Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-10-29

unjustly. that the black mans privileges have
been acquired through the downfall and at the ex-
pense OF the proud and hitherto dominant eau
casian. In the presence of these hostile political
and personal prejudices the colored people feel
that their rights are in jeopardy, and every con
test, to them at least, involves not only the sue
Cess or defeat OF cherished political convicti tons,
but the loss safety of their political and civil
tights, and this fear for the safety and perpetuity
of interests SO dear and vital to them comes In TO
intensity the anxiety and passion attendant upon
| every political campaign.
| The newly -enfranchised citizen is also obnox-
| ious to tho position masses because OF the
personal srii .tons that the force Of his necessi-
ties has p.casioned. Beginning his new venture
| a. a voter and making his initial efforts as citi-
| zen, not only embarrassed by the novelty OF his
duties and his inexpcrience In public affairs, but
| without the counsel and sympathy Oh his more
| experienced and better informed white neigh
bors and in many instances against their bitter
| newcomer among the whites as his ADVISER ana
| leader. Accession to the number OF Republl-
| cans from the native whites OF the South has
been retarded by the business. social and family
prescription enforced against this less pre)udlced
| and more liberal and advanced class of our citi.
| zens The field for the selection of political
| guides by the colored citizens has been inten
tionally narrowed by the opposition through de-
! nunciation and oppression OF every stranger and
| Soulhern-born man who espoased their cause;
nor have heir selections always been happy or
judicious. One class of their advisers, whether
competent or not, il viewed with harsh pieiu
dices as strangers; the other is regarded as
opposition of the masses OF the resident white
people to both classes has greatly contributed
to embitter the opposition against the colored |
men. There can be no doubtsbut that the crea-
ton and Introduction of this new political class
at the South, Republicans by necessity and pref
ercnce alike, acting in concert as race
for protection against political proscrip-
ton and the personal prejudices OF
their former masters, seeking counsel and
sympathy from strangers because both were
in a great degree denied them at home, may be
considered the original il not the main, source OF
the violence and turbulence that manifest them
selves In all political struggles in that section
| Incidents of common occurrence and expressions
| of more than casual nature make us who are
| witnesses of them skcptical OF the professions Of
the sincerity with which the situation IL accepted
by the Democrats In the South.
Our fears may possibly be groundlcss but We
do believe that 1t Ia the wel-matured and DELHI
crate intention OF the latent secession element to
forever battle against the reconstruction meas
ures the constitutional amendments and against
the political and civil rights Of the coored man.
Disregard OF law, unless contributing to their OBJ
lec and determined hostility to all authority that
does not cater TO their views are prevailing feat
ures and we fail to discover any love for the
Government against which they rebelled aud
which continues to repress their hopes and efforts
to discard it. He that looks for loyalty among
the Democratic and Conservative elements in the
South TO the American flag as symbolizing
regard as obnoxious, win look In vain Recent
events have developed to the common conviction
what we have long been satisfied of: that no Re-
tain itself in the South without Federal assist
4! ance until the Democracy here shall become con-
vinced that 1t Is vain to 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 are but
horde of robbers and plunderers, and that the
removal of the control of the States 10 the old
citizens will insure honest administration, pros
perity and peace. We find ourselves persistently
maigned through press mainly owned by the
man xxhp pI a. rebellion
Associated Press agents are known to be hostile
to us, Failures and exravagances in State fnan-
cal affairs, even corruptions of insignificant
amounts when compared with many notable in
stances in other sections, are magnlfed and de-
claimed against rs utter profigacy in the Repub.
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
pacty and integrity and the continued lament of
prescription against the old inhabitants Is but an
excuse and subteriuge to conceal the real object
in view. Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia are
Differed in every department by members OF the
Democratic party In Tennessee and Kentucky
the same lawlessness exists, though the excuses
are gone The wal Of class is continued as per-
sistently in those States controlled absolutely by
the Democrat" as it 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 tor 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 |
jcct is by force and violence to prevent the newly
enfranchised race from exercising the right of i
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 |
cuated to intmidatc AIS tcrrify; that they are rs
free from fear of punishment or cause to fear by
the enforcement of the laws OF the States in which
the otfenscs were committed as thcggh they we're |
wholly guiltess. so prevalent and powerful is the |
sympathy for those that commit these acts that |
before it The law is insignificant and poweress. |
In the rarest instances has a grand jury preferred
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 a verdict of guilty against the !,
perpetrator of even the most unprovoked and |
cruel murder when committed upon the person |
OF n 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 IN tho formation of our system of |
government never realized that the day would |
come when the lives of American citizens could |
be taken unlawfully and in great numbers and no !
witness to such deeds could be found to prefer |
complaint To the sheriff, to execute warrant, and
no sentiment in the community sufficiently strong |
to secure condemnation of the otielse, 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 persistenly
misrepresents the circumstances under which il !
was committed, or where concealment ia no
longer possible boldly defends the act of the |
criminal. The character of the deao victim is |
maligncd, 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
ofense, and succeed IN arragning 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 it is simply impossible
TO secure fairly aud in the manner prescribed By
law t,yplye men ~ no will decide inn nartfAIly hf-