509.31–35 Garrard county, Kentucky . . . burned] On August 19, 1874, fighting broke out in Lancaster, Kentucky, between supporters of the Democratic and Republican candidates in the recent county elections. The house of William Sellers, a Republican member of the state house of representatives, was burned on August 22, and at least two men, one white and one black, were killed in the rioting.
510.16 “set on fire of hell.”] James 3:6.
510.38 our Boston dailies] The Boston Post, in “An Administrative War,” September 2, 1874.
512.20 “We tell you . . . Natchitoches Vindicator] In “To Our Colored Citizens,” July 18, 1874.
512.31–32 Louisville Courier-Journal says] In an editorial titled “The Pistol in Kentucky,” August 13, 1874.
513.28–36 “Ephraim is joined . . . upon you.”] Hosea 4:17, 12:1, 7, 5:9, 10:13, 12.
514.3–4 a new heart and a right spirit] Cf. Ezekiel 18:31.
514.5–11 “their works . . . into a viper.”] Isaiah 59:6–8, 5.
514.18–19 President Grant to General Belknap] On September 2, 1874, Grant wrote to Secretary of War William W. Belknap: “The recent atrocities in the South, particularly in Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina, show a disregard for law, civil rights and personal protection that ought not to be tolerated in any civilized government.” The president directed Belknap to consult with Attorney General Williams and to “order troops as to be available in cases of necessity.”
516.19 M‘ENERY and PENN] John McEnery (1833–1891), a lawyer from Monroe who had served as a Confederate officer, was nominated for governor of Louisiana in 1872 by a Fusion alliance of Democrats, Liberal Republicans, and Reformers (see Chronology, 1872–74). Davidson B. Penn (1836–1902), a New Orleans businessman and former Confederate officer, was the Fusion candidate for lieutenant governor in 1872.
516.27 KELLOGG] William Pitt Kellogg (1830–1918), a lawyer from Illinois who had served as a Union officer, was collector of the port of New Orleans, 1865–68, a Republican senator from Louisiana, 1868–72, and governor, 1873–77. Kellogg returned to the Senate as a Republican, 1877–83, and served in Congress, 1883–85.
522.15 the governor] Elisha Baxter (1827–1899), a wartime Unionist, was the Republican governor of Arkansas, 1873–74.
522.30 the governor chosen] Augustus H. Garland (1832–1899), a Democrat, was governor of Arkansas, 1874–77, a senator, 1877–85, and attorney general in the first Cleveland administration, 1885–89.
522.31 the lieutenant-governor] Volney V. Smith (1841–1897) was the Republican lieutenant governor of Arkansas, 1873–74. His challenge to Garland won little support, and he fled the state after the new governor obtained a warrant for his arrest. In 1875 Grant appointed Smith consul to St. Thomas, a position he held until the election of Grover Cleveland in 1884. Smith returned to Arkansas in 1888 and died in the state mental asylum.
522.37–38 Congress is now . . . I have declined] On February 6, 1875, the congressional committee investigating Arkansas affairs recommended accepting the new state government. Grant disagreed and suggested replacing Garland with Joseph Brooks, the Reform Republican candidate in 1872 (see Chronology, April–May 1874). The House rejected the president’s recommendation and voted, 150–81, on March 2 to recognize the Garland government as legitimate, a decision Grant accepted.
525.27–28 murdered men . . . Vicksburg, Miss.] see Chronology, December 1874.
528.7–13 the troops . . . be ejected.] see Chronology, January 1875.
529.30–31 ride of Winchester . . . Five Forks] At dawn on October 19, 1864, Confederate troops surprised Union forces at Cedar Creek, Virginia, and drove them from their positions. Sheridan, who was returning to his command from a conference in Washington, learned of the attack in Winchester and rode to the front, rallying stragglers and directing a successful counterattack. Union troops led by Sheridan broke through the Confederate lines at Five Forks, Virginia, on April 1, 1865, turning the western flank of the Confederate defenses at Petersburg.
530.27 usurpation of Judge Durell] Edward H. Durell (1810–1887) was a federal district court judge in Louisiana, 1863–74. When the 1872 Louisiana state election resulted in conflicting sets of returns, Durell ruled in favor of the Republicans, at one point ordering the U.S. marshal to seize the statehouse in New Orleans. He resigned from the bench in December 1874 after the House Judiciary Committee recommended his impeachment for exceeding his authority during the election dispute and for alleged corruption in his handling of bankruptcy cases.
