Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-10-27


protected in all their political privileges;
here, too, is foffna1 declaration of the |
Democratic party of devotion to the Con
stitution and its amendments" the |
whole emphasized by the vote of the
Democratic House of Congress, denounc
ing rs worthy of certain, condign and !
cffectual punishment" every attempt by
"force, fraud, terror, intimidation or
otherwise to.prqvent the. free exercise of
the right of suffrage in any State"
Now in South Carolina tits notorious,
and is publicly defended astho true pol
icy, that no negpP who does not renounce
the Republican party shall be hired as a |
laborer, or in any other capacity; shall |
not be employed as house servant, nor |
as hotel waiter; as barber, coachman |
ormechanic; shall not have any lease for
land or for house to live in; that moth
ingahe has to sell shall be bought, and
not hg shall b. e.sold to him; that nocon
traS fES Sfkiiig lnnd on shares or
gatl$ring opssshhli be made with him;
thatfhe iii he excluded from recognition
except w 81 S1euy pf The Slate that no
whit INN Mavsng Any dealings whatever
with any negro who shall not renounce
the Republican party or who shall him
self be RcpuhlioaRy shall be recognized
socially or in business, or professionally, |
otherwise than as an outcast and as. an
alien in tie state Rursuant to THIS pod
icy thousS Sn% aftneaoes haSe been dis
missed'from employment; have been cut
off from all means of earning living for
themselves and families. Here is intim-
iddtion and terrorism of the meanest |
kinda form of oppression which would |
not be- tolerated. one hour in any North
crn State, But this intimidation does
notlstop here. 1t Includes violence in
its most infamous forms. The negroes
arelargely in excess of the whites in
population, and the Republican majority
in the State at a fair election would be
not less than 5000. The Governor of
the State has proved himself the best
Governor the State has had since the
war. He has been so acceptable to all
classes that, until within short time, it
was the intention of all parties to reelcct
him, without opposition. At the last mo-
ment the Demoratic Convention yielded
to the demands of the extremists that
Wade Hampton be nominated for Gov
ernor, and that he be elected on the
Mississippi, Plan"
The State became at once camp. The
Democrats organized, not as political
clubs such as are known in the North,
but as 'Rif1e Clubs" mounted and on
foot, The white population from eight
cen to sixty became an organized army,
with its infantry, artillery and cavalry.
Every precinct produced its company or
battalion, and, each county its regiment
or brigade, d These, men are armed as
thoroughly asin the war, and so COM
plete is the discipline that any required
force can be concentrated Mt short notice
at any pointu The afternoons and even
ings are devoted TO parade and to drill.
WhefeHertheT is Republican meeting
called !, TO that meeting regiment of
armed men proceed. They begin by de-
manding that the meeting shall be joint
one. If this be refused then the meet
ing is dispersed, and generally with a
volley fred7into the assemblage. There
is not day but q disturbance occurs be-
tween the rifle clubs and the Republi-
cans, in which the defenseless negroes
are shot down like dogs. 1t has been
proclaimed that the only safety for the
negro voter and for his family from vio-
lence and death Is renunciation of the
Republican party and pledge to aid
the whites to elect Hampton Governor
and Tilden President. The war of the
rifle clubs is especially directed against
those colored men who are leaders among
their people and who are candidates or
likely to be candidates for local offices or
for the Legislature. These rarely escape
the rifle-ball or the buck-shot. The end !
sought by this violence, by this display
of military force, by this continuous
procession of infantry and artillery and
the scouting and ndNnight-riding of the cav
airy, is two-fold: First, to prevent and
deter. the negroes from voting at all;
second, 70 soefce and terrify them into
voting the Democratic ticket These ne
groes have as a class the timidity natural
to long generations of Slavery. They
are eSnnarmed, and generally have large
families dependent on them for support.
Upon these defenseless people the armed
miROrity dnostIOf them veterans of the
Confederate army, war in the most cruel
and persistent manner.
There are five States at the South
where in fair election the Republicans
would have a majority Of votes. These
StSlss sse EettL o~EoliHa, eVutiI oarU-
lima, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida
There are five States at the North where
the.ehances are SO uncertain that the
Democrats claim TO be able to elect their
menrsi These States are Connecticut,
New Jersey, Oregon, New Hampshire
andeOalifornia. Now, suppose in each
of t1ese' FIVE lastAamed States the Hayes
and1WheeleF Olubs,s instead of bearing
torehes and ltfying to getup larger pro-
cessions and marching better than the
Democrats, should organize as rifle clubs,
win sttf1at ~ eh ~ .,itrc nd artiIIarv ,ond
atteid eyert aDemocratic, meeting and
dis pefse Il by firing Into the assemBlage,
killing ~, speakers or some of the aud
itotsSend gsnerslly, visiting the houses
of the psmOaratsi and threatening them
with eRterminations or death unless they
agree t0sfoie for Hayes and Wheeler. !
Would not the President of the United |
States be 'rccreant TO his duty and false
10 his obligations 10 the Constitution and |
law y upon the application Of the Gov
erIiors OF these States he did not inter
pose al the, force necessary TO arrest
such pnrderops proceedings, and to pro
tect the voters in their freedom Of choice
and their right to vote peaceably and free |
from violence or threats Of yiolenceY
The President has acted In this case
of South Carolina precisely as he would
have bad to act did the like clrcum-
stances and conditions prevail in a
NoTthern State He is possibly open to
the charge of having delayed interposi-
tion beyond time when IL ought 10
have been done. The work of murder,
violence, intimidation, and terrorism has
been largely accomplished; in many sec
tions OF the State large bodies of negroes
have already enrolled themselves as non