The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-11-26

with his private fortune swollen to-
millions in serving the money power
when he pretended to be a servant of
the people, in the course of speech
delivered in August last, after elabora-
ting the financial issue, said:
But there as a question more important
than money or bonds, or property or sitcer
or gold"
This declaration was made under the
head of ''THE SOUTHERN QUESTION" by
the oracle of the Hayes Administration
and a Republican aspirant for the
Presidency. 1t had reference to the laws
which had been devised and enforced
by the Republican party for employing
the federal army and federal supervi-
sors and marshals for controlling elec-
tons The pretence was the protection
of voters in the South, but it was real
ly for controlling elections in other
parts of the Union where such agencies
could be successfully employed to main
tain the ascendency Of the Republican
party in the government of the coun-
try. The exercise of federal forces in
elections as a factor in the politics of
the country, is too grave a matter not
to excite profound interest. 1t is I'M
constitutional, dangerous, revolutionary
and destructive of the rights of the
people. In repeated instances State
Legislatures have been taken charge of
and in others actually dispersed, by
United States troops. 1t was so in
Georgia in 1869. 1t was so in louisa
ma, when De Trobriand elected mem
bers of that body by orders from Presi-
dent Grant after they had been duly
admitted to their seats under the Con-
stitution and laws of that State. 1t
was so in South Carolina in 1877 when
the Legislature was surrounded by fed
eral bayonets pending the struggle over
the Presidency. In 1875, a brutal sol
der, Sheridan, encouraged by the mill
tary policy of the Republican party in
dealing with the Southern States, asked
for general bill of outlawry denouncing
the whites OF this section as ''banditti"
and authorizing their trial by military
commission. The answer which the
author of this monstrous scheme re-
ceived from headquarters, the Secreta-
nv of War, was that the Administration,
with Gen. Grant at its head, thorough
" approved it." Issue this ban of out
lawry, said he with grim satisfaction,
land no further action need be taken
except such as will devolve upon me-"
l vii! stretch and hang and quarter,
with my military commission" until
the thirst for human agony and blood is
quenched. The edict was not pro-
mulged; but the author Of the PROPOSE
ton, so far from being eourt-martialed
and caashiered, occupies in the military
establishment, the second rank to that
of General of tle Army.
In New York City, a few years ago,
by authority Of the laws authorizing the
interference Of federal officials in cleo
tions, ten thousand persons were
deferred from voting at a single elec-
ton, and four thousand of the number
were thrown into iron cages upon the
pretended suspicion that they intended
to cast illgal votes though they had
been naturalized and were lawful voters.
1t is to the repeal Of the laws by war
rant of which these despotic acts have
been perpetrated, that the Democratic
party, is committed, in order that the
freedom of the ballot aud the right of
local selfgoveFnment may be preserved.
The issue joined between the two
great parties contending for mastery in
the government is plain and simple.
There i nothing rash nor revolutionary
in the attitude ef the representatives
who speak for the Democracy. They
DO not, we trust, propose to make their
repeal a coadition of voting supplies
for the support Of iLe government.
They ought to pass the necessary bills
as separate measures and if they are
vetoed by the President, let the appeal
be to the intelligence, and love of liber-
ty of the people. And if the people
themselves are not prepared to come to
the rescue 81 their own imperilled
rights, the fault win not 6s With the
sentinels on the watchtower who have
sounded the note of alarm.