Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-10-25

Ask a boastful democrat upon what he
predicates his assurance Of 1'ilden's election,
and the answer will invariably be, We will
have the South substantially solid, to begin
with" To insure the requisite number of
electoral votes it will only be necessary to
gather up enough here and there to swell
those Of the late iusurrectionary states into
a majority. On the very face Of it this fact
is enough TO open the eyes Of any thoughtful
man 10 the inevitable consequences Of AZ
election thus obtained. Under such ciicnm.
stances, we must of necessity recognize the
"solid South as the head and heart of the
democratic party, its seat OF power and the
source of its activities and aspirations. The
"solid South is nothing short Of the late
Southern confederacy seeking domination
of the United States, through the machinery
of the democratic party. What was lost by
the bayonet is now sought through political
strategy. We do not mean by this that the
destruction of the Union is thus mediiaied.
or that in the event Of 'filden's election an
effort will be made to re-establish slavery.
But we do believe that such state of things
would ensue as would absolutely nullify the
spirit Of the emancipation proclamation and
the legislation which that measure rendered
necessary, and that the condition Of the
freedmen would be absolutely worse than be-
fore the war.
The immediate and pressing demand of
the solid South" in the event of Tilden's
election, will be for money. They are i'm
poyerished by reason of the war; and they
are bent upon relief through the United
states Treasury. Give the solid South
year in iull possession of the government,
under the name of Tlden and reform, and
there would be from that section such flood
of claims and jobs as was never heard of
since the foundation of the republic and
we do not believe Tilden would have the
power, even ii he had the will, to turn his
back upon his political creators, and effec-
tually resist their demand for relief
But we cannot shut our eyes or ears to
the extraordinary methods adopted to Sc
cure this "soid South" and the terrible
consequences which have already resulted
therefrom. Under this reign of terror the
condition Of the colored people in many To-
calities is already worse than when they
were held in slavery. And this, not because
they are less peaceful or inoifensive, but
because their old masters are determined to
render their enfranchisement nugatory I'M
less they cast their votes for the men aud the
party which opposed their emancipation,
and who still regard them as only fit for
chattel servitude. Indeed they can only
escape death by the bullet or starvation
through abandoning their political princi-
pies. The evidence is indisputable that
there are to-day thoroughly organized armed
bands, composed of the representatives of
the first families" ready to respond at
any moment to "disperse Republican
gathering, or "kill niger" 1t is because
of this reign of terror that Georgia has Just
recorded her seventy-fve thousand majority
for the democratic ticket, on the lightest
vote ever cast in the state. 1t is by this
process of intimidation and murder that
solid South is to cast its vote for Tilden.
If he is elected he will be elected through
the agency of a system of assassination as
barbarous and brutal as that of the Turks
of Bulgaria.
These are the means aud some of the CON
sequences of solid South" Do they
commend themselves to Northern men with
Union principles