The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-11-12
j, irrs4se4 According 20 N .jor Merrill

), Tre4se4 According 20 Major Merrill
y Mej0r LEWIS MEReIL. of the
SeveHtlI Cavalry (for his eminent
hangmans services in MissoURI.
breV6ltetl Lieutenant CoIOheI, AMI far
haHtnrg v lite men with blood. hounds
i'll South Carolina sbrevelte,l' Briga-
dier GeHeraD has arrest ed ia Shreve-
port, La, sone of the best citizeiis of
the Stale Messrs. Pike, Jacobs, uar-
an,tLintlsay, McWillianIs and nicnLy
others. The charge against them is
treason against the United States Gov
ernment in that they have violated
the Endorsement act. Merrill swears
that these citizens did each and
'every one OF them, conspire TO in-
atimilate - aud conirOiMuIneroHs quail
"ifiet voters irf said district in eAer-
3" cising The right of suffrage, by
81 threatening to deprive said voters of
employment, by refusing to re-
{" new contracts with said voters tor
$ sslabor,im violations of a statute OF the
United States.p Whereupon Com
missioaers LeViSse issues lIislwarAnts,
and Merrill arrests the whole baich.
{ Now,hit proper the. readers of
The World shouIii understand the
sort OF treason for which Merrill,
UNDER sanctions OF United States stat
ute, has Earrested these citizens.
Shreveport il zin an exclusively cot
ton country and the labor contracts
made there arg for work in the cot
ton lfieIasH These contracts. are of two
sotas. First, between the owner.Oi
splatGtaIioIE and the hands employed To
nil IL. The owner agrees with his
hands to furnish,stools, Hlachihery,
mules, and. otheristock and their feed,
seed . and fertilizers, provisions tor
hantls,3 clothes, pocket money, every
thing provided the negroes will caI-
tivate aud secure the crop, antt gin 1t
out aud bale IT, afterwards share and
share alike. lie advances everything
B---the System is entirely credit sys-
tem-and ii his hands after fis ing on
him from February to September,
choose to leave as the cotton ID open
ing, he must lose not only his crop
but all his advances made upon the
strength OF his @cFop. L ct tits tred-
son against the UNITED States Gov
eg'liIn eiit for a planter, so situated, to
CHOOSE his haiEds-to exercise A.y dis
;Cfetiohsiala selecting the imdividHaiot
whom he must extend this enormous
and perilous credit. X ~
I 5is The 0therstsOft of contract which
MerTill consteues it. to be treason to
hay e any discretion about is between
the sfockeepers and the lab0rers. A
negro rents SO much cotton land. lie
has nothing, but he expects to make
from the land SO many bales of cotton
as his share OF the crop. fhe man he
rents from furnishes seed mule aud
plough'; but will not durHith .heacOn,
meal, clothing, tobacco, &c. U1less
the iaborer can get these he must stop
work. Accordingly; helc0DtracIs with
\ storekeeper, opemssa credit account
with him to run nine or ten months,
by which he is TO receive his supplies
aud provisions, have them advanced
to him, upon condition that, when the
ncgros crop 10 made he is to pay the
gtOFckeeper's bill in cotton ginned or
unginned. 1t is treason according to
Major Merrill, constructive of the
Enforcement ACT, for the storekeeper
to exercise any discretion as to which
Negro lie will trust and which he will
not trust. e Hi lta1 asii s-. tesea
Bring the matter home. Imagine
major of cavalry swearing out 4 war
rant against aud aFresting the proprie-
tor of the Leepubgic, because he has
dismissed a drunken %Frat" ola COM
poaitor who is a Radical voter, " and
g 'thereby threatening to deprive such
g voters OF employment" Imagine
Major Merrill taking A. L. Stewart
of TO the TOmbs for refusing to per-
nit one Of Grants Custom House Of
fcers to- open an indefinite account
with him upon the strength of pros
pectiVe wages and nock.downs,"
thereby threatening to refuse tore
new the contract with said voter for
labor" But this is precisely what
Majo Merrill is doing in Louisana,
under the pretence of securing the en-
forcement of the fourteenth amend
ment 10 the WOrld
s'Ft tI-4 - - - y
WHY j.. IT?-Why is it that nine
years afterathe. close OF the war troops
should be needed to do police duty in
Louisiana, South Carolina and Ala
b4ma? Are they not completely un-
der Republican rule? After this utter
failure to Establish justice aud secure
domestic tranquility" the party in
power had better prepare to retire and
let the Democratic party try their
hand. 1t is certain thata party which
in addition TO fostering the Credit
Mobilier, back-pay grabs, Custom
House abuses, Jaynes and SanboPns
and third term projects, is incapable
of keeping order in States governed
by Republican officials without the
aid of the army, is not fit to be trusted
hn n fni of