Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-11-12
THE WAR OF RACES.

come painfully ldIlllllaT SouuuS.
war of races is an active reality In
all those parts-as much SO as was
the historical ''irrepressible conflict
over slavery before the extinction
of that crying iniquity. In most
cases it may not have assumed a
sanguinary character, though in not
few it has reached even that eX-
treme point; but where there is as
yet no physical conflict, race is new
eltheless arrayed against race, in
all the relations of civil and social
affairs. Through all those parts
men know each other and are known
as friends or foes, co-workers or an
tagonists, not according to their
opinions and preferences, their
creeds or pursuits, but solely as
white men and black men.
For their knowledge Of these
things the people of the formerly
free States must depend almost en-
tirely upon the public press, which,
in all parts Of the country, is chief
ly controlled in the interest of one
Of the parties as opposed to the
other. But though concerned HUrh
more to conceal or prevent the
truth than to dilluse it, the news
| papers, nevertheless, tell US enough
to make it certain that great and
I
/ terrible atrocities are continually
pcrpetrated upon the blacks, and
that widespread system OF terror
izing prevails all over the South.
a few years ago these things were
rife in those parts, carried on by
bands of masked rutlians affiliated
| together all over that region, known
as "ku-kiuX." To such an extent
did these atrocities prevail, that
they fairly de1ied the local govern
ments, and required the interview
ton Of the general Government in
ali its departments, the legislature,
the judicial, and the executive, for
their suppression. The etfectual
prosecution Of these offenders, and
the simultaneous reelection OF a
Republican President and Congress,
served for the time to abate these
acts OF violence, and for season
the colored people enjoyed compar-
alive freedom from personal out
RACES. But for a year past they
have revived again, till now an many
places the lives of negroes are
scarcely worth more than those of
dogs, or of wild Indians on the
frontier.
1t is notable that these periodical
outbreaks of violence keep time
with certain aspects of the political
heavens. There seems to be a close
connection between the prevalence
of outrages committed against the
negroes, and Of active aud effective
movements towards the overthrow
of the party in power at Washing
ton. During the present year the
political current has been much
more than for some time before in
favor of the party Of the OPPOSE
ton, and during the same time the
aggressive movements against the
negroes, in their homes and persons,
have moved forward with an equal
pace. 1t is, perhaps, the misfortune
as well as the fault Of the party that
names itself democratic" that it is
presumed to be in sympathy with
the spirit of rebellion and violence
that characterizes the dominating
class OF Southern white men. The
fact is patent, however, that the
success of that party in any part of
the country is accepted and used by
the murderous negro-haters OF the
South as license to indulge their
peculiar procliyities upon the OBJ
lect of their hatred. A war of races
is thus inaugurated, in which the
aggresSors first overawe their law
loving white ueighbors, SO that the
whole body of Southern whites
seelAs to be ON their side; and then,
because they denounce the general
Government which seeks to restain
them, they become affiliated with
the opposition party of the North,
whose influence in return goes to
strengthen the hands of the muir
derous ncgro-haters.
The conflict thus inaugurated is,
necessarily, in many particulars a
most unequal one, though the adj
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