Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-10-23

South TO the American flag as symboizing
Government based upon, principles which they
events have developed to the common conviction
what we have long been satisfied of: that no Re-
publican state uoyernment will be able to main
tain Itself In the South without Federal assist
ance until the Democracy here shall become con
yinced that it Is vain 10 make war against the
idea Of civil and political equality for all.
Persistent and determined efforts are made by
our opponents to create public opinion at the
North that the Republicans at the South arc but
a horde Of robbers and plunderere, and that the
removal Of the control Of the States to the old
citizens will insure honest administration, pros
pcrity and peace; We md ourselves persistenty
malgned through press mainly owned by the
men who led the South into rebellion while the
Associated Press agents are known TO be hostile
to us. Failures and extravagances in State hnan
cial affairs, even corruptions Of insignificant
amounts when compared with many notable IN
stances in other sections, are magnihed and de-
lican party while like occurrences OF quite equal
magnitude, happening under Democratic rule.
are scarcely noticed and rarely exposed. Crime,
outlawry and violence are represented as peculiar
y pertaining to Radical rule. The cry goes out
that all Republican officials are wanting in ca
pacity and integrity and the continued lament of
prescription against the old inhabitants Is but an
excuse and subterfugo to conceal the real object
in view. Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia are
oficored in every department by members Of the
Democratic party. In Tennessee and Kentucky
the same lawlessness exists, though the excuses
are gone. The war Of class is continued az per-
sistently in those States controlled absolutely by
the Democracy as II Is in those States the Repub
lican party yet have control of, and throughout
nearly all the reconstructed States the power of
the Federal Government is invoked to insure
tranquility and protect life.
The laws of the States designed for the pro-
lection of life and property are not enforced with
certainty, and in cases where they are violated
by members of the Democratic party for political
purposes they are violated with impunity. Con
gressional investigation has made known to the
world that secret oath bound organizations exist
throughout the Southern States; that their OBJ
ject is by force and violence to prevent the newly
1 pufrauclispd
suffrage and thus to deprive them of political
power; that in the execution Of their design the
members of the secret organizations have COM
mitted crimes without number of a nature cal
culated to intmdate and terrify; that they as
| free from fear of punishment or cause to fear by
the enforcement OF the laws of the States In which
| the oifenses were committed as though they were
wholly guiltess. so prevalent and powerful is the
| sympathy for those that commit these acts that
| before It the law is insignificant and powerless.
In the rarest instances has grand Jury preferred
a bill of Indictment against any of the perpetra-
| tors of these crimes, and in moi Instance that has
| come TO our knowledge has petit jury been
| found to return verdict of guilty against the
perpetrator of even the most unproyoked and
| cruel murder when committed upon the person
| of Republican for political reasons. In this
| country the law is sustained by public opin-
ion, and public opinion is stronger than the law,
| Our fathers i'm the formation of our system of
| government never realized that the day would
| come when the lives of American citizens could
| be taken unlawiully and in great numbers, and no
witness to such deeds could be found to prefer a
complaint to the Sheriff, to execute warrant, and
no sentiment in the community sufficiently strong
| to secure condemnation of the Otfense, or the
punishment of the offenders. Yet this Is the case
| in the Southern States to-day. A powerful press
preserves silence to the ofense or persistently
misrepresents the circumstances under which 1t
| was committed, or where concealment is no
longer possible boldly defends the act Of the
| criminal. The character of the dead victim is
| maligned and deed of blood, horrible in its de-
tails, is exalted into an act Of patriotism. Where,
| under the laws of the General Government, the
| United States courts have Jurisdiction of the
offense, and succeed in arraigning the criminal,
the more talented and influential members of the
legal profession hasten to volunteer their services
in his defense, and where bail is required for the
| appearance of the offender the wealthy members
of the community eagerly place their names upon
| the bond. Upon the trial 1t is simply impossible
to secure fairly and in the manner prescribed by
! law, twelve men who will decide impartially be-
tween the Government and the accused and rem
der verdict IN accordance with the law
and the evidence. Those men who have
sworn to murder them, commanded by
their secret organization. and who were perhaps
accessory to the commission Of the offensc, read
lily appear upon the witness stand to prove that
the prisoner was engaged in innocent occupation
far from the place where the crime commit
ted. All the influence and power of the Demo
cratic party exerted in the defense of the ac
cused, and he may well view with indifference
the efforts OF those whose duty IL Is to secure the
infictiOn of the penalty for the violation Of the
law. The criminal otfenscs over which the Unit
ed States courts have jurisdiction are limited il
their number, and the only restraint upon com
mission of crimes of the nature indicated exer
cised by the Federal courts springs in most cases
from the annoyance and expense OF undergoing
form oftrial, and not from the fear of conviction
or its results. If in a rare instance conviction
should be had, the criminal, however heinou'
might be his Otfense, however much in violation
of the laws of his country and of God would fnC
sympathy and comfort and support from the
members of that party in whose cause he was re
quired to suffer, with no sense of disgrace no feel
ing of rcmorse; but with mind imbued with tn,
teachings of his Democratic leaders he wOulC
endure the penalty for his 9tfense with the pride
of patriot and the fortitude of a martyr.
Allegiance and protection should go together
Ifthe paramount allegiance of the citizen is due tS
the General Government, it should, in return 70
this eXaction, assume the burden Of his prOtec
! ton. instead of intrustng the matter to anothc
} power to whom secondary allegiance is due
and from whose neglect or persecution there Il
no appeal. If the Constitution Of the United
: States warrants it, IL ought to be made just "a
much crime to murder citizen of the UnitcC
States IL il to murder a citizen Of a State
| When public sentiment approves and indnrscs
! the assassination of prominent Republicans, a
is the case in most of the Southern States to-day
the State courts have no terrors 10 eyl-doers 70
men are never convicted Of crime where the &C
of an assassin is applauded and regarded as tn,
l performance of duty to the State. If, however
evil-dOers are given to understand that the mat
ter does not end with verdict of aCquittal in th
State court, and that there il tribunal clothed
! with power not only to review the facts and th
law, but to prosecute murderer for the distinC
crime of numbering citizen of the Jnited States
the spectacle annually presented of United State
IP, . - ~ u IN i IN a, - ,
TO prevent wholesale murder and Nolenc
! would never again be witnessed. TIL
fact that the General Government ha
, to send troops into the Southern State
| to protect one class of citizens from tn
violence of another, year after year, shows a dc
feet in existing legislation and the necessity of
| tribunal clothed with power to visit punishment
l upon offenders that cannot and will not be III
z hicted in the State courts The presence q
! troops in many instances has had a restraining
influence upon the murderous dispositions O
Southern Democrats, but of late it is only
cause of irritation and the awaiting of retribu
Z tion that gluts itself when the troops are with
d drawn, with full knowledge on the part of tn
!, assassin that the authority that furnished ten
d porary protection to his victim cannot punis
/, him for his assassination.
q Though every feeling Of humanity prompts Il
I to denounce our political opponents we fOrbea
2 to retaliate upon them in kind the abuse hcapc
4 upon us. We tell the story of Southern DemC
: cratic prejudice, malignancy and crime, an
I challenge refutation. We lay before the couutr
: unmistakable evidences that men in untold nun
n bers have been and are being daily sacrificed fo
adherence to that political faith which the patr
: otism of the nation vindicated at the cost
100000 lives and three thousand millions of trea
ure, and we leave II to the sublime sense of rigl
/ and Justice that charactertZes the American pc,
, pie to judge us Alright and afford to upon the
g own soil that protection that is so readily az
{ corded TO the persons OF their fellowcitizens
l. / forpirrD lands