Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-07-18
Some Plain Truths.
LToma b Journal

A gentleman, writing from Hemp
stead, Long Island, says: Il have
been radical Black Republican since
1854, but neither an office holder, nor
an office-seekcr. l think the Republi-
can party, as a party ever since the
war has been pusillanimous, has failed
of its duty, has surrendered its con-
victions. has temporized and yielded,
in this, that it has not insisted at all
hazards upon the absolute protection
of all the rights and privileges Of
every citizeu of the Republic, south
as we'll as north When it had the
power it failel to pass amendments to
the Constitution that would give the
General Government power to protect
those whose allegiance it claimed.
For ten years it allowed southern 10y
alists to be pushed to the wall, to be
assassinated, to be deprived of the
franchise and of such other rights as
the rebels chose to wrest from them,
doing little more than make volumin-
Gus investigations, which by their
haste to reinstate ex-rebels in power
they let all possible power to protect
citizens pass out of their hands. The
result is that while the rebels and
their abettors are dining in our ears
that we have an unsurping President
the fact is that we have an usurping
Con 5ress. The Democratic majority
having been obtained by intimidation
and murder, while the Republican
patty have only family protested
against this congressional usurpation.
I complain that the Republican party
did not meet the very first case of an
attempt to foist into a seat in Congress
u man whose only title was the blood
Of bulldozed citizens, as it would have
met an attempt to set up king over
US. [ complain that the Republican
legisl atures of every Republican state
did not sound the alarm and did not
emphatically protest and demand of
Congress that the suffrage should be
free and untrammeled in every south
ern precinct and insist that we should
not and would not be subjected to this
Congressional usurpation. They ought
to have done on the side of right and
constitutional freedom what Maryland
has done on the other side.
The question now is, what is to be
done? Let there be concerted
movement of the Republican party to
restore the right of suffrage to south
ern citizens. Let that he the leading
issue of the campaign: Let every
Republican Legislature in session pass
resolutions in which they assert that
from fifteen to thirty Congressional
districts in the south have been so
terrorized that large Republican major
tiles have been deprived of representa-
ton in congress, thus putting the
government into the hands of minor
ity. Let every Republican convention
do the same thing. Let them demand,
first and foremost, that this usurpation,
this outrage, this tyrrany, be over
thrown. In order to do this let every
Republican district at the south be
most thoroughly canvassed, if possible
by Republicans of national reputation.
Let delegations so down there to wit
ness and report. Let the converse
tions, committees and newspapers
every where repeat and relterate the
demands, the assertions and the pro-
tests. Let the public be thoroughly
1 -, q Al, i
by an usurping Congress and to de-
termination that this state of things
shall not continue.