The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-17
A CRIME AGAINST THE PEOPLE.

OF an individual, but of law and order. The
legal voters of the United States are its rul-
ers. According to their will are congresses
made and unmade, executives set up and
deposed. Whoever or whatever interferes
with the people in the discharge of this high
duty impairs to that degree the
vital functions of the body-politic,
and is therefore inimcal to the
genius of popular government The man
who willfully stands between any legal voter
and the ballot-box is guilty of very grave
political offense: he has offended and in
jured all the people. The will of govern
ment in this country is represented by the
male citizens over the age of twenty-one
years and not specially disqualified by i'm be-
cilty. insanity or the commission of crime.
According to the national census of 1880
there were in the United States 1880 $40
men of age qualifying them to have voice
in shaping public afflirs. All of these
did not vote in the federal election
of that year, there being but 9,204, 42S votes
| cast, vi THESE, OdrllSlu TCC6lNGQ h ftJOOOj
Hancock, 4, 442 OBS; the remainder being di-
vided among several candidates. From this
| it will be seen that no one had a clear major
! ity, Garf1eld's plurality over Hancock being
but 7,01S. In 1876, according to the returns
accepted, Hayes received $50, 935 less than
did Tilden, though the former was declared
elected by a majority of one in the electoral
college. In 1872 President Grant received
popular majority of 727, 975, and this great
difference was owing to the general detection
of Democrats on account of the nomination
of Mr.. Greeley.
Such comparatively narrow majorities in
so large a popular vote naturally suggest
how easy it would be to change the general
result by some slight means, In 1876 a
change OF 461 vo tes would have given the
Democratic candidate the electoral vote of
the state of Florida and would have made
Mr.. Tilden President. A change of but
| 24O4 would have changed Louisiana
and given the country over to the Democratic
party. A change of 446 votes would have revo-
lutionized the politics of the country. These
| figures are all favorable to the Demo
cratic party, since no account has been taken
of the votes lost through intimidation so
boldly pursued by certain men of those
| States. According to the regi stration OF
1876 there were in Louisiana lis, 26S colored
voters to but 90, 354 white voters. The argu-
ment that quite naturally suggested itself to
the Democratic managers then was quick to
be acted on. If we cannot by argument
change the sentiments Of. 2, 4O4 of the legal
voters of this State all we have to do is to
keep twice that number from the polls and
| the same end is accomplished. The policy
| of intimidation and violence was continued,
and the fears of the $4,000 legal colored
voters of that State were sosaroused that not
only was the Republican Aajority of 4,So7
wiped out, but an alleged adverse majority
OF &c, 617 was polled IN 1880. That the reign
| of terror had done its work is all the more
apparent from the fact that the total vote of
| las, S23 in 1876 had declined to 103. 522 in
1880. According to the Democratic count of
1876 there were polled 100, 1877 votes, and at
| the next national election, when the total
vote should have been even larger,
there was falling off of 81, 375 How many
of these were caused by colored Republicans
being frightened from attempting to vote
may be easily guessed.
But this is an old story. and is only re-
peated to show the incentive that impelled
Southern Democrats to resort to the easy
methods of murder to capture for them what
argument had failed to gain. That the same
system of violence is still an active principle
in Southern politics admits of no sin
knows anything of political history. Mr..
Tilden knows it; General Hancock knows it;
Senator Mcdonald and Senator Hendricks
know it as we'll as they know that there was
a party riot and three men killed in New Or
leans on Friday last. More than that such
knowledge is criminal knowledge, since it is
in their power to put stop to it. The proper
remonstrance from these men and men like
them would put an end to outrages and po-
litical assassination. Each Democratic leader
in the country is morally particeps
crimins with the men of Ellenton and
Danville and of Hazehurst Lest they
plead ignorance of facts familiar to the read
ing public everyW here, it may be we'll
enough to quote from the Copiah Miss
Meteor some of the proceedings of a public
meeting of the Democrats of Copiah county.
On the 9TH of November, at Hazlehurst, in
the county and State named, a mass meet