Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-11-01
Shall Mob Force and Intimidation Pre-.
vail.

Shall Mob Force and Intimidation Pre-.
| vail.
| This is the one great issue to be decided
at the coming election. rising above and
| uanscending all other questions. Attempt
to disguise it as we may, and sheer at it
as some do, the startling fact still remains
patent and indisputable, that upon this one
point may rest the entire question of the
| Presidential contest. The Democratic
party base their only hope of the election
of Tilden and Hendricks on what they
call the "solid South" They concede, at
the outset, that the loyal States, as on all
occasions since the Democratic rebellion
of 1861, will now be substantially united
in support of the party that put down that
rebellion and saved the Union SO the
only possible hope of the Democrats is. in
controlling the entire strength OF the rebel
States, OBS votes), with which as basis,
they hope, by some means, to obtain in
/ the North the forty seven votes necessary
to success Thus it will be seen that I'M
less the South be made s. solid for Til
den, he stands no chance whatever
But the Democratic leaders find them
selves confronted with the fact, that in
'72 the States of North Carolina, South
Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana,
Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia and West
Virginia cast their votes for Grant, and
that while several of these may now be re-
garded as Democratic, there yet remains
five of the number-North Carolina,
South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and
Mississippi, with forty electoral
votes-which are so clearly Republican,
that if left to free ballot they would go
rs they have done at every election since
the war Take these forty seven votes
from Tilden, and he would have but
ninety one Southern votes, or less than
onehalf the requisite majority.
1t is thus seen that this thipg of a
"Solid South" is simply matter of life
and death with Tilden Without it, he
never would have consented to become
candidate, while witlIit, his chances are
by himself and friends regarded as eX-
tremely doubtful. The one point, then,
is simply this; Can the Republican ma
jorties in the five States named be over
come, and those States controlled for Til
den? If not, the issue is decided in adj
vance But hos? That was the question
on which all hopes hinged. Not by ar
gument-not by reason-not by any of
the means recognized among freemen.
The forum and the press were not consid.
cred for one moment in that connection,
and but one resort remained, and that was
brute force The only possible means of
securing "solid South" consisted in
such personal intimidation as should pre-
vent Republicans in those States from
ooting at all. How this is to be accom-
plished, is already known. The Ku- Klux
and the White Leagues are the forms of
organized action heretofore employed by
! the Confederates. Their business, largely,
was to assault, murder and rob loyal cill-
zens, with the view of driving them out
of the country. But additional means
! have been found necessary to the emer-
gency of the campaign, and this need is
met in what is called the "Edgefield
Policy''-that is, the shot gun policy--to
which Gen. NJ. w. Gary, leading Tilden
and Hendricks orator of South Carolina,
referred in recent political speech He
said;
! The Edgefeld policy won In the State Con
! vention and will win in the present cam
| paign. That policy is to plainly tell The NJ
/ gJpcS that the lrditeS aee again IN command Of
! te state. We Democrats do not want heir
votes, bit Hcy lrW UOfe dgl{1St ltS NJ their peril
/ We must warn the leaders that the "tall
peoples will fan first" | for one toobM shoot
! first Chamberla n, Elliot, Patterson, and
| such carpet-baggcTs; second, the mlserab c
white native scallaW ags. and lastly, the
| black leaders geue ally. 10 armed 10 the Bat
| iot-b0r, and meet force with force. If any ne
tries 10 pretcat you from carrying the State tW'
| 1iideR ami Hampton, the per>,n or persons
who SO try must BE- ,ehOue3 out Of the Wdy By
ne use II Sufficient force; and if it becomes
necessary to shoot them in order to remove
! them, then we must he prepared 10 shoot,
rather than be prevented from redecming the
State from Radical rule.
Again, this Tilden leader says:
South Carolina is tchHe mans state, and
in spite Of niger Uaqjoyities, the Democrats are
going to rule II. This we swear by heaven
and in the face of God.
The Edgefield Policy is based on
what are called Rifle Clubs" answering
! generally to the ku-klux Khan, and whose
business it will be on election day to pa
troll the country, as mounted cavalry, and
to keep the negroes away from the ballot
box by force until after shutdown. That
this is the plan Of the Democratic cam
paign, there is not the 81 ghtest question
The speech OF Gary, and the entire move
ment of the Democratic leaders in the
South, confirm his testimony. They well
| know uiaJ thcte II IN Houtn taTOllnd 4
Republican majority of 40 900, and that a
free ballot would give the State to Hayes
and Wheeler beyond ell possibility OF
doubt, as it would at least four other
Southern States, and TO prevent this, is the
business in hand.
This was in accordance with the entire
policy of the Confederaies, who, at Nc
time, have recognized colGred men as en-.
titled to any rights as citizens White
votesn alone are to be counted Now, as
in 1865. South Carolina is white
mans State" and niger majorites
must not be allowed to interfere 4" If il