The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-25
THE REASON FOR IT.

THE REASON FOR IT.
1t is seldom we find so frank a statement
as to the extent of the political murders in
the South since the close of the war as that
given by Jap Turpen, the friend OF Mr.. Til
den, who believes that no ticket can equal
In late letter to the People, of this city, Mr..
Turpen says:
"From the close of the war to the end of
Grants administration a murderous race
struggle smoldered, but certainly progressed
at the South Republican opponents grossly
attributed this horrible condition of affairs
to the rebels natural hatred of the negro,
| and the Democratic organization wickedly
denied the existence of a conflict But from
indisputable testimony. such as the evidence
in contested election cases and the reports of
congressional investigating committees, it is
shown that more black men died by violence
during the eight wears of Grant than either
the federal or confederates ever lost in any
one engagement. 1t is safe to write that from
! the surrender of General Lee to the Inaugural
| ton of Rutherford B. HAYES there were at
| least four colored victims for every day. To
deny this is to lie, and to impute it, as the
Republicans do to the innate viciousness of
! the Caucasian and his malignant hatred of
of the TRUTH Statistics show that life and
property were so insecure that migration far
exceeded immigration in the fairest section
of our country. Fertile fields were surren-
dered to the wilderness and weeds, and for
the want of labor thousands of plantations
were deserted" Tih
This is more than has ever before been adj
mitted by Democrat, through Democrats
paper yet all well-informed persons know
that it does not half state either the number
killed or the general desolation of States
which have no superiors as to natural adj
vantages 1t makes no note of the tens of
thousands of Northern men who went South
with Northern capital and Northern energy
and Northern thrift to develop these re-
sources, but who, carrying with them North
ern ideas as to politics. were killed or so mis-
that they abandoned everything, glad to es-
cape with their lives Mr. Turpen gives the
following as the reason for these murders:
During these dark years. many of them
blacker than Black Friday, despite the
steady growth of the North, why did the
South, with its advantages of climate, com.
handing crops, timber, and mineral depos-
its, make such feeble progress? Simply be-
cause the doctrine of hate prevailed, natural
to people living in government con-
trolled by an irrepressible, ignorantand mer-
cenary class. The poor black man, so lately
emancipated, interpreted liberty as license,
and having no conception of mine and
thine pillaged everything that could be
driven and carried away, and labor had no
protection for its products but the gun, the
pistol and the rope"
This is it: ''The gun, the pistol and the
rope" became the argument that was to
silence all opposition to Democratic rule,
and it silenced so much of it that the few
wheeled into line, and again the South be-
came solid. 1t was indeed a reign of "'the
doctrine of hate" They hated the negro,
because he was negro and voted the Repub-
lican ticket They hated the Northern immi-
grant, because his thrift was constant re-
buke of their slip-shod methods, and because
he voted the Republican ticket, and they
called him a ''carpet-bagger," They hated
the native white man who voted the Repub-
lican ticket, and called him ''scallawag''-
and all met the same fate-negro, carpet
Dagger and scallawag-they met "the gun,
the pistol and the rope" in order, as Mr..
Turpen alleges, to protect labor Whose
labor, pray tell?
But not the least significant admission of
Mr. Turpen is the following After assum-
ing that there was peace and general pros
perity within the South during the admins
tration of Mr.. Hayes, because the people of
the South were left to do as they pleased,
Mr.. Turpen says:
"From the moment that Malone, who by
the very nature of things must be an I'M
natural growth politically representing in
telligent and honest Virginia as faithlessly as
Dorsey did the people of Arkansas, was re-
warded with executive favor trouble began
The cupidity of a trifing and ignorant class,
both white and black, was stimulated, and
there surely could be nothing in such influ-
ence to give encouragement to decency.
Again we may prepare to hear of war be-
tween the races, and the whole strength of
the Republican party will be cast, though
unconsciously no doubt, to that end"
Here we have confession from most in
tense Democrat that, in spite of the ''let-
alone" policy of Mr.. Hayes, the people of the
South are likely to break away from the
Democratic party. And how are they to be
met? Malone is an unnatural growth po-
litically" He belongs to 1.-The ignorant and
trif1ing class, both white and black" What
then? 1--WE may prepare to hear OF a war
of races" Well. that war is ron
The slaughter of ueprnes in VirDinia and