Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-10-01

dlUcOu COuuty, ituueoSct, are uitItlS y
the premonitOry symptoms, the sud
den outbreak of The scouting parties o1
the Southern Leagues. Fhr revolution
in New Orleans is simply d foretaste Of
nhat may be expected from these or.
ganizatiol.s whenever the national au.
thority shall be placed in sympathizing
hands.
1t is well known that these Organiza-
tions are extended and extending over
every Southern community, and that
their fixed purpose is the reconquest OF
the reconstructed South They will
not tolerate freedom of opinion. They
seek the overthrow of every species ol
authority which is in accord with the
National Government or loyal to the
progress of events and the provisions
of the Federal Constitution. They are
determined to abolish all effective guar
antees of popular education. They are
planning to trsmple down the dignity
of citizenship by rendering its preroga
tives insecure and their enjoyment sub
ject to tie caprice and dsctation OF or
ganized criminals.
In Virginia and Arkansas PROPOSE
tions are, at their bidding, already
pending by which the independence of
the ballot is to be utterly destroyed;
and in the Gulf States the sdeedier pro
cess of intimidation and murder is re-
lied upon to insure Democratic success.
Thousands have already fallen under
the bullet or the knife of the assassin
with this end in view. To the order
loving citizens this statement may ar
pear to be exaggerated; but it is not ex-
aggerated. 1t is true. And it can not
be shown that anybody has been
punished for these crimes, or that any
but Republicans have been victims.
The plea of carpet-bag governments,
if true, would not justify these Outrages;
but it is not true, for the Southern gov
ernments are mainly in the hands of
men of Southern birth, as are the Fed
eral offices in most of those States. But
we do not regard this as material, for
we hold that citizen of the United
States, subject to the National and
State laws, has right to accept posi-
ton at the hands the people or of the
National or State authorities, and tnat
he should be protected in that right,
and that governmental National or local,
is unworthy of the name when it fails
to afford such protection.
What nave the Southern people to
expect from further submission to the
policy and dictation of the violent and
selfish leaders of the Democratic party
in that section? Has suoh leadership
and such blind following given them
peace, security, or prosperity? Are
not their industries ! nguishing, their
fields unproductive, their steams run
ming, to waste, tpeir mines unopened,
their population unthrifty, their COM
merce diminishing, theta schools TO
tAtSll uhoteCuoOuS PAoPSA
ty markless, and their general resources
If these things are at all
true is it not time to call a halt? 1t is
not time for the thinking and better /
portion of the Democracy South to
abandon such disastrous leadership?
Disorded will never remedy these de-
l. IL n,f,
invite successfully population, enter
prise; or capital. With the soil, eli
mate, and productions, mineral and
agricultural, of the South, it should be
the most prosperous and populous sec
ton of the Union. There is but one
road to this desirable candition, and
that lies through the broad and even
plain of peace, loyalty, and order.