Daily Republican., 1879-08-21
rroous at the Polls.

10 have been made the poitieai lssus VI
the campaign, and all the Democratic
organs in the country were busily On
gagged in showing up the terrible des-
po.ism under which the people were
living SO long as the President had the
power Of quelling riots and keeping
peace at the polls by the assistance ol
troops, if troops were needed and hap
pened to be within one or two thous-
sand miles Of the polls. There was
great deal Of useless breath spent by
Democratic Congressional orators in
showing that all the violence that ever
took place in the South was done by
troops, and were it not that intelligent
men knew bette, 1t might have been
concluded that the poor prosecuted in
nocent, meek lamblike Democrats OF
the South were entirely deprived OF all
their rights. The Gazette" OF this
city fairly bristled with short crispy
paragraphs ending with the most severe
denuuciations of the use Of troops at
the polls, as much as it now does with
copied articles from the REPUBLICAN in
geniously warped and trusted to mis-
represent, and mislead its readers.
Recent and subsequent events in Miss
lissippi have very suddenly checked that
train of argument, and It is now ser
ious question whether there are to be
any polls opened at all in the South ex-
cept to receive the votes Of the solid
Democrats. The latest Yazoo plan is to
decide elections beforehand without
polls, by threatening everybody with
assassination, that dares to offer as q
candidate against the regular Demo-
Gratis.
Instead Of troops interfering with free
elections at the South, 1t is the only
plan which will ever insure free and
Impartial electi ons. From present ap'
pearances there never will be fair
election in such States as Mississippi
Louisiana and South Carolina, until
there are troops placed at every poll IN
those States and if the President had
the troops, to spare be would bs justi-
fable in using the most extreme meas
ures, to prevent the elections in the
South from becoming mere farce by
VIII ich Congress is filled up with mer
who misrepressnt the people and rule
the North.
> 1t is nothing to the credit of Mr.
Bayard and other leaders Of the Demo-
l cratic party, to know that during thu
whole extra session Of Congress they
were engaged in assisting the Yazo'
bulldozers and trampling down thu
'lrights OF the people that this natior
u might be ruled and governed by stu
i pendous system Of fraud and violence
y In view of the political murders tina
have taken place in the South one.hal
'of which have never been published o
y even heard of in the North, these Dem
10 ocratic leaders would have shown NOR
!" practical good sense if they had in
q creased the army. and authorized tn
. President to have it so placed that
y could be used at moments notice il
suppressing just such riots asthe Yazo
L bulldozing affair, and protecting citi
zens in their rights Of citizenship. l
u is the absence of troops at the poll
that is to be feared and not their pres
ence. In all the debates which tool
u place during the extra session of Con
gress not an instance was shown wher
% a single voter was deprived of his vot
by the presence of troops at the poll
but instances were shown where Who'll
1t counties and States have been deprive
70 of their rights and elections carried b.
4 fraud violence and intimidation, fo
- the want of troops at the polls. W
10 are glad however that the Yazoo pla
n even at this late day is bearing legiti
rs mate fruit. The people are beginnin
is to wake up upon the Southern subje'
:, and they are beginning to see and kno
!" something about the stupendous fraud
10 which sent such men as Lamar to tn
n Senate and Chalmers to the Hous,
l. Troops at the polls is just what il
needed in Mississippi.