Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-08-14
From the New York Tribune.
SHOTGUN DeSpOtism.


1t is fortunate for the country that the
despotism of rifle-clubs and mOb-law is
now brought to the serious consideration
of greenback and Independent voters.
The recent ontrages in Mississippi were
not perpetrated for the suppression of
radicalism or republcanism of any type.
Mr. Dixon, the candidate who was forced
to retire in Yazoo county, was n democrat,
and formerly confederate soldier, and
had been more active than any other man
of that county in suppressing republican
ism. His crime was independence. His
friends, who embrace many of the most
intelligent and worthy citizens of the
pendents. All over that and other states
at the South, the same weapons which
were employed not long ago to crush out
republicanism, are now raised to destroy
independent movements and national or
greenback organizations. The Corinth
Record, quoted yesterday. declares that
|
"greenback party must be "thwarted
'and punished We must arouse from
"our lethargy, and if necessary to the sue
''cess and vindication of the democratic
''party-the great party of the people
''resort to desperate measures.
"Arm for the conflict and wage the war
| thn htttnr. nd i nt. .,tt hat
''tle-cry be death to the traitors and enc
''mies of our people. Dixon,
.'Vassar, and their horrid crew of dema-
"gogues. are more dangerous enemies to
''the liberties of our people than the worst
''leaders that ever ma. .shalled the hosts of
''radicalism in our midst This is but a
sample of declarations which appear in
democratic papers. not only in all parts
of Mississippi, but wherever the solid
Solid finds its solidty threatened by green
back or Independent movements.
Unfortunately, past events forbid us to
believe that these threats are to be taken
in a Pickwickian sense. Altogether too
many men have been shot, stabbed, or
whipped to death. 1t has come to be well
known that the Democrats of the Solid
South do kill people who do not agree
with them. They talk fairly, as Mr.. La
mar has done. They promise profusely
as Governors Hampton and Nichols
promised. But when they promise free
dom, they mean freedom to vote the reg
ular Democratic ticket or be killed. When
they talk of death to traitors - they mean
assassination for those who stand in the
way of Democratic success.
The greenback and Independent voters
have been much inclined to treat this
Southern despotism of the rifle and the
mob as u thing to which republicans only
object. To their disgrace, it is true that
men of other parties have not objected.
Greenback votes have been given in Con-
gress to seat men whose only claim to a
seat was that their supporters had been ac-
tive and efficient assassins. The green
back voters and the independent journals
have refused to regard the massacre or
bulldozing of political opponents by the
democrats at the South as an important
feature in our national affairs. Perhaps
they will begin to have more just views Of
the matter, since the victims of this most
Infamous of all depotsms happen at pres
ent to be men of their own faith. The re-
publican party has denounced mob-rule
and political assassination, not merely be-
cause republicans suffered but because it
is treason to the Republic Self-goven-
ment cannot exist where these things are
tolerated. Free institutions are mockery
and elections are frauds when band of
armed men can force candidates to with
draw, frighten voters from the polls, and
make their will supreme. But that is the
Solid South it is war against free govern
ment ofevery sort. The greenback and dinde-
pendent voters of the North, sooner or
later, will be compelled to realize that no
question of public policy whatever, wheth-
er financial or political, can be intelligent
ly discussed and freely decided. until the
Southern type of democracy has been
stamped out. Before we discuss how a
free government ought to be conducted
we must first make sure that we have a
free government. Men do not spend time
in debating ethics, or moral science, or
the most economical mode of conducting a
fire department, when the house is on fire
Put out the fire first: stamp out this re-
sistance to law and to the just restraints of
free government; and we can then consid-
er in safety what principles deserve the
suiirages of free people. The greenback
notions we hold utterly mistaken and mis-
chievous but this is free coun-
try. The greenback orator or cand-
idate is just as much entitled to
protection as the democratic or republi-
| can. There must be an end of shotgun
despotism in this country that is the first