The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-12-17
The Bloody Shirt Issue.

The Bloody Shirt Issue.
After aall the Republican leaders have
shown 4 deal of shrewdness in returning
to the "bloody shitt" issue. It had be.
come obvious that on the issues involv
ing craftsmanship they we're gradually
losing ground. As iull and free discus
sion of these brought them into clearer
light befure the people, the voters-werc
rapidly glavitating toward the Demo-
cratic party. etst. ~.rs~
A diversion became q necessity; the
only alternative being the disruption of
the Republican party, which a year ago
seemed imminent. The "stalwarts," led
by CoSKLINa and BLAINE. raised the ban,
ner of the "bloody Shirt" and it is now
the raliying point OF their broken ranks.
Even the President. who at one time
showed signs Of regarding the welfare OF
the country as above the welfare of his
party. has surrendered to the politicians,
abandoning his Southern policy as faith
lessiy as be did bis Civil Service Reform
The advantages OF the "outrage"
strategy we're too PLAIN to be overlooked,
Stories could be manufactured faster
than they could be refuted and alarge
proportion of those who would read the
stories would never hear of their expos
ure; and another large proportion would
I push aside the exposures with the old
pernicious maxim "where there is so
much smoke there must be some fire. "
But this plan Of OPERATIVES to be
worked successfully must be thoroughly
worked. 1t must be started With some
show Of Authenticity. The public mind
must be prepared to receive the stories,
before the stories were paraded before
the public. Accordingly our poor, weali,
yaclllating President was induced to In.
ltimate in his Message that grave outra
ses had been committed in the 5 ,atli at
/, the late elections, leaving the outrage
moneers to furnish the .details.--
This keynote ,is,to be followed up by
harransnes in Congress bols,esed up by
statements wrought out with the most
narrowing details, after the manner OF
the ELIZA PlNksroN'afiidavits which did
such effective service before they were
exposed. ,sa1 .s.ll,srt s1...
A specimen Of the "bulldoSing and
fraud" statements sisto be fonnd'in the
l.record" OF the election ino Fairfield
County, South Carolina. 1t Is alleged
that in this county are, no less than
three thousand Republican voters, and
that not a single vote was counted for q
Republican candidate The conclusion
was at once jumped 70 that this was the
result Of fraud and bulldozing. Blu. the
| fact turns ont to- be that there was no
Republican State ticket nominated, and
| in inis particular district no Republican
Congressional candidate, and in this par.
ticular county no Republican county of.
fcers nominated. So the complete ex.
planation is that there were'no Repabli
can tickets counted OUT because there
were none put in the ballot-hoxes, and
none were voted simply because there
were no candidates. s g a 81
A specimen "outrage" is reported BY
a Federal official named LEONARD as hav
ling occurred in Caddo Parish, Louisiana
The substance of the story is that bands
fof armed men paraded the county intim
4idass.-o -s.1.i--- "A isss ..~
gro's houses and committing other out
RACES so that o total of seventy-6ve ne
Egroes were murdered on election day,ir
that single parish. s@ sf4I
A number OF business men living il
the parish aver most emphatically tina
there was not breach Of the peace Of any
kind, that the election was unusually
|quiet and devoid Of excitement, and tina
There was no obstacle ofany kind placed
in the way Of any voter. :.
4 Yet the air will be filled with just sucl
stories, and to be made effective they
must be, and doubtless will be, told ant
retold before they can be corrected.
! There we're doubtless occasional irreg
ularities in the South as there we're q
the North, aud as there are somewher,
or other st every general election; bu
we confidently believe that full and fai
Investigation would show more illega
and illegitimate Influences to have heel
employed in Massachusetts than in an,
State of the South.