The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-16

cuser unless the accused can acquit himself
of the charge Nor can apoogists come in
between the law of public opinion and offend
ers against that law unless to show that the ac-
cused are innocent. The cold" South, which,
unfortunately, is yet in the ascendant,
naturally seeks to divert attention by yelling
''stop thief, and becomes defiant when held
down to the truth of the record. The North
ern ally of the "old' South, stepped in Bour-
bonism and prejudice and actuated by polti-
cal greed, naturally joins in the cry, but main
tains discreet but significant silence when the
undeniable fact is shown that free and fair
elections are unknown in the South. The
animus of these two classes is apparent
enough. 1t was born of slavery, and reared
in the school of arrogance and murder. Its
pedigree is evidence that it wants peace only
when it has its own way But it is very
different thing when it comes to understand
ing or explaining the attitude of mugwump,
or independent" Republican, man presum-
ably an ex-Republican, and, as a consequence,
aligned against the principles and practices of
the Democratic party How such men can
blandly countenance Southern election meth
DDS, founded on systematic murder, and per-
petua ted by violence and terror, is more than
most men can comprehend. So far as we
know not one of them but acknowledges,
tacitly at least, that several of the
States lately in rebellion are made Democratic
by methods that cannot be defended any
more than deliberate assassination can be. Not
one of them has stultifed himself by attempt
ing to prove that either of the Carolinas, Ala
bama, Mississippi or Louisiana is Democratic
by honest, honorable means. Not one of
Them probably, but is willing to admit pri-
vately that the solid South has been brought
about by methods that would shame savages,
and were and are no less brutal than were
the means taken to restrain slaves seeking to
escape from bondage.
Let us briefly consider the spirit that moves
so large body of Northern people to arraign
the South. 1t cannot be argued that "sec
tonal" prejudice has anything to do with it,
for history proves the contrary. Let us say.
deliberately and in all sincerity that even in
the war, when passion seemed to rule, there
was no prejudice against the South or South
ern people as such; but there was, then as
now, deep-rooted prejudice against Southern
methods. The North was compelled to 60
to war against the South. The North had no
war to make on the South because it hated
the South, or because Of any sectional or po
litical prejudice. The North was drawn into
war by the same "oldp South, and by much
the same methods that prevail to-day 1t has
never been shown that the South would have
committed the awful crime of rebellion had
all the people of the South been allowed
voice in the matter. few determined trait
ors dragooned several Of the States into it.
The men originally responsible for the war
were comparatively few in number, and but
for their infamous determination to percipi-
tate civil war, it might have been postponed
indefinitely. We do not say that it would
not nave come SOmetlnle OuC we 40 say uu-
qualfedly. that it would net have begun in
| 1860 but for such men as Davis, TOombs
jeff Thompson FLOYD, and other fire eaters
of like infamy. When the was brought
to close, in 1865, without a thought
of revenge for the terrible wrong done by
these fellows; without confscating dollars
worth of property or an acre of land; without
putting any burden of tax upon the South
not borne equally by the North. the patri-
otto people of this country, the
very men who are now charged with section
alism in demanding free elections set about
the work Of rehabilitating the States that had
voluntarily flung away their statehood and
their place in the Union. That portion of
the country, as might have been expected,
was in a state of unrest, and violence and
murder were the rule of the hour. The mill
tary governments set up were even then rec
ognized only as an expediency, and were done
away with at the earliest practicable moment,
leaving the South on perfect equality with
the States that had not gone into rebellion
"A magnanimity never surpassed and seldom,
Il ever, equaled. The only imposition" put
upon the South was negro suffrage, and that
only as measure for the protection of the re-
/ Gently emancipated slave. Such was the