The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-08-13
From the n. Y. world.l

| talk OF war OF races IN tne south,
though intending to convey an idea of a
possible future contingency have little idea
how near they approximate the actual
situation. There has been q literal war
of races since the advent of reconstruc-
ton. It is one in which the whites Of
the State have been ground beneath the
iron heel of the conqueror quite as efec-
tually as though veritably overrun by
the Goths and Vandals of old. II is use
less to mOralize in the face of stubborn
undeniable facts! Taken at a fair esti-
mate, and the entire white Republican
vote of to-day would not exceed 5000,
all told, scarce enough in round numbers
TO fill the offices in the gift of the execu-
tive. Nor are these, by any means, of u
class to reflect aught of credit on the
party they claim to represent. On the
contrary, more unprincipled, soulless
set of knaves and adyenturers would be
hard to imagine. Take them one by one
and their private records, If compiled,
would form a roll of infamy such as
would shock the moral sense Of any re-
spectacle community. By pandering to
the prejudices and working upon the
sympathies of the ignorant blacks these
men have succeeded so far in hoisting
themselves into most of the positions of
trust and emolument throughout the
State. To say little of other considera-
tions, their conduct alone has been quite
sufficient to make the so-called Republic
can party veritable stencil in the nos
trils of all the more respectable element
of society. Following in their train, in
seeming abject obedience, has been, from
the first, an army Of ignorant blacks.
OF all this immense horde, making all
due allowance for possible improvement
since first enfranchised, it is safe TO say
that not one in fifty can read the vote he
casts. The mere fact that seven-eighths
of the party in power were unable to
read, to the Northern mind would con-
iure up q vision of political evils that
would be looked upon as sufficiently APP
palling. The picture, however, is far
from fully reflected, even in such light
Such condition of affairs at the North
must necessarily be far preferable to that
as actually experienced in Louisiana
The uneducated classes at the North are
surrounded by and brought into con.
slant contact with the virtue and intelli.
gence of the country. The effect is tC
mould in a manner the character and
habits as well as political bearings and
iuclinations into something like a proper
accord ...
| Again, as gross ignorance is, at most, {
| decided exception rather than q rule il
the North, if is only by stretch of thu
imagination it it can be considered a
in absolute control Of the destinies o
| the country. ...... l..
! Ii is consequently moral impossibili
ty for the Northern mind to realize thu
nature and effect of its domination il
the South, Here we have in the masse
of the blacks the grossest Ignorance i'm
aginable, surrounded by none of the in
fuences that can hold it in anything lik,
Legitimate control, ....... 10
i The great mass of the blacks are con
gregated in the river parishes, and il
communities by themselves. In the up
land parishes, as also in the uplands il
general, but comparatively few are to b
II found. Here the country is populate,
4 in the main by small-class farmers
Performing in a great meaaure their owl
= labor, they have littleuse forthe service
of the blacks. YuIG WI
d Being in consequent decided minor
ity, there is little heard of any troubl
on the part of the blacks in such local
ties. It is only in the alluvial lands il
the cotton, sugar and rice producing sec
tions of the State that the old plantin
ystem is retained in anything like it
original form. Here, as consequence
are t6ngregated a vast majority Of tn
blacks. 0utnumbering as they do, te
to one, the whites in their own immedt
ate vicinity, they form at once commr
nifty of themselves They are comparc
lively isolated as a consequence, as the
are almost wholly removed from the il
fluence of the whites. Comprising, 9
they doin the main, the only availabl
labor, they have held the planting intel
ests Of the State literally at their mere.
To the planter, in the case as presented
there has been afforded little, indeed, {
the scope usually seen in all the variou
, contests batween capital and labor. In
: poverished in everything but lands, tn
! planter could be Independent in nothin
2 He must strive as best he might at an
|; and every sacrifice to make crop,
certain ruin, swift and sure, stared hi
2 in the face. To make acrop he was ne
essarily dependent on the labor OF II
J. blacks, in that none other was to be oI
i tanned. The blacks, gradually appreci
ting the situation, have as gradual
5 grown more and more unreasonable an
exorbitant in their demands. The ord
7 nary relations between employer ar
e employed have undergone compile
2 and radical change. The blacks, instes
n of seeking, assume to dictate terms,
: which the planter from the very neeess
l. ties of the case is forced to accede. II
s planter under such a condition of affai
n has grown poorer and poorer from ye
" to year. ..AN
{ With increasing poverty on the part
II the planter has come increasing arr
d gance on the part Of the blacks. To a
n cede to their demands has long been I
y cognized as tending to certain pecunia
II ruin. To refuse, on the other hand, W
but to hasten the catastrophe.
l. There has thus been a constant stru
le gle between the planter and the blacl
> It is one in which, SO far at least, I
planters are gradually going to the wa
y In some instances the planters ha
IS sought through combination to prott
4. themselves, in measure at least, frc
!, the entertainments of their laborers.
u a recent result, in st. Mary's parish, I
b armed organizations of the blacl
a through which they intended to enfoI
is their demands, was only dispersed by
i. company of State guards from New
: leans. Very naturally, subsidized a
muzzled press had little to say throu
ce which truthful version Of the aft
or should get abroad. .!
of The receut exposures on the P'cdy
:, and Times, but more especially on
lie .Picaptne, have brought the BuLletin il
ne a prominence it probably could
es otherwise have obtained, save throu
q much and long continued. labor. I
" exposure placed the Rcdytne literally
r. / = n =. \ -.