The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-10
THE NEW REBELLION.
A Good Deal of Truth Compressed Into
Three Minutes.

Three Minutes.
Colonel W @. Wilson, before Lafayette g. A. r. Post.
Comrades have been detailed upon this
cason, to make Il three minutes speech. Three
minutes in which to make a speech is brief
brief indeed Yet three minutes in battle Is
almost AN age. 1t is difficult to measure the Re
suit Of three minutes Of well directed action.
Caesar required but three minutes to cross the
Rubicon and make Rome an imperial democ-
racy In less than three minutes Napoleon, at
Lodi, changed disaster into victory. Three min
utes at Chicamaugua would have closed the I'M
fortunate gap in our lines and saved great loss
ON that eventful day In three minutes, at
Stone river the indomitable Rosecrans, massed
IA hundred cannon upon the enemys center
broke their lines, and caused the eagles of vie
tory to rest upon our standard. lncivil as well
as martial life, three minutes of time is often de-
cisive Three minutes quite long
enough for John Hancock to sign
the declaration of liberty. Three
minutes quite long enough for Abraham
Lincoln to promulgate the proclamation of
emancipation to 1000, 900 of slaves Three
minutes was long enough for the loyal man. in
1861, to grasp his musket in defense of the ma
tonal government, and in 1854 three minutes
ought TO be all the time wanted by the loyal
man to seize his ballot and cast it, with the
same unerling aim that he did his bullet in 1861.
The present time requires determined action. L
have heretofore rested in the belief that the war
of the rebellion closed in 1865. Vain and de-
lusive belief. The war is still going on, not
openly in the field with bayOnets, but secretly
and in ambush, with the ballot. The confed-
crates are again i'll the saddle, booted and
spurred-not for Richmond, but for Washington
not armed with saber and cartlidge-but with
stuffed ballot-boXes and forged election returns.
| This peaceful rebellion is more dangerous than
the warlike one of the civil war. 1t comes in the
disguise of aw-it comes as the Trojan horse to
the walls of beleaguered Troy-it comes as Judas
came to the SaViOr-it comes towards and
criminals always come, bearing upon its lips
false promises and false professions. There was
something manly i'll the leaders who inaugurated
actual war for what they had been taught errO-
neously to believe to be right, but that race of
men have nearly all persisted, and in their place
we have Il set Of Northern trimmers and trace
chain iuggleIs, and band of worthless camp
followers from the South. who by false promises
and hypocritical pretensions, aided by a polluted
ballot box and with violence and intimidation. are
endeayoring to secure the civil power that they
may regain in loot and plumber what their val
liant fOrerunncrS lost on the battle field. Now
know that this organization is not political, but,
thank God, it is loyal and when we take into
consideration all the dangers and suffering en-
dured by loyal people from 1861 to 1865, ought
not to see to it that the unrivaed ira gedy of
the civil war enacted at cost of billions of
treasure and rivers of blood shall not end in
farce, but on the contrary what won by
the bayOnet shall not be destroyed by the tissue
ballot. That the rebel shall not receive pay for
the emancpated slaves. That universal suf
frage free, honest and undisturbed. was u con
ditiOn precedent upon which universal amnesty
was granted. This condition must not be broken.
The shotgun must not dominate the ballot but
every legal voter at every election must have
the undisturbed privilege of casting his vote at
| every election, and that such vote shall be hon
estly counted and certified; and if not, we claim
the right to go behind the returns and cast out
the vote of the entire State; that 39l, l05 white
people in South Carolina must not by
| false ballots or false count ever
power 6O4,522 black people That the
amendments to the national Constitution and
the acts of Congress in aid thereof must be re-
spected, and court has the constitutional right
to strike them down. That the solid South is
but rebellion in disguise, and should be broken
up That until these things are fully secured
none but loyal men should be permitted to go on
guard. All this you secure by the careful
use of three minutes Of time in casting your bal
lots, not as partisans but as loyal soldiers, at
every election in the same manner as you aimed
your bullet during the war. "To be satisfied with
| less than this will bring contempt upon the 10y
! atty, bravery and herosm of the national defend
ers, white and black, who answered to the roll
call of death upon the smoking fields of battle.
and where glistening bayonets have become the
| jewels That adorn their tents on flames eternal
heights. Comrades l see the relief approaches.
| My three minutes have expired"