531.9–10 prolong the existence . . . two years] On April 14, 1870, the Senate had rejected, 25–24, an amendment to the bill readmitting Georgia that would have postponed the elections for the next general assembly from November 1870 to November 1872. (The legislative elections were held in December 1870; see Chronology.)
531.11 Governor Bullock] Rufus Bullock (1834–1907) was the Republican governor of Georgia from July 1868 to October 1871, when he resigned and fled the state to avoid impeachment and possible criminal prosecution on corruption charges.
531.32 Mr. MORTON] Oliver P. Morton; see Biographical Notes.
532.36 Marshal Packard] A former Union army officer from Maine, Stephen B. Packard (1839–1922) was the U.S. marshal for Louisiana, 1871–76, and had served as chairman of the 1872 Kellogg campaign.
532.38 the late election] The 1874 election.
535.19–25 As of old . . . KNOW NOT.] Cf. Isaiah 32:7; Proverbs 1:16; Amos 5:10; Isaiah 59:10, 59:8.
536.13 St. Domingo] Saint-Domingue, the French colonial name for Haiti.
536.40–537.7 “This people hath . . . of murderers!”] Cf. Jeremiah 5:23, 26–28, 21, 4:31.
537.13–14 “Why hast . . . before the time?”] Cf. Matthew 8:29.
537.39 Gerrit Smith] See note 357.3.
537.39–40 and being dead, he yet speaketh] Cf. Hebrews 11:4.
538.14 “Bull Run panic”] The first battle of Bull Run, fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, on July 21, 1861, ended in a Union retreat that turned into a rout.
539.19 “To err is human,”] Alexander Pope (1688–1744), Essay on Criticism (1711), part II.
539.25–32 “The dangers . . . name and quality.”] 2 Henry IV, IV.i.80–87.
540.20–21 bloody riots . . . 1868] A congressional investigating committee in 1869 reported that 1,081 persons were killed in incidents of political violence in Louisiana from April to November 1868; a majority of the victims were black.
540.32 Warmoth] Henry C. Warmoth (1842–1931), the Republican governor of Louisiana, 1868–72, supported the Fusion ticket headed by John McEnery in the 1872 election.
541.16 Justice Strong] William Strong (1802–1895) served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1870–80.
542.1 the judge] Edward H. Durell; see note 530.27. (Under the existing law, district court judges could hear cases in the circuit court.)
542.2 Antoine] Caesar Antoine (1836–1921), an African American from New Orleans, was the Republican lieutenant governor of Louisiana, 1873–77.
543.11 Judge Woods] William B. Woods (1824–1887) was a federal circuit court judge, 1869–80, and an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1880–87.
544.4 Harris] Sidney Harris was fatally wounded on April 13, 1873, possibly by gunfire from his own side.
544.8 Cazabat] Alphonse Cazabat, the Fusion candidate who claimed the office of Grant Parish judge after the 1872 election.
544.10 Register] Robert C. Register, the white Republican who claimed the office of Grant Parish judge in 1873.
546.17–18 marshal of Louisiana] See note 532.36.
551.38 such action be taken by Congress] In March 1875 William A. Wheeler (1819–1887), a Republican congressman from New York, 1861–63 and 1869–77, fashioned a compromise that gave the Democrats control of the state house of represent
atives, the Republicans control of the state senate, and allowed Kellogg to remain as governor. The compromise was implemented on April 14, 1875.
553.3–4 Lynch . . . Civil Rights Bill ] An amended version of Sumner’s civil rights bill was passed by the Senate, 29–16, on May 22, 1874, two months after his death from a heart attack. The version of the bill before the House on February 3, 1875, no longer prohibited discrimination by cemeteries, and its school provision now allowed authorities to “establish and maintain separate schools and institutions, giving equal educational advantages in all respects, for different classes of persons.” A section had also been added forbidding the disqualification of citizens from federal or state jury service on racial grounds.
561.7 father of this bill] Benjamin F. Butler.
561.10 Mr. NIBLACK] William E. Niblack (1822–1893) was a Democratic congressman from Indiana, 1857–61 and 1865–75.
561.28–29 forty acres . . . a mule.] See note 125.9–10.
