Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-10-11

his old creditors of 1861 are hunting UP
their bills, which have a new interest,
now.
Burning COlored SchO0l.HOuses and
Churches.
Do the Democracy of the South mean
to challenge the attention of the world by
deeds of outrage and yillainy that shock the
sense of every thinking being? All civil
lied nations have regard to the religious
convictions of their citizens and prefer to
see the erection of places of worship rather
than their destruction. Education is also
looked upon as a necessity, inasmuch as
ignorance has been found to be far more
costly to the State than instruction; and
it is better to teach the masses of the peo-
pie, in order that they may peacefully
support themselves by labor, than to do so
after the character has been lost, and as a
punishment for crime. But the Southern
Democracy do not appear to regard either
education or religion as of any value to
the citizen, for they have often made
away with the school fund, and even
the school and church buildings them
selves
The parish Of De Soto, in Louisiana,
has been the scene of some characteristic
exploits of the Democracy Before the
war it had a population of 1929, of
whom 4, 191 were free and S,507 slaves.
There are no slaves now, hut the colored
citizens are in a majority; and the white
Democrats are determined that they shall
not have the advantages of school instruc
ton if they can help it. How incon
sistent and criminal! Democrats com
plain of the ignorance of the coored
man, and then burn down the school
houses in which he was to be educated
and the church buildings in which
he worshiped. As far as can
be ascertained there had been
no disturbance in De Soto to irritate the
delicate sensibility of the Democracy; but
there is strong Republican majority in
the parish. The usual Democratic in
ducements had been offered to colored
voters to support the Democratic ticket.
These had failed; and the white minority
was vexed at the stubbornness of the col
ored people who could not be persuaded
that the men who had owned their bodies,
and bought and sold them, and put the
money in their pockets, or made them
work from dawn to dark without paying
wages, were their most devoted friends.
Blood had also flowed in that parish-hu-
man blood-and of course that of Repub
licans. A reign of terror had to be in
augurated. The shotgun and the revol-
yer, the hangman's rope and the lash were
ready But a master stroke of policy had
to usher in the outrages resolved upon to
intimdate Republicans. SO the torch
was added to the implements of Demo
cratic solicitude for the colored mans
welfare; and the work of the torch be-
comes the subject of report in the South
ern journals. The colored school houses
on Amos Henderson, and Robert Holmes
places, on the keachi and Logansport
road were burned to the ground a few
nights ago Mount Zion colored church,
in the same locality, was visited by the
parties who did the burning of the school
houses, and the furniture was defaced in
a most disgraceful manner Another
school house, on Il different road in the
same locality, was burned the same night
No doubt these burnings were consd-
cred as the strongest evidence of Demo
cratic zeal on behalf of the colored people
that could be produced at the moment.
Ordinarily, however they could hardly
| be expected to call forth much love from
the persons interested The Democrats
said they had to strike the blow: and if it
either drove the colored voters from or to
the polls, and the Democratic ticket got
the benefit of it, the object was attained,
whether it was through love or fear
One southern Journal perhaps, took a
view of the transaction which presents l.
in a light that most persons will be will
ing To think, though sensible, might have
been made much stronger. Ii says:
We take occasion to remark that such
deeds should not be tolerated by the better
thinking men Of that locality They certain
ly reflect no credit upon the community, and
the hot.heads who perpetrate them should
he checked in their mad career. 1t was in
this same locality that squire Headrick was
killed during the campaign of 1874, and the
law-ahiding people should assert their pow
er right in the beginning, and put stop to
such proceedings in this campaign. One OF
the sChooi-houses burned was used as a
church also.
This villainy was pernetrated just be-
fore the passage OF Mr.. Scott Lords reso-
luton The record has been made, and
the evidence Of its truth consists in the
scattered children of the colored families
in the houSelcSS churches that assemble
now in the fields for worship, and the
blaCkened ruins OF the burned buildings.
These deeds have not been forgotten, al
though the criminals NAV hope for i'm
punijy. ButitiS not at all improbable that
ihcy NAV Yet be held responsible, and that
the education of the colored people may
be rendered more secure by being pro
tecled by the strong hand OF power.-Re-
gnjit. N8gy-fac.