The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-01-26
ENIntimidation Of voters is the bur-

den OF the charge made by the Repuhli.
can leaders against the Southern whites
This rs made the preteSt for throwing out
votes enough in Southern States TO give
the Republicans control OF them; it io
deemed sufficient excuse for setting up
ano maintaining Fraudulent and usurping
governments It is the only Justification
offered for dispensing Conservative Leg
isla'ures at the point OF the bayonet. An
allegation that voters have been inUmida
ted is deemed an ample warrant for wrest
ing the reins of government from the ma
jority, and handing them over to the de
feated and rcpudiated candidates.
SHERIDAN, who has been seut South to
Illustrate the principles of free govern
ment, and to give his party a boost, APP
pears to think that man should he hunt
ed doxn as an outlaw if there exists a
suspicion tina. he ever meant to scare
darkev.
The Republican leaders are unrelent-
ing in their hostility to intimidation =
There can he no doubt about that.
1t is true that their Efforts 10 prove the
frequent exercise OF this deprecated pow
er by the Southern whites. were not to say
eminently successful. In two of the
Louisiana parishes whose votes the Re-
turning Board threw out on accourt of
intimidalion,every man who was thought
to have any knowledge on the subject was
examined under oath by the Inv rstigat-
(. ing Committee. The result was, that
while many .ofthem felt certain, in a gen.
eral way, that there had been intimida.
lion, not one of them could name a voter
who had beer intimidated or white man
who had done any inimidating. And
l;he committee say that "Many witnesses
of both parishes show beyond question
that there was free, full, fair and peace
able registration and election"
But the trivial incident that there was
no intimidation should not be allowed to
detract from the merits ofihe republican
leaders in making such virtuous and Wig
orous war on it. If they would make
such laundering uprosr where there
wasn't any intimidation. just try to imag.
| inc the wreck of matter and crush Of
worlds which would result if there was
| IT they would discharge a whole park o.
artillery at gnat, one becomes dizzy ir
endeavoring to conceive the conseqaen
ccs if they should he confronted by al
atle. bodied intimidation.
If there is any one proposition settled
beyond the most captious doubt, it is tha
the Republican leaders are down on in
timidatiou.
Andnow having said so many compli
mentary things about them we feel au
ithorized to offer them asuggestion ortwt
/, for which we shall no doubt receive thei
| gratitude.
There are in these Unite1 States SOM
hundreds of thousands Of Federal OH
cials. There are sundry navy yards,cus
tom houses, public buildings and publ
4 works about which many thousands o
voters are employed, especially on tn
eve of an election.
Now there is a slight suspicion in til
public mind that something in the natur
of intimidation is brought to bear upo
these officials and employees. In fact it j
well understood that every man of ther
4 who does not vote clean, unscratche
Republican ticket, is incdhtinently boo
ed ont of government employment. II
lis permitted to vote just as he please
with full knowledge that if he fails
vote the ticket Dictated by the admins
, tration &c may starve.
No doubt these virtuous leaders
their zeal to find and punish case OF IL
! Itimidationin the South, have overlooke
the fact that the administration whic
they 50 ardently support, through thic
and thin, is at every election using t.
whole machinery of this government
power with which to intimidate an
} eoerce hundreds of thousands of vote
using it openly. .shamelcssly and relen
, lcssly.
!, OF course as soon as the existence
this abuse is known to these virtuol
: leaders they will crush it out at once.
: