lodge bullet in
8 O person in the postoffice. The combat.
9 ants were arrested, fined for disturbing the
i peace and discharged. Within an hour
4 they met at the Court House door, in the
z midst Of crowd, and straightway opened
i fire again. One of them fell mortally
z | wounded the other had three bullets in
& hishesh, but was not seriously hurt. The
4 court exacted bonds of him to keep the
Y peace and to await the results of his antago
% nist's wounds; but although he was after
z ward .stried, he received no punishment
: whatever. This quarrel was about hog.
4. These are only examples of that which
70 was occurring constantly, only symptoms
III of the diseased social state. There was


minority Of civilized men who dsapproveC
- of public pistol practice and deeply
. lamented the prevalent savagery, but thu
barbarians were in the ascendant and justc'
- was paralyzed. A distinguished lawyer


now mentioned as candidate for tn
I, United States Senate, said one day that il


all his life in Mississippi he had never


known o man to be hung after the gras


had grown upon his victims grave. Publi
n sentiment, he said, always sided with tn


murderer after pity for his victim hat


expended itself.


In truth very few murderers or othe
o grave offenders against the law wer
Z brought to trial at all. When one had tn
S ill.iuck to be lodged in Jail to await tria
Q one or the other of two things was nearl
y certain to happen either his friends woul


ride into town at night, overpower tn
taller and release the criminal, or else tn
friends of his victim would take him in lik


manner from the Jail and hang him i


the neighboring forests. When prisone


is thus taken from Jail the public coul


determine whether he had fallen into th
ar hands of his friends or into those of b
,Hs ,1s foes only by searching the woods. If h


body was found suspended to tree, b
ew enemies had managed the affair; if not, h
friends had carried him away. In eth,
t. case Justice was defeated and the la
$500 brought into contempt.


This state of affairs, this utter conteml
n for law and legal processes, this habit
looking to the holster rather than the jul


box for justice, this state of savagery,


short, substantially exists still in Mississippi


and the civilized men of the state appe


still to be powerless against it. In such


state of society it is not surprising tn


violence is controlling influence in polite


Men who shoot each other in petty person


quarrels, and regard that as a proper al


legitimate means of getting their own wa


are not likely to tolerate a difference


opinion in politics. To such men it mt


have seemed highly absurd for CAPITA


Dixon to imagine that he could


permitted to interfere with polite


arrangements which they generally 6


proved. He gave them trouble, he cross


their purposes, he set their will at deian


and as matter of course some one amo


them must shoot him. What else could


reasonably expect? What could be mC


logical2


- There are civilized men in Mississip
- They are men of intelligence and charact
Z ff | mi - - -, of ;oH tnn Si1ah m,