The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-09-02
Organized Outrage.

The Washington special of the Boston Ad-
rertiser, as well as those of other papers, con-
tains statements which must 60 great ways
to confirm the belief that throughout the
Southern states there is in active operation
an organization to intimidate the colored
voters, and by previous acts of violence and
threats to keep them away from the polls dur
ing the pending election, in order that unit
ed Democratic delegation may he sent to
Congress from the late Confederate states.
The special of the Advertiser says that Mr..
Hayes Of Alabama, who was ebel general,
now in Washington, and a member of Con-
gress from that state, asserts that "the ne
gross are in perfect panic and are in hourly
fear of their lives. Many of them are pray
ing for slavery to be restored. He says he is
Stunned by the white people on account OF
his vote for the civil rights bill, and even the
negroes are afraid to have any intercourse
with him. Even his old friends cut him in
the streets. He says that near his place the
negroes had quietly assembled to hold a eau
Gus for choosing delegates, and that though
their proceedings were of quiet and peacea-
BILE character, yet large body of armed horse
men rode up to the building masked and fired
their guns and pistols through the windows
and doors, killing ten men and breaking up
the caucus, and then quickly rode away. SEN
ator Spencer also reported many serious cases.
Senator Patterson also called and brought
forward similar condition of affairs in South
Carolina; and Secretary Bristow, who also
sought a conversation with the Attorney
General, said that be was in receipt of letters
and dispatches from people who could not
mfsrepresent affairs, and he was satisfied that
there had never been such an example of out
rage, abuse and persecution in Kentucky as at
present" These outrages are now confined
to those states where the colored vote is large,
and likely when polled without interference,
to elect Republican Congressman.
Fuller accounts from Consulate, Louisiana,
prepare the public for details of the most vic.
lent and fiendsh character when the facts
are fully known. Not only have the colored
officers and leaders in two parishes been ar
rested and put in Jail without due process of
law, but they have been taken out and MUIR
dered, and that for the purpose of intmida-
ton.
If any considerable part of the mplaints
of violence and outrage in the South are well
founded, indeed, if the accounts of the rebel
press agents of murder and outrage are ac-
cepted as true, more American citizens have
been murdered in that section during the
summer than by the Indians on the plains
and frontier. The better part of the Repub-
lican party deeply deplore the renewal of race
prescription and rebel violence. They fondly
hoped that the time had come when the people
OF those states could safely be entrusted to do
justice to all, but such is not the case. The
s'clasping" of 1872 is evidently over and the
old issues are once more forced upon the
country. Having fought so long to establish
the rights Of life and liberty to every Ameri-
can citizen, the Republican party will not fail
to again maintain the ground so fairly won
and at so great cost.