Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-10-23


ments. Members of congress, who were
sworn to support and maintain the con-
stitution and the laws, tried by revolu-
tionary means TO nullify the election laws.
The last doctrine is the worst of the three.
Modification was the futile effort of a
feeble state to defeat the tariff law. Sc
cession was the abortive effort of disloy-
al states to rebel against the government;
but this last effort was the act of sworn
agents OF the government 10 nulllify law
upon the statute book which they are as
much bound TO execute as they are bound
to execute any provision of the constitu-
ton or the laws for the support of the iu-
dicial department of the government.
They tried to repeal law, and failing in
that they tried to nullify it.
So much for what are called the cleo
tion laws.
The second point stated by Mr. Ewing
upon the question of state rights is as fol
lows:
81 say the great question is whether the
republic and the state are coordinate
agencies of the government, each supreme
in its sphere as defined by the federal
constitution, or whether the state can ex-
ercise no power of government not sub
Ject to federal supervision. ;"
There is no question but that both the
nation and the state are coordinate agen-
cies of the people.
NOBODY DISPUTES THIS.
The people are the supreme power. They
have delegated certain powers to each of
these agencies, and neither can exceed
these delegated powers Nobody claims
that the powers delegated to the state are
subject to federal supervision and control,
but we do claim that the laws of the
United States, in pursuance with the con-
stltution are the supreme law. The con-
stltutlon expressly SO says. We do claim
that the state cannot disregard or limit
the powers conferred by the constitution
upon the national government, nor can
they null1fy the laws passed by congress
in pursuance of that constitution.
The dogma correctly stated is, the pow
ers conferred upon the national govern
ment are supreme, to be executed and en-
forced by national authority. What we
claim is, that in the south there has been
wholesale notification of the last three
amendments to the constitution, and a
notification of the laws passed to secure
tree and fair elections of mem bers of con-
gress, and of the provisions Of the consti-
tuition and laws to secure citizens the
rights of freedom of speech and free
press, and their personal civil and politi,
cal rights, especially of their right 10
vote.
This is our indictment, and we make it
against the democratic party north and
south. We say that the south, with the
tolerance Of the northern democracy, is
In open revolt and defiance of the consti-
tution and laws of the United States.
The position of the soNth IS almost as
dangerous TO the peace and integrity Of
the union now as it was ia 1860 Then
the south openly proclaimed its purpose
10 secede from the union, threatened to
do so, broke up the democratic conven-
ton, put in nomination avowed seces
sionists, and prepared for an armed con-
tllct with the general government. Now
a controlling minority in some of the
southern states has nullified all the con.
stitutional amendments, which were the
fruits OF the war, and has reduced the
body of the negroes Of the south to con-
ditlon but little better than that Of
slavery. In states, districts, and counties
where the negroes are in The ma ajority,
they are overawed by an armed and Or
ganiZed minority. Several states have
put upon their statute books and ingeni-
Gus series oflaws which make 1t difficult
for the negro race 10 advance a single
STEP toward civilization. A statement
of the wholesale wrongs 10 republicans,
white and black, and to all men who
have the courage of their opinions,
would occupy me the whole evening.
In some of these states they have de-
vised an ingenious system of poll-taxes,
by which ten days labor from tho poor
negroes is required on the roads, while
the property of the planter pays nothing
whatever, and in enforcing this law the
whites are practically not required to
labor, but only the blacks. The school
system which was started by the republi-
can party after reconstruction is practi
cally abandoned, and in some of the
southern states the whole population is
ls growing up in the most dangerous
ignorance. The laws relating to land
lord and tenant are more oppressive than
the land laws of Ireland, which drove q
large proportion of brave and gallant
people from the land of their birth. The
landholders generally refuse to sell land
to the colored people, and the annual
rent extracted is in many cases one
fourth of the value of the land. The crops
are mortgaged in such way that it is
impossiblejthat the laborer can have any
thing at the end of his years labor, how
ever toilsome and exacting, and then for
his crop he is paid the lowest price in
scrip, which will buy little more, in any
than fifty cents on the dollar of money,
and the profit is shared between the
landholder and the trader
&c The right of
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
has been so abridged that no republican
speech, pointing out the errors and
wrongs OF the law devised by the ruling
class. could be made liz these southern
states without danger oflifs and liberty.
The right of the people peaceably to as
semble and to discuss grievances Is over
awed by the presence ofrife-clubs armed
and equipped with murdereus intent.
The press is muzzled except in large
cities. and ths mails in many cases are
tampered with, as before the war, to de-
stroy speecnes and documents which
freely circulate here in the north.
The right Of the colored people to vote
has been utterly overthrown by the shot
gun policy, so that now, practically, but
few vote in certain states of the south cx
cept democrats, and when those few do
Fotc tnoy GiC COunlS4 out Dy opeH, papa
Bile fraud. In the state of South Caroli-
ma, which formerly boosted Of its chiVal-
", they resorted to tissue ballots, the
meanest form of fraud ever yet devised
against the elective franchise. 1t may be
broadly, yet truly stated that the consti-
tutional amendments have been utterly
nullif1ed in many ef the southern states,
and that the rebels OF the south are now
riding roughshod not only over the lights
of the colored people, but over the rights
Of white renT1 blicans and iuden4ndent