The Rock Island Argus., 1881-08-04

r. Now that the heat of "a political cam
i paign has somewhat abated, the truth OF
the southern Aoutrage mill is coming to
light. In fact the whole plot by which
these stories were originated is being ex-
posed. The attempts of republican or
gans to slander one portion of this country
by fabrications and mythical stories are
4 now acknowledged. The accounts
were pure fiction. Now that an
exposure is made, these same
organs treat the matter huge joke and
are rejoicing over the fact that they sue
ceeded in deeciving certain northern voters.
This course is as disgusting and disgrace
full as was the outrage mill, for it demon
strates that party that viii resort to such
schemes for its own perpetulty viii not
hesitate to use the same means when an
other opportunity offers itself.
A correspondent for the New York I'ri-
5uae makes the following confession in a
recent letter to that paper:
'1n Mississippi was told by number
of Northern people of an account sent to
the Northern press during the Hayes
campaign" which located an atrocious po-
litical outrage at the place which l was
then visiting. These persons seemed re-
putable, and they all affirmed that nothing
of the kind had ever occurred there. I in
qaired regarding the author of the dis
patch, and learning that he was still living
few miles away, | went to see him. He
laughed when told him my errand, took
a fresh chew of tobacco, and crossing his
feet on the top of the table before him,
began talking of the affair in an easy, flu
ent, Indifferent style, which seemed to in
dicate that he was glad to have somebody
to talk with, and would as lief talk of that
subject as any other. Then the dispatch
was not really true?" / said. We'll" he
replied, '.it was true as to the spirit of the
south generally at that time" But why
did you say that such things happened at
particular place if they did not?" well,
now, you know it would not be of any ac-
count to say, at such time, that there was
lots o. devilish feeling IN the South But
it rather wakes people up to tell them that
something's been done at a place they've
heard Of But it was not true. But he
thought the use of fable or parable was
justifiable under the circumstances because
it was the only way to give point and eff
fectiveness to any account of the condition
OF the South at that time. 'All writers does
pretty much the same thing, he urged.
they have to- 'Oh, hope not, / said.
Well now, if you lived down here awhile
you'd find out we have to fight the devil
with fire. The Northern people who told
me of this occurrence were good RepubG-
cans, and they were specially indignant
about Naturalization, because it alarmed
some of their Northern friend who had been
preparing to remove to that region, but
were now frightened from their purpose.
This campaign correspondent admitted
that the dispatch narrating outrages was
false, but considered it Legitimate for the
good ofthe party
In other words he sought as did the Iri
bttne to stir up feelings in the north
against the southern people The Chicago
Inter Ocean also INDUCED in this class of
literature, and what is true of these pa
pers is also the case with the whole class
of republican organs who manufactured
the southern outrage business.
The papers and the correspondents now
treat it as a triiing matter not worth Sc
rious consideration.
These men and papers are as guilty of
assassination in spirit as is Guiteau, an
other republican outrage speaker, guilty
in fact