Smyrna times., 1876-05-24
The Shot-Gun Policy in the South

We have news of another outbreak IN
Louisiana. The results of this we sum up
as follows: "Eight colored men shot; four
hanged twenty wounded; no whites
killed" Another source reports =" Sixty
blacks killed. Another says =" Three |
whites killed" The Sheriff reports
HSeyenteen colored men killed and many |
wounded"
In noting this occurrence we may say
in the first place, that all news from the
South, from the Associated Press reporters
and the newspaper correspondents, may be
accepted as friendly toward the democrats
and the whites. 1t has been so at least
since the war closed. Therefore, If these
accounts have been exaggerated, 1t IS in
favor of the whites and not the negroes.
The whites write and talk and use the
wires; they have the ear of the country,
and it is their story upon which we now
comment. 1t is certainly a painful story.
We talk of reconstruction, of pure govern
ment, of bringing the old sections together.
The majority of citizens in the North have
purpose 81 QCdI W bAANAh o@4NAAO RNAAeASeAi
personal, social and commercfm restaration
of the Union. To bring about these results,
to forever extinguish the painful memories
of the war, to enable the South to resume
her once proud position, there is nothing
we would not do, nothing except to cancel
the results of the war. And yet there
seems to be a party in the South which
will have peace on no other terms. This
party recognizes that the negro has been
freed from personal slavery, but it proposes
to reduce him to political slavery. 1t was
conquered by the rife; it proposes to con-
quer by the shotgun.
1t is time for us to speak with theutmost
plainness to our friends in the South.
There can only be one end to this shotgun
policy. These constant stories of assassina-
ton on the Red River, of conventions
dissolved by force, of riots, with twenty
negroes killed and one white man woun-
ded !" of revolutions like that against Ames
in Mississippi; this prescription ofNorthern
men as carpet-baggers" and of Southern
republicans as ''scalawags," this assump-
ton that because citizen of New York
removes to North Carolina and dares to go
into politics as a republican he must neces-
sarily be a scamp and only to be treated as
an outlaw, this ostracism and prescription,
and, above all, these cruel, brutal, inhuman
murders of negroes that we have seen in
New Orleans, Memphis, Vicksburg, and
Colfax, and which we now witness at Bayou
Sira,only defer true reconciliation between
the sections. 1t is no answer to say that
these outbreaks result from the misgovern
ment of men like Moses, Whipper and tbs
rest. We admit their errors. We have
censured the general government for per
mitting them to hold power. But this il
no excuse for the scenes that take place
in Louisiana. See how New York wal
;nisgoverned five years ago. See the mis-
government in Chicago to-day. There il
nothing in the history Of the South to com
pare with it. But neither New York no
Illinois would stand excused for a momen
if the reign of thieves had given place t.
the reign of assassins.
We can only attribute riots like those W
have seen so often in the South, and whicl
we now see in Louisiana, to the reign Q
assassination. The law-abiding men Q
that State must deplore it as much as W
do in New York, and we trust they vii
take up arms and suppress it. We canno
think of the gallant sons of Louisiana-th
- fo1T1wrol ovar a
many bloody fields-going with shotgun
into the swamps to murder negroes. w
appeal to these men to put an end to thi
reign of assassination; for, if they do no
the general government will. Even
there was democratic majority in tn
Hease as large again as the present th
people of this Republic-who fought tn
war for the Union-would never submit j
silence to a union which permits therepe
ted assassination of citizens for their prime
pies. Upon this point there must be 1
misunderstanding. We differ about
hundred things, but on this point we
not differ. Unless there is an end to til
negro killing; unless this reign of ASSASSIN
who, whether they call themselves Il
Klux or White Camelias, are assassin
cowardly and cruel, because they sele
their victims from an inferior, heIple
amiable and inoffensive race-is termir
ted; unless the best sentiment in the Sou
at once Furnishes these men and prevent
recurrence Of their crimes, the strong al
Of the general government will fall up
them. Once compel Grant to draw
sword for the protection of Union mel
and there will be no need of a campal
for the Presidency. Once revive I
Sumter spirit and the delegates to
Louis may as well remain at home. Bay
Sara riot" will datermine the canvI
We all remember how the country thrill
with horror when Lieutenant Gene
Sheridan denounced the leaders of
Camelia lodges and Ku Klux bands
"banditti.n We all remember. how