Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-04-21
The Mississippi Investigation.

The action of the Senate in adopting
resolution for investigating the recent
State election in Mississippi, was proper
and timely, and all the more so for two
rcasons-(1) the fact that a Presidential
election is soon to occur; which, from It's
importance, will tend to intensity the
anxiety of the enemies of the colored
voters to control the South; and (2) be-
cause the recent decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States, in respect to
Federal interference with such matters,
will be likely 10 encourage and embOlden
the rebel element in their efforts to over
whelm loyal citizens.
As must be evident to every rejecting
mind, something must be done to protect
and sustain the colOred race in the South
in their legal rights, if they are to be
saved from utter subsection TO the White
Leagues, now menacing them with threats
of political determination. They have no
guarantee for civil rights, or for life it.
self, aside from that given by the Consti-
tutional amendments and the laws of Con-
gress under them. There is scarcely a
State in all the South in (which they would
be safe for sixty days, if left to the ten
der mercies of the whites. This fact is
manifest from the entire record of the re-
lations OF the two races.
Nor is this very strange. When we rec
member what these relations have been
that for two centuries the one was the sub
jeci and the other the ruling race-that
the tendency and effect of such association,
in the nature of things, were to degrade
and intellectually and morally etfeminate
the one class, while cUliivating in the
other the spirit OF domination and selfish
ness-and that this condition of things
has been disturbed and the subject race
emancipated by power outside of the
two, and under circumstances specially
repugnant to the ruling race-when all
these things are borne in mind, II is not
surprising that there should be an obsti-
nate resistance on the part of the late mas
ters, and that they should cling 10 the
hope that, by some means or other, their
"lost cause" may yet be regained, Even
though this may not be expected in its full
import, the slaveless masters yet cherish
the thought that, though the Confederacy
be lost and chaltel slavery in its old form
not again practicable, the late slaves may
be denied the condition of civil and polit-
ical equality assigned them by the COnsti-
tuition, which, being attained, and the
loyal blacks out of the way, the next step
backward toward the old order Of things
would be ready and easy, With the bal
lot-box substantially in the hands OF the
rebel element, there would be little re-
straint left for them and the way 70 vir-
tual independence of the General NeveFn-
ment not difficult.
The facts in regard to the Mississippi
election of 1875, as supplied from the
most authentic sources, fully justify the
step taken by the Senate for ascertainlng
the truth of the case. If that election
was characterized by great fraud com
mitted upon and violence exercised To-
ward colored citizens disposed TO support
their rights at the election" the fact
should be established, and the sooner the
better, and to Congress alone can the
country look for such steps as shall dis,
close the truth. 1t is not the colored
citizens of that State alone that are CON
cerncd in the case, but those of every
other State and not alone the colored
citizens Of all the States, since the fraud