Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-10-23
NO. ID.

for exercising the political rights con-
ferrsd by the constitution of the United
States IS scarcely deemed worthy of a
passing record, but never of trial or pun
ishment. This open defiance of the laws
of the United States is net confined t,
political cases, but extel Is 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, my democratic friends, are called
upon to face, and not the question Of
state rights as presented by General Ew-
Ing and other leaders of your party. 1t
is not question of the precise boundary
between the powers of the general and
the state governments, but it is O ques-
ton of the power Of the states 10 over
ride, degrade and humiliate the national
government, strip il Of its appropriate
functions, cripple its power to execute
national laws, ana to deprive acknswl-
edged citizens of the United States of
equal rights and privileges. | say to
you that there is but one ending to this
question.
TnE NEGROES ARE FREE
by national law, and their freedom and
all that that word implies will be secured
10 them in time, though all the rebels Of
the south and the democrats of the north
may unite 10 deprive then of their rights
Liberty once acquired cannot be with
drawn, and the oaly 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 solid
political organization, which will make
these people of the south respect the lib
critics Of American citizens and obey the
laws. The growing power of the north
ern states, by natural increase and immi
grafton, the weakening power of tbs.
southern states, by the fleeing away fror.
their borders of the active and spiritet.
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 ballotbox
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 reve.
nue. laws. There is no present hope for
the freedmen, because they are poor and
defenseless, and in armiDg to assert their
natural rights would only bring upon
them superior physical lower. Their
great remedy is that which, under the
providence of Almighty God, guided the
Israelites from Egypt, and led our fathers
to flee from kingly 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 powerful political Or
1nIr 70
tain the equal rights Of the humblest citi-
zen Of the Uunited States in every part
of our country and wherever our flag
floats.
I believe that the election Of the re-
publican ticket in Ohio by large ma
jority will do more to secure the rights
of the freedmen in the south than an
army with banners. Let that be follow
ed by national victory of the republi
can party, and the southern question will
soon be healed. We want nothing from
them except obedience to law and re-
speCt for the rights of others. / know
that in all the south ern states there is
powerful conservative independent party
who dislike what has been done there as
much as we do, and would, if they could,
organize to resist and oppose them. Ia
several other southern states there is
clear republican majority, and if that
majority could vote anu its vote be
counted, the southern question would set
tie itself. | have seen by the score, men
of property in the south who freely ad
nit all the wrongs that | have here
stated, and who know and feel that the
only remedy for them is in the suprem-
acy and success of the republican party.
| appeal to you, my democratic fellow
citizens, TO
LOOK AT THIS SOUTHERN QUESTION,
to examine the facts for yourself, not TO
take the sentiment or deniaIs of any
man or set Of men; and if,
on such examination, you do
not find that your party is assuming a
load Of wrong and crime and infamy In
defending these southern states in what
is called the Mississippi policy, then
am entirely mistaken in you. The great
body of men of both parties in Ohio,
must look upon such wrongs in the same
way. but party leaders who see in the
solid south increased political power,
founded upon crime and violence, can
not resist the temptation to ally itself
with this compact organism, solely with
view to gain success and Office and
power. 1t is to the thinking masses that
appeals must be made to heal this grow
ing sore in the south, for which, if there
is no remedy provided, it will spread its
gangrens over the whole country, and you
will as sure as fate, have in the south
wholesale exodus of the oppressed race, q
disturbance of all the business interests
ofthe south, or war of races, involving
resistance, crimes, and disorders On the
part Of the blacks as well as on the part Of
the whites.
These extreme remedies should be
avoided by healthy measures of redress
and prccaution, and, the greatest Of all,
wide-reaching in its influence, is to main
tsin in power the republican party,
which for twenty years has administered
all the great functions of the government
with remarkable success, and now is the
only party that can o1al with a firm,
strong hand, with the lawless, reckless,
rebellious minority that now rules the
south with fraud and violence.