The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-10-26
Murder, North and South.


We have been made familiar for a long time
past with stories of frequent murders, violent
assaults, displays of force to interrupt political
professions in the Southern States, negroes
assa:ng white men even unto death and
white men assaulting negroes. This is all the
natural result of the radical system Of recon-
struction The reconstruction laws were the
basis of war of races. We cannot, therefore,
be surprised at the fruits. For example,
white men in open day murder Randolph,
black member of the South Carolina Legis-
lature; black men in Louisiana hunt down q
white man, chain him to a tree, threaten him
with death, and the result is general fight
between negroes and white men, ending in the
death Of thirty of the unfortunate blacks and
two white men. So, also, at Jefferson, city
situated little above New Orleans, the old
police force and the new one appointed
by the Louisiana s'black and tan" Legislature
come into collision upon the latter attempting
to assume authority. Wherefore? Because
the new organization is composed, in large
part, of negroes, who, it appears, go heavily
armed through the streets, displaying that
effrontery which always characterizes igno-
rance invested with authority. A newspaper
Office in Alexandria, Louisiana, is also sacked
by q mob, whether white or black the
despatch does not state; but that it was never
theless the result of collision between the
races we may safely assume. The latest
murder is that of four people in the streets of
New Orleans on Saturday, in fight between
white and a black political club From various
quarters in the South we hear of similar con-
fiicts, which make good the prophecy that the
reconstruction laws, whether ''unconstitu-
tional, null and void, as they have been de-
cared by the democratic platform, or not, are
certainly provocative of much mischief, anar-
chy and bloodshed. So much for the Southern
record of murder, and we have not noted the
half of it. But what of the murder re-
cord of the North? Perhaps if we were
to strike a fair balance there would not be
found so much difference after all. The ap-
parent difference is that homicide at the South
is invariably put to the credit of politics, and
in exciting times like these there is much made
of it by partisan newspapers. We are told
that in one single county Of New Hampshire
there are now awaiting trial no less than five
murderers. In our own city homicides are
almost as numerous as the nights in the year.
New England furnishes, according to the
record, nearly as many murderers in proper
ton to the population as the Southern States.
The moral of all this is that while radical
reconstruction cannot check the progress
of crime in the Southern States, but
rather fosters it, so New England Puritan
ism cannot elevate the moral condition
Of its people above the use of the knife,
the pistol and the poison cup. The cause of
the increase of murder in the South is to be
traced to the war of races, the inevitable re-
suit Of radical policy. In New England it be-
longs to the war of bad passions, to irreligion
and incompetence. No plea of political exas-
peration can be put in there, for everything is
serene and pleasant in New England; no mill
tary governors, no offensive negro supremacy,
for New England takes care that the negro is
kept in his proper place; no Acknowledgement
of white citizens exists there to provoke conflict
and keep mems temper up like quilts upon
the fretful porcupine;" and yet, with all the
hideous reports of murder and violence in the
Southern States, sad as they are, it would ap-
pear from recent statements that we are not
much better off at the North than our neigh
bors in that wretchedly misgoverned portion
Of the country.