under the new constitution. Our taxation for State purposes before the war used to be ten cents on each one hundred dollars valuation of property one-tenth of one per cent. We pay this year for State purposes 52 cents on each one hundred dollars of value.. That is the present levy for regular - State purposes, in addition to interest on the public debt, county expenses, &c. Taxation in Mississippi Mississippi Election of 1875, p. 457. A protest from the Mississippi [1874] To show the extraordinary and rapid increase of taxation we will cite these particulars, viz.: For the year For the year In 1869, the State levy was 10 cents on the $100 of assessed value of lands. For the year 1871 it was four times as great. For 1872 it was eight and a half times as great. 1873 it was twelve and a half times as great. 1874 it was fourteen times as great as it was in 1869. The tax-levy of 1874 was the largest State tax ever levied in Mississippi, and to-day the people are poorer than ever before. . . A careful estimate shows that during those years of increasing and most extravagant tax-levies, the public debt was increased on an average annually over $664,000, a sum of itself sufficient to defray the entire expenses of the government, economically administered. That is, the State spent on an average, this large sum each year, over and above the amount collected on those monstrous tax-levies. County Finances Statement (1) Reynolds, Reconstruction in South Carolina, p. 304. of Judge T. J. Mackey, reform Republican; (2) Ku Klux Report, Alabama testimony, p. 461. Statement of P. M. Dox, Northern man, Independent. [1871] [1] THE Government of Edgefield has been for eight years a festering ulcer upon our body politic, and a diligent attempt is now being made to hide with the "bloody shirt" the appalling wrongs committed by the Republican party on the white population of that section. For example, there have been three county treasurers, all Republicans, appointed in Edgefield since 1868. The first, John Wooley, proved a defaulter to the amount of $25,000; the second, Eichelberger, in the sum of about $30,000, and the third, McDevitt, estimated at $40,000 or $50,000. The government is wholly composed of negroes elected on the race issue, asserted even against white Republicans. [2] In 1858 the total State tax of Madison County [Alabama], from all sources was $23,417.63. In 1870 the total State tax of Madison County was not less than $65,000, made up as follows: Tax on real estate . Tax on licenses, polls, insurance, &c., estimated at $51,445 30 8,471 75 5,082 95 The estimate of taxes for polls, insurance, &c., is a low one, and the probability is that the aggregate will in fact fall but little below $70,000. The total State tax on land in Madison County in 1858 was $7,213.10; in 1870, it was $51,445.30 — a difference of $44,232.20. In other words, the total tax paid on land in our county in 1870 was more than seven times what it was in 1858. And before the war we had over thirteen thousand slaves in the county, worth not less than $8,000,000 -a sum fully equal to the value of all the taxable property now in the county. My taxes last year [1870] were three times as great as the year previous. 3. THE RECONSTRUCTION MILITIA Martial Law in Arkansas Harrell, The Brooks and Baxter War, pp. 86, 87. Copied from Clayton's letter books. The order was directed to Gen. S. W. Mallory, in command of the Arkansas militia. [1868] SIR, I am instructed by the Governor to say, that as soon as Gen. Catterson reaches you, you will proceed at once to arrest the parties [33] whose names have been sent to you, as well as any other outlaws. He thinks you can safely execute many of them. It is absolutely necessary that some examples be made... It may be desirable to have the troops here, by the first of January, if the thing can be safely done. There will be a large Democratic Convention here at that time, and the militia may be needed as delegates. He thinks you have acted wisely in disbanding the colored troops, under the circum The White Militia in Arkansas Harrell, Brooks and Baxter War, pp. 75-83. Col. William Monks and [1] MONKS and his men then commenced scouting the country, destroying forage, riding over yards, feeding and camping around houses. They took upper and sole-leather, tobacco, horse-shoes and nails, without paying for them, from Harlen's store; made a guard-house of Harlen's dwelling, and compelled his wife to cook for them and the prisoners. On Saturday Monks called all the men who were in favor of killing the prisoners to fall into line. About seventy responded; but ten or fifteen refused to fall in. At this the sheriff protested, and said, "They are my men, and I do not want them hurt." Monks replied that "he would do as he d-d please," and ordered 1. The negro troops had rebelled against General Mallory. Capt. Bryant and U. B. Bush to bring forward the men who committed the murder by Monday at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, or the prisoners should be killed. A scout brought in Archer and Hunter, who had been arrested at their homes, but left there Hunter, on account of sickness, and Archer, because of his blindness. The sheriff then went away, leaving the prisoners in the hands of the mob, and never went back to see what had become of them, saying he was afraid they would kill him also. Saturday, at 2 o'clock p. m., they broke up camp at Harlen's and moved to Col. Tracy's place. They took possession of the house and drove his family into the kitchen, ordering his wife and mother-in-law, Mrs. Pickrue, to go to cooking, or they "would burn the last d-d thing on the place." They chained U. B. Bush with a log-chain upon one of the beds, and pitched into Tracy's papers and books, and made a general smash of them; tore up his buggy and threw it into a mill-pond; took all the mill-irons, augers and tools they could find, and threw them away; fed away and destroyed about 4,000 bundles of oats; about 200 bushels of corn, and cut and destroyed corn yet in the field; took and destroyed some thirty bee-hives; killed all the chickens, and smashed up things generally, to the damage of Tracy, of between seven hundred and a thousand dollars. They took out Capt. Bryant; hung him up by the neck, and told him if he did not say that certain parties killed Mason, they would kill him, but if he would implicate certain parties, he should be released. At last, to save his life, he told them any and everything they asked him so he told Bush, when they again turned him into the guard-house. Said he to Bush: "I have been nearly killed by these men, and to save my life I have told an awful tale. I had to tell them that you did assist in killing Mason, and the only chance for you, is to do as I have done, lie out of it the best you can, and get out of this place." Bryant was sent out with an escort, and they reported that he "made his escape." They arrested one B. T. Deshazo, a very harmless citizen, and tied a rope around his neck, sur- Things went on this way, and they had prolonged Bush's life, until about dark, Monday night, when Pink Turner, the deputy sheriff, arrived with a writ of habeas corpus for the prisoners (issued by Hon. Elisha Baxter, Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit), which Monks and his men, at first, voted unanimously to disobey, saying that they intended to kill ten men for Mason, and had three who were already fat enough. Some time after they refused to obey the writ, a squad of them found some newspapers in the house and made caps of them, and started up the road, in the direction of Salem, saying they were "Ku-Klux." Directly after they left, Monks told the Deputy Sheriff that he would obey the writ, and the prisoners were at his command. The Deputy Sheriff then took U. B. Bush and J. H. Tracy, and started for Salem, saying that Tracy should not be hurt, but saying nothing about Bush. When they had proceeded about two miles, they were met in the road by the men with paper caps, who made no halt, but rode directly up to them and made efforts to seize the bridles. of the prisoners' horses. The Deputy Sheriff caught J. H. Tracy's horse, and whispered to Tracy to run with him. They ran, leaving Bush in the hands of the men. After they had fled a short distance, Tracy heard Bush pleading for his life, and directly they heard firing. Bush's body, pierced with three balls, was found, at daylight next morning, near the spot where he was taken away from the Deputy Sheriff. . . [2] Richard Coley, over sixty years old, met a gang of militia in the road, when he turned his horse or mule and tried to get away from them. He was shot dead and left in the road. John Thorp was the first man they took out to shoot, by order of |