Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-09-24
From the Old Guard.
WHAT THEM

WHAT THEN!
Ms land where force the peoples will sup.
Whore naughty power to supplICStiOn
As fSyors, what are sacred rIshtsi where
In robes Of Oflce proudly stalks abroad;
where bows the mass 70 wealth, and hon.
Being pennIiess, may never rise from earth
Whsfe rich men richer poor men pOOfer
And eantinE vre.ches cheat and rob the
Where starving creatures In vile tenement
denS
Fester aud rot, in angels sight and mons;
Where. one illlteraie wretch, without an heir
The curse OF his ill.gotten hO Tds to bear,
Boasts half RothscRi.d's wealth, and slghs
for more,
And ruins thousands to increase his stores
Where dull unknoWingness controls the
And fools and knaves for good men legis.
late;
Whore proud bOndholders ru Q DER Abiect
And man. shaped dogs d,a!e their fathers
In such land, II such land there be,
What shAl. be done to make lis people treef
What kill must cure. The bayOnet
brought all these
The plaques that ever follow victories
War brought tho evils in Its h0rr d train,
And war alone can drive them back again.
The blade and ball are remedies severe
What mildef medicine will answer hertY
"Last reasoning Of kings" sage writer's
Last logic Of people brought to bly;
And when IL comes to arguments Ike these,
The thing may rot convince, but then 1t
Some say the bullet only serves to kill;
The ballot better serN es the peoples will.
The ballgtl BAhi Where votes are bought
and sold,
And Judgment Is by prejudice controlled;
Where outrage eVermoTe on outrage
thF0ng',
And law Is pcwerless to redress our wrongs,
What Is the ballot but show and snare
A Dead Sea apple with q surface lsirP
~4sOughs and rep@aters rally round the poll,
With thriving politicians cheek by jowli
Who has inspectors Is assured TO win
Vote Hs you may the rosues Will count him
A swarm OF oiice- holders bring in train,
KinsT0lk and tools 10 vote and vote tgRln;
Lure the black cattle sui Ject to their rule,
With hopes ol Iorty acres and mule,
To vote they know not how, nor yet for
whom.
And drag their freed m TO Its certain tomb
The ballot had It freedom to condemn
OR no., ut choice, there were an ynd to them
The ballot thathAs grown TO be al Ol
by which the cunning kna'e controls the
fool.
oh, ble,a gunpowder' trIply-hAllOwod
Vhat r0wer for e. cd your force and point
in your effect,
'' YOU deep re
;ou do,
As In that better work wu.OH springs from
you.
For once tho people by your blessed aid. .,
Their power regain and feel their VII
ObeyOd.
Then may they surely seize each COssln
And drag him trembling to their Judgment
What terror then to knAves that long hav
A peoples patience, AMI their minds per
Not tEIr's the stSel-it never strikes 81
low;
Not theirs tho ball--they never risk IL
For them the ruthless rule OF Lynch's law
For them the rope shall stretch, the halle
draw
The lamp-posts reddily for scanolds 'uit-
Long rows OF Iogues, suspended In th
Fine pendent ornaments the ye to e Get
Here Horace Greeley swings, there sumne
Here schenck his crimes atones in within
There triple stands Ben. Buffers neck Onyj
ron;
Here Kelley dances from his favorite iron
There Holt, ere closing on the earth his eye
Shall see a murdered woman's ghost aris'
here Nye cuts capors to pleasant tuuc,
Even in bis dying playing the buirion;
There Cameron rises TO his great surprise
''simon says 'wig-Wag,'" and the iello
dies:
And rogue on rogue who trampled on I'll
Shall make his exit followed with applaus
Ye knaves In office! on the peoples bach
ImpOsts on Imp0sts pile, anu tax on tax;
Tax the mans coat the kirtle OF the mai
The famer's ploughshare and the laborer
spade;
Tax thr boys whistle aud the church's bell
The yoIog eh.ld's cradle and the dead man
she'll;
Tax food, tax drink; tax all the poor ma
Tax, ere you stop, the sunlight and the air.
The time will come when this dumb ma
The tax OF CHI and poor by work OF days
Arhe web th1t biuds It's limbs will rend VI
spuTn,
And those made wolves upon the hunts
turn.
Woe 70 ye all upon that evil day
Ye would not yield 10 reason, nor will the
Reason shOuli rule among the sons OF me
Not beng brutes; but II 1t fail, what hem
II force prevent, and fraud Of no avail
Make the best course must every other iai
Let the war come, II come IL must despite
Ali prudent efforts. God defend the rigi
And should the people 70 their muTky den
Pursue and slAy these bandiis-welli VIII
them