The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1872-11-09
Southern State Government.


when the Republican party
was getting into power as the
advocate and guardian
of free speech, free elections
and Peaceable submission to
the expressed will of the peO-
pie. There is need now for a
great deal of that sort of work,
but it is a sad truth that all but
a few ofthe original shriekerS
have lost their voices, OF what
is worse, learned to cry out on
the other side. With a cue and
motive for passion, ten times
as startling as they had in days
gone by, they utter no word Of
complaint while the people of
their owR blood and color in
the South are disfranchised and
robbed by bold bad men who
ruIe by violence and terror and
look for support TO the Repub-
lican party and its president as
the patrons and protectors of
their crimes.
Look at Arkansas and North
Carolina. The murdeToas
sway of the Pope county Off
cers-ended at last because its
cruelty was carried so far that
even partisan bigotry began TO
sympathize with the despairing
peoples speedily followed by
the Osceola horror, as the trag-
edies in Pope followed those of
Chicot. Fitzpatrick, Il bayO
NEGLECTED. judge, who had
gone the rounds of his circuit
attended by a bodyguard of
militia, is appointed registrar
of Mississippi county, and sent
there because he was thought
10 be the only adventurer in
the slate bold enough and bad
enough to COW the opposition
in that county, and procure his
own election to the legislature
by violence aud terrorism. He
went with a governors COM
mission in his pocket to 'raise
h-ll III Mississippi county"
and he raised it. He organic
ed secret leagues among the
negroes, armed them and excl
ted them against the best citi-
zens of the county by incendia-
~ speeches. BY his lawleSS
and seditious course lie brought
on IL collision with the sheriff,
and assassinated that officer,
an honorable and heightened
gentleman, in the discharge of
his official duty. He then sur
rounded himself with an army
of negroes, defied arrest, and
threw the whole community in
a fever of excitement by his
lawleSS acts and ferocious
threats. He broke up conserV-
alive meetings and conventions
whenever they were attempted
70 be held, and the Democratic
candidate for congress, Col
GAUGE, had to deSiSt from
speaking and dismiss his audi
ence at OSceola upon the APP
pearance of Fitzpatrick and his
army. When the circuit court
of the district, with its Repub-
lican judge and officers, con-
vened at Osceola, Fitzpatrick S
army besieged the town and
the judge had to adjourn the
court without trying him for
the murder of Sheriff Martin.
At last the people became des-
perate, flew to arms and, after
some bloodShed and the capt
ure of a part of his colored
trool S, drove hin from the coun-
~.
Such are the governments
which the administration up.
holds in the South. 1t is the
resistance provoked by suci
rulers that is denounced as
rebel lawlesSnesS and violence
And what are the wrongeC
victims to do? Every verba
protest is construed as evi
dence of their disloyalty, if il
does expose them to immedi
ate vengence. But a few
weeks ago the Office of til,
Rusellville Tribune was burn
oil lD-- g.,