561.36 Moses lifted . . . wilderness] See Numbers 21:9.
563.1–2 United States judge . . . Virginia] Probably a reference to John C. Underwood (1809–1873), a federal district judge in Virginia, 1863–73. A Radical Republican, Underwood presided over the 1867–68 Virginia constitutional convention.
563.6 Mr. LAMAR] Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825–1893) served in Congress as a Democrat from Mississippi, 1857–60 and 1873–77, as a senator, 1877–85, as secretary of the interior, 1885–88, and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1888–93.
563.7–8 judge . . . Mississippi] Robert A. Hill (1811–1900) served as the federal district judge for Mississippi, 1866–91.
563.11 a horse-thief, nor an assassin.] Earlier in the day Niblack had asked Butler why black citizens who were discriminated against could not pursue common-law actions in the state courts. Butler replied that “in certain portions of our country, under our flag, the judges of the local courts have to run away by night to save their lives from assassination,” and added: “If bad men are in the majority; if murderers, lawless men, banditti; if horse-thieves are in the majority—men who ride at night in uniform and murder negroes—I think that if the State courts are powerless to punish, jurisdiction should be given to the Federal courts.”
565.27 the minority . . . assassins] When William P. McLean (1836–1925), a Democrat from Texas, asked Butler if he was calling “the people in the South horse-thieves and murderers,” Butler replied: “O, no; I said a minority.”
565.31–32 Mr. VANCE] See note 479.20–21.
566.10–12 Quilp . . . Uriah Heep] Daniel Quilp, the villain of Charles Dickens’s The Old Curiosity Shop (1841); Uriah Heep, a villainous hypocrite in David Copperfield (1849–50).
568.9–11 Abraham said . . . stay here.”] See Genesis 13:5–9.
568.19–20 “husks . . . did eat.”] Luke 15:16.
569.14 “border ruffians”] Term for proslavery Missouri militia who fought with free-soil settlers in Kansas Territory during the 1850s.
569.24–25 Gilbert C. Walker] Born in Pennsylvania, Walker (1833–1885) practiced law in New York and Chicago before moving to Norfolk, Virginia, in 1864. He was elected governor of Virginia in July 1869 as a “True Republican” supported by a coalition of Conservatives and moderate Republicans, and served from September 1869 to January 1874. Walker aligned himself with the Conservatives during his term as governor, and later served in Congress as a Democrat, 1875–79.
569.34 changed the rules] On February 1, 1875, the Republicans amended the House rules in order to prevent the Democrats from using delaying motions to block the consideration of the civil rights bill and other measures during the lame-duck session.
570.5–6 Mr. WILLIAMS] John M. S. Williams (1818–1886), a Republican congressman from Massachusetts, 1873–75.
571.12 “Molly Maguires”] A secret society of Irish coal miners who engaged in violence against mine owners and operators in the coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania in the 1860s and 1870s.
572.28–30 sepoy . . . lard.] The refusal of soldiers of the East India Company to bite on rifle cartridges greased with cow or pig fat was the immediate cause of a series of mutinies in 1857 that led to a widespread rebellion against British rule across much of northern India.
572.37 foemen worthy of your steel] Cf. Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake (1810), canto V, stanza 10.
579.25–27 a distinguished member . . . a Senator] George S. Boutwell; see note 345.30.
579.31 lengthy and impassioned speech] Boutwell spoke in the House on January 23, 1869.
585.25–26 “hesitate long . . . it about.”] From a speech Eldredge made in the House on March 28, 1868, opposing a bill setting conditions for the readmission of Alabama.
586.3–4 Garfield . . . Civil Rights Bill ] Shortly after Garfield finished his speech, the House voted against keeping the schools clause in the bill, 148–113, and then approved a final version, 162–100. The Senate adopted the House bill, 38–26, on February 27, and it was signed by Grant on March 1, 1875. In the Civil Rights Cases, decided on October 15, 1883, the provisions regarding public accommodations, conveyances, and places of amusement were declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8–1 decision. In his majority opinion, Justice Joseph P. Bradley ruled that the power given to Congress by the Fourteenth Amendment to correct racially discriminatory actions by the states did not extend to discriminatory acts by private individuals. Bradley also declared that racial discrimination by individuals was not a “badge of servitude” prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment. In his dissent, Justice John Marshall Harlan (1833–1911) wrote that racially discriminatory acts by accommodation, transportation, and amusement facilities operating under state licenses were public, not private, actions and therefore subject to congressional prohibition under the Fourteenth Amendment. Harlan also asserted that since slavery was based upon the supposed racial inferiority of black people, acts of racial discrimination were clearly “badges of servitude” prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment.
