River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-30

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 aud
south. We say that the south, with the
tolerance of the northern democracy, is
la open revolt and defiance of the consti-
tut and laws of the United States.
The position Of tie SO til Is almost as
dangerous 10 the peace and integrity Of
the union now rs it was in 1860. Then
the south openly proclai ned its purpose
10 secede from the union, threatened TO
do SO, broke up the democratic conven-
lion, put in nomination aYowed seces.
sionists, and prepared for an armed con.
flict with the general government. Now
u controlling minority in some of the
southern states has nulliiied 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.
dition but little better than that OF
slavery. In states, districts, and counties
where the negroes are in The majority
they are overawed by an armed and or
ganized minority. Several states have
put upon their statute books and inseBi-
GUS series of laws which make 1t difficult
for the negro race TO advance a single
step toward civilization. A statement
OF the wholesale wrongs to 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 en- ingenious system of poll-taxes,
by which ten days labor from the 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 Fepubli-
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 moro 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
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
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 iE these southern
states without danger oflife and liberty.
The right of the people peaceably to as
semble and to discuss grievances is over
awed by the presence ofrifle-clubs ned
and equipped with murdereus intent.
The press is muzzled except in largo
cities. and the mails in many cases are
tempered with, as before the war, TO de
stroy speeches. 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 ex-
cept democrats, and when those few do
vote they are counted out by open, palpa-
Die fraud In the state of South Carroll
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
nullified in many CT the southern states,
and that the rebels of The south are now
riding roughshod not only over the rights
Of the colored people, but over the rights
of white republicans and independent
democrats. This is shown by ths testi
mony taken by congressional commit
tees, by the newspaper press, and by this
open avowals of the men engaged in
these crimes. The murder of men. white
and black, for political opinions and
acts, has been numerous, and not one has
been punished or put in peril for such
crimes. The murder of Chisolm and his
family, and of Dixon, are only prominent
instances of such crimes, The bloody
story of many poor black shot to death
for exercising the political rights con
ferred by the constitution of the United
States is scarcely deemed worthy of q
passing record, but never of trial or pun
ishment. This open defiance of the laws
of the United States is not confined t.
political cases, but extends TO our reve
nue. laws The officers of the government
are set at defiance by whole communities
Their lives are in constant peril.
This is the southern question which
you, nay democratic friends, ars called
upon to face, aad not the question 81
state rights as presented by General Ew
ing and other leaders of your party. l
is not question of the precise boundary
between the powers of the general ane
the state governments, but it is ques
ton of the power of the states to over
ride, degrade and humiliate the nationa
government, strip il of its appropriate
functions, cripple its power to execute
national laws, and to deprive acknewl
edged citizens of the United States Of
equal rights and privileges. l say Il
you hat there is but one ending to thi:
question
TIE NEGROES ARE FREE
by national law, and their freedom and
all that that werd implies will be secut ed
10 them in time, though all the rebels of
tue south and the democrats of the north
may unite 10 deprive them of their rights
Liberty once acquired cannot be with
drawn, and the olly question for you is:
whether you will stand by the rebel south
in this second rebellion until you worry
and drive the northern people into a solid
political organization, which viii make
these people of the south respect the lib.
critics of American citizens and obey the
laws. The growing power of the north
Elm states, by natural increase and immi
grafton, the weakening power of ths
southern states, b, the fleeing away from
their borders of the active and spiriteC
men of both races, will soon close this
contest. At present it is hard TO deal
with the southern question. We have no
physical means to protect the ballot box
or the jury-box in the south. A demo
cratic congress refuses to appropriate
money even TO support the courts in the
southern states in the execution of Tsye
nue. laws. There is no present hope for
the freedmen, because they are poor and
defenseless, and in aiming to asserttheir
natural rights would only bring upon
them superior physical ! over. Their
great remedy is that which, under the
providence of Almighty God, guided the
Israelites from Egypt, and led our fathers
TO flee from kingiy oppression to the
wilds of America. There is another way
and the only relief that is now open, and
that is, that the people of the north, who
hate oppression, who cannot have any
bond of sympathy with such crimes as
have been committed in the south, will
stand together in a powerful political or
ganization, pledged to support and main
tain the equal rights of the humblest citi.
zen of the Uunited States in every part
of our country and wherever our flag