The Portland daily press., 1874-08-29
The Negro. Numbering Season,

There are good many Republicans who
receive the accounts OF Southern outrages at
this season OF the year with an internal sug-
gestion that there is a curious coincidence be-
tween the recurrence OF these tales of horror
and the opening of the political campaigns.
The suspicion that these stories may be Gre
ated for political capital develops in them
very wholesome disgust. They are not hard.
ened nor unsympathetic, but are little in
clined to be incredulous, having frequently
noticed this same mysterious correlation of
negro murder and the fall season of even
years. Their sympathies are as keen and
their philanthrophy as active as ever, but
tLeir faith is more beset with queries.
This is healthy sign, and has nothing of
i'll omen about it. The Republican party
does not need a single deceased African or
the compulsory revival of the memory Of the
war OR slavery to carry it successfully through
the impending CANVASS. All intelligent men
belonging to the party find ample motive for
allegiance to it in its general tendency to pro-
gress, in the superior worth of its members
and, especially, in the evil tendencies and uni
form bad conduct of the opposition party
when it gains power and prosperity. The
feeling of insecurity and apprehension to
which an anticipation of Democratic res
toration gives rise is more than enough to
give us the victory whenever there is serious
contest.
But there is danger that this marked re-
action against horrifying accounts of rebel
outrage and slaughter may go too far. 1t is
true that we no longer need these things, if
we ever did, as a part of the appliances of
political campaigns. But we ought not to
close our minds to the reception of evidence,
for, since the Republican party is at present
charged with the administration of the gov
eminent, it does need the facts in regard to a
people who are in some sense its wards, and
who have its solemn pledge to secure for
them safety, justice AID equal rights. Be-
cause we are now out of the woods and other
absorbing questions of public interest engage
our attention, it would be wickedly selfish to
shut our eyes to their condition and to desert
them IN their troubles and dangers.
Now there is reason to believe that there is
good deal more than stale political trick
in the present active circulation of blood
curdling narratives of Ku-Klux and White
League atrocities. 1t must be remembered
that the associated press dispatches from the
South are not to be looked upon as colored
for Republican but for Democratic and Rebel
purposes. The agents are almost universally
Southern men, with strong anti.negro preiu-
dlces, and their aim is to extenuate in every
way the evidence of white tyranny and vio-
lerce, and to exaggerate in the same proper
ton black insolence, corruption and lawless-
ness. Yet one cannot help seeing very clear
ly, even from this unwilling and unintention-
al testimony, that in many parts Of the South
the negroes who attempt to take an interest
IN politics are living under reign of terror.
The method of the whites is very simple.
First, by series of acts of fraud or intimida-
ton, they goad their victims to some overt
act OF resistance or retaliation. This enables
them by their greater skill and address to
place their antagonists in the position of az
gressors. Thereupon the whites give loose
rein to their animosity, and the freedmen are
shot down like dogs or driven out of the
country. Their method is identical with that
which has always been pursued by the strong
in their invasion of the rights of the weak.
First kndle wild, ungovernabe rage by long
continued acts of insolent aggression. and
then assume the role of innocent sufferers
when the blow is returned, thus gaining n
pretext for ruthless spoiiation and general
slaughter.
tits evident that the Republican party has
much more to do for the negro, both for his
own sake and for the sake of the country.
The blackman's neighbors oppose all plans for
his education. Yet be must somehow be ed
ucated or he will never work up into safe
and helpful member of homogeneous body
polite. Through the agency of either the
state or the national government, light must
be spread through the South or the present
state OF affairs will become chronic, and Mex
leo will gain respect by lis relative Quiet and
security. The negro must be protected. too.
IN Inc exercise OF his political rights. IT will
be noticed that Southern Democratic conven-
lions, while they formally repudiate The M
tion of violence, do, nevertheless. cloor1,, ~,
nounee their determination to exclrSo III
black blood from participation in the stoto
governments. It's sincerely to be hoped that
the legitimate use Of the ballot may be relied
upon to effect this purpose. But former citi-
zens of Maine, now residents of the South
of the highest responsibility and unimpeach-
able veracity, who have recently visited their
native state, declare that there is great dan
ger, in case of the general success of the
white Mans Party that no Republican,