587.25–26 loseth his life . . . shall find it.] Cf. Matthew 10:39.
588.6–17 “We dare not . . . Fate abreast.”] John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892), “Song of the Negro Boatmen” (1862).
589.3 Hinds County Gazette] Published in Raymond, Mississippi, the Gazette was owned and edited by George W. Harper (1824–94), a prominent local Democrat.
589.5 past elections] The next state elections were to be held on November 2, 1875.
589.6 Hinds county] The county included Jackson, the state capital, and the towns of Clinton and Raymond.
590.5 Ames’] A West Point graduate from Maine, Adelbert Ames (1835–1933) commanded a division in the Union army as a brigadier general. He served as the appointed provisional governor of Mississippi, 1868–70, as a Republican senator, 1870–74, and as the elected governor, 1874–76. In 1870 Ames married Blanche Butler (1847–1939), the daughter of Benjamin F. Butler.
591.9 Mississippi revolt] A Republican political rally and barbecue held in Clinton, Mississippi, on September 4, 1875, was attended by about 2,000 African Americans and about seventy-five whites, including eighteen Democrats from Raymond. When the Democrats tried to disrupt the rally, an altercation began and gunfire broke out. Three white men and at least five black persons were killed as hundreds of families fled the scene. Over the next two days several hundred members of the “White Line” militia moved through Hinds County and murdered between thirty and fifty African Americans. Governor Ames wrote to Grant on September 8 asking for federal assistance in suppressing the violence. Pierrepont responded by asking Ames if the “insurrection” could be put down with state forces. On September 11 Ames replied that attempting to use white militia against the “White Liners” would be ineffectual, while organizing a black militia risked “a war of races” that would spread through the South. Pierr
epont forwarded his correspondence with Ames to Grant, along with several dispatches from Mississippi, including a message from James Z. George (1826–1897), the chairman of the Democratic-Conservative state committee, in which George claimed that “perfect peace prevails throughout the State.”
591.23 Utica] Grant attended a reunion of veterans of the Army of the Cumberland in Utica, New York, September 15–16, 1875.
592.7 assistance offered . . . Jackson and elsewhere.] Among the messages forwarded to Grant by Pierrepont was a telegram from Henry R. Pease (1835–1907), a Republican who had served in the Senate from Mississippi, 1874–75. Pease wrote that a “civil posse composed of good citizens of all political parties and of sufficient force to protect life and property can be had in any county in the State,” and warned that federal intervention would be “unwise, impolitic, and will only tend to aggravate existing difficulties.”
592.18 Mr. Luckey] Levi P. Luckey (1842–1884), private secretary to Grant.
594.11–12 you take all . . . needed measures] Ames reluctantly began to organize and deploy black militia companies, then agreed to hold a “peace conference” with James Z. George and other Democratic leaders on October 13. At the meeting Ames agreed to stand down the militia in return for a promise by George that White Line violence would cease. On election day many black voters stayed away from the polls, and the Democrats gained control of both houses of the legislature. Ames resigned as governor on March 29, 1876, to avoid impeachment and left the state.
595.18 ‘hearts are . . . all things.’] Cf. Jeremiah 17:9.
597.4 Select Senate Committee] The five-member Select Committee to Inquire into the Mississippi Election of 1875 was appointed on May 31, 1876, and its majority and minority reports were submitted on August 7, 1876.
597.9 the CHAIRMAN] George S. Boutwell; see note 345.30.
597.10 SENATOR CALDWELL] Charles Caldwell (1831/32–1875), a freedman, was a successful blacksmith in Clinton. Caldwell was elected as a delegate to the Mississippi constitutional convention in 1868, served in the state senate, 1870–75, and was a supporter of the school for black women established by Sarah A. Dickey (see Biographical Notes).
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