New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-18
BALLOTS, BULLETS, and BULLDOZING

IDl JhcpuDht'ih h'DoipJ'
BALLOTS BULLETS, md BULLDOZING.
A shameful thing should have a shameful
name and it is well that the barbarities of
Louisiana and Mississippi should pass into
history under the stigma of barbarous ETY.
mology. Those who hereafter may pursue the
study of Americansms will not find the origin
of this coarse and cruel word obscure. "A
"buldozen once meant the fTigbtiul and OF en-
fatal violence to which slaves who had specially
offended were subjected. The word now may
mean intimidation, or more and worse than IN
imidati0n-hogging, shooting, hanging, burn
ing-the design of which is to teach either
white or black voters the errors of Republl-
carism and the wickedness of voting for the
Republican candidates. In some instances this
nolicy of fright or of torture has been 50 per-
sisehtly pursued that locally it has extin-
gushed the obnoxious party altogether, leay-
ing magnificent prima Jdcic Democratic major
ities, and a record of =" votes cast" too one
sided to require any prolonged scrutiny. The
poorest wretch In very civilized State, if dis
covered dead, receives the post-mortem honor
of an inquest but the Democratic watchmen
i'm Louisiana consider the mysterious disap-
pearance of entire constituencies as beneath
their notice. They decline to take into ac-
count the somewhat unsatisfactory dissemina-
ton of political truth by the persuasive
pistol tho rhetorical rope, the con-
vncing cowhide. and by all the other
implements of the fine art of bulldozing."
O, no! Let us have an investigation upon the
''basis Of the votes actually east !" Let us
not be guilty of the reprehensible curiosity
which goes peeping and prying behind returns.
These, indeed may be sophisticated. Is there
not grim irony in that phrase now so often
in the mouths of desperate politicians" The
"basis of the vote actually castf" IL would
seem to be somewhat more consistent with
law and equity, and justice and reason, and
good faith, TO set up moderate hue ana cry
for the vote which was not actually cast; or if
investigation must be confined to the mere
contents OF the llot-boxes, would 1t be an
ntolerable usurpation. dcplorable violation
of the rights of freemen, to ask how they got
thcref
We are told. and there is cause to believe,
that the record of neither party III Louisiana
il perfectly clean, and that upon both sides
there has been no lack of "bulldozing." II
we admit this, it only proves how urgent is
the necessity of broad and general in
vestigation of the returns. There is now an
opportunity of checking, and indeed of stamp
ing out this preposterOus and abominable
method or no method, of conducting elections,
before it passes into a precedent at once
obstinate and noisOme. Bulldozing," tamper-
ing with the ballOt-bOxes, sophisticating the
returns-all the miserable machinery by which
the pests of Democracy seek to restrain its
healthy and happy influences-why not deal
with them now, and, 80 far AS possible
thoroughlyf The mass of the American
people is an honest one. Each OF its
party divisions has too much honor to
desire temporary ascendency at the
expense of the national honor and reputation.
An American President, made such by
q great electoral fraud, would present the sor-
rest and most shameful spectacle ever wit
messed in this Western world. Nor can those
States in which the laws are respected and the
moralities Of the franchise preserved afford to
be linked to these badly governed provinces,
these bodies of political death. DO those who
oppress murder, or cheat the negro consttu-
encies know what doleful fate they may be
prepariuz for themselves, what terrible pas
sions they may awaken, what sanguinary re-
yenges they may prOyokeY The time for
guarding against a great social catastrophe is
lust now. At any rate, let ns have the testi-
mony upon which an unbiased Judgment may
be made upl The whole people want the
truth respecting part of the people, whose
good condnc. has become a condition Of the
national salvation. Let us have no bull
"dozing" of facts and evidence