Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-03-03


Through accident and design and q
strange combination of circumstances,
they have had some advantages, and a
false impression has been widely dit.
fused. Many good and honest people
have been misied and others, not so
good aud honest, have been willing to
mislead them. Some have been timid !;
some have been deceived; some have
been sore and some have been anbi-
tious. The Democrats have busily
plotted; the independent press" has
busily misreprcsented some Republic
can newspapers have Inexperienced
the real DRIFT; impatience with minor
mistakes has wrought indifference to
great evils; fair criticisms ofquestion-
able propositions has sunk into a gen
crai discriminating spirit OF captious.
nees; aud thus between mistaken
friendship masked hostility, between
honest errors and dishonest pretensions
the party has been demoralized and
the enemy strengthened.
And while these various influences
have been at work the ship has been
drifting upon the rocks. The country
has been advancing towards a peril of
which it has yet no real idea, and
which, when it comes to comprehend
the truth, will startle and appal every
patriot. It will come to understand
that Sheridan was right, not In the
measure he proposed, but in the truth
he uttered and the warning he gave.
1 had q two hours talk this morning
with q member of the Investigating
Committee, which has just returned
from New Orleans-a member in
whose GOODNESS ofjudgment and fidel-
ity to truth and conscientionsncss of
character the country has entire conf
dence. OF course, if l knew the char
acter of its report, should not under
take to anticipate it, and very much of
what was stated, am not at liberty
to repeat. But there are some points
which it is permissible to state. The
very worst, said this member, that has
been reported as to the terrible condi-
tion of affairs in the South, does not
begin to give the whole truth. Unless
one has visited New Orleans, the i'm
agination cannot conceive the dread
full reality. While the plan for COM
promise under the auspices of the
committee was in progress in New
Orleane, scores and scores of the lead
ing business men, not Republicans, but
Conservatives, went privately to the
Committee and said "For Gods sake
do not leave the State until you have
effected q settlement of this difficulty,
and given us reign of law and or
der" They were all intensely anxious
for the compromise. They'were asked
"If you would come out publicly in
favor of this compromise, it would do
much to secure its acceptance; why
don't you do ii ?" "We dare not" was
he reply; "if it were known that we
were here privately with members of
the Committee, urging the compro-
mise, our houses and stores would be
burned over our heads within twenty
four hours"
That is a fact about which there can
be no mistake, and it is frightful ex.
hibit of the state of affairs. The Re.
publicans are in favor of q just COM
promise; the better class of Demo.
Gratis, including the great mass of bus
mess men, are for it; only the worst
o'cmcnt who thrive upon lawlcssness
are against it, and they are terrorizing
the State. As an Illustration Of the
spirit of tho Democratic managers of
the North, one of the Democratic State
Senators from Louisiaua, whose name
[ have, and who ia ono of the most
conspicuous among them, said that
while tue proposition for a compro-
misc was before tho Democratic eau
Gus, hundred kilograms were receiv.
ed from New York, Washington, Balti-
more and other places, urging it's
rejection. They don't want peace and
order in Louisiana--they want party
capital The same Senator said that,
10 t.s shoa~, lao souia Kiuo tutvusIa ms
and shoot down men with
perfect impuni;y-so completely dead
were law and justice. Mr.. Conger, OF
Michigan, Chairman of the Vicksburg
and Mississippi Investigating Com
mittee, gives an equally terrible pic
ture of affairs. Among all his associ-
ates he has the reputation of being
sound, cool, level-headed man. of con-
character. When l asked
him what was the truth about the
temper of the South and the condi-
tioh of things, he answered: "The
Judges of the highest courts in Miss
ssippi, against whom all parties agree
that not q word can be said, have not
dared to sleep in their own houses for
lest they should be assassin.
ated and il that be true of the most
eminent white Judges, you can imag.
inc how the case stands with the poor
blacks" All the details which follow
ed deepened the blackness of the pic.
turo.
Senator Dorsey, Of Arkansas, said
to us: III have not had light in my
house for three years; and that state
ment is true of every Republican in
Arkansas who has dared to express
his political sentiments Senator
Dorsey went to Arkansas, engaged
not in politics, but in railroad enter
prises, and did q vast deal for the de-
velopement of the State. After thus
serving the interests of the community
he had the audacity to be elected
United States Senator, and immedi.
ately his prescription and persecution
began. The windows, doors and win
NV"S W uAn housS WOEC Win
bullets from assassius, who fired in the
dark, and for this reason, as already
stated. he has not had light in his
house for over three years. These are
merely samples of innumerable facts.
some of which are far more startling,
and all of which were derived from
the most direct and authentic SOURCES.
Indeed, many of the Democrats here
do not pretend to deny in private this
general and appalling condition OF
affairs. One OF the Democratic mem-
bers of Congress from Alabama did
not hesitate 10 declare the other day,
as ! personally know, that the Repub.
licans really carried the State ia the
last election, though a Democratic
majority of over Il, 600 was coun ei up.
| d" not suppose Mr.. Marshall will
unite In the report of his colleagues
on the Louisiana Committee, and vet
he stated on Saturday that to say there
was no intimidation In Louisiana was
not true. Others of the Democrats
freely admit the facts in private, and
frankly cay they expect, as a party, to
get possession Of the Southern States
In this way.
nd iOnt harn Ia ona ~ <bo ~, ot;yas