The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-03
O IN

Without desire to perpetuate sectional or
race issues, but rather with the intention of
correcting them, so that the future may be
free from such violence, it is necessary to
discover the cause of the recent outrages in
Virginia and Mississippi, If the people of
the country can be brought to a realization
of the wrong that has been done, and if the
guilt can properly be fastened upon certain
men or a certain party, a remedy wiildoubt-
less be found, and the bloody business
will cease. Abundant evidence has already
been presented showing that the Danville
massacre was an anticipated slaughter, fully
provided for by Democrats, who armed
themselves for the work. The Danville
Times OF November 2-tbe day before the
''riot''-contained an article under the head
ing Danger" 1t read:
ut is true, we believe, that nearly every
body will be armed on the day of the cleo
ton, and also true that they are excited.
When that is the case there must be danger
that some littl thing will bring on a serious
Democrat to keep sober and not say or do
anything which is calculated to stir up
strife"
Twenty days after the riot" with the in
evitable stain upon the people of that com-
munity, let the blame of the collision" rest
where it may, the same Democratic paper, in
reply to an article calling the tragedy an
atrocious massacre says:
"Your coalition negroes tried to run over
some of our boys and they got shot. That's
all there is in it. And if the same thing is
tried again, some more of them will get shot.
Now howl"
And again, at the suggestion that ''the
bloody shirt was waving, it said:
"'Waving' yes, over three or four dead
negroes who lost their lives by trying to bully
white men. With that you expect to scare the
Northern people into voting for the Repub-
licans. oh, most lame and impotent ON
c%lusion.' Wave your bloody shirt. Who
cares?'
There need be no "howl' over this matter.
It is no new thing, and nobody is surprised.
Even the Democratic party anticipated it,
and after it is accomplished i%mpudently
asks "who cares!" There is no bloody
shirt about this business, for it is not an
issue of war or loyalty. This is a question
of whether political murder shall be per-
petuated and assassination be made an ele-
ment in American politics The Democratic
party, North and South, insists that it shall,
while the Republican party, relying upon
the peoples sense of justice and righteous
ness, as strongly demands that this Abarbar-
ism shall be eliminated. The animus of the
local Democratic press is indicated by the
above excerpts. 1t challenged violence, in
vited hostillties, and %rejoices in the out
come.
From what simple matter the riot" orig
mated, and the innocence of the colored peo-
pie of any intent to do violence is shown by
the following, taken from a colored mans
letter to a Richmond acquaintance, the writer
being a resident OF Danville:
"The riot was as follows: On the 81 in.
slant a white and colored man got in a fight
on Main street; they were parted and arrest
Ell by one OF our colored policemen; and it
being Saturday evening, you know how
many of our colored people are on the
streets; so they rushed up to see what was be-
ing done; then the whites came out and fired
into the crowd, killing three dead, whose
blood on the streets cries for revenge, and
w%ounding a large number in all. | helped
to shroud one who died yesterday morning.
He was shot in the abdomen. 1t seems to
have been a concocted plan. The colored
men were unarmed and made no resistance
at ALL"
Observe the concluding words of the last
three excerpts. The first two are Democratic,
while the last, presumably, is Republican:
IF the same thing is tried again, some
more of them will be shot"
"Wave your bloody shirt. Who c~ares?"
THE colored men were unarmed and
made no resistance at ALL"
These extracts tell the whole story.
THE beautiful, brotherly spirit in which