But enough has been written to show the absurdity of the claim that the suppression of the colored vote is necessary to prevent "Negro Domination." So far as the State of Mississippi is concerned, in spite of the favorable conditions, as shown above, the legitimate State Government,--the one that represented the honestly expressed will of a majority of the voters of the State,--was in the fall of 1875 overthrown through the medium of a sanguinary revolution.

The State Government was virtually seized and taken possession of _vi et armis_.

Why was this?
What was the excuse for it?
What was the motive, the incentive that caused it?
It was not in the interest of good, efficient, and capable government; for that we already had.

It was not on account of dishonesty, maladministration, misappropriation of public funds; for every dollar of the public funds had been faithfully accounted for.

It was not on account of high taxes; for it had been shown that, while the tax rate was quite high during the Alcorn administration, it had been reduced under the Ames administration to a point considerably less than it is now or than it has been for a number of years.