The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1884-12-04
FIVE STOLEN STATES.
An Issus That Must he AEst.

Providence Or. L. Journal: It Is per.
fsctly well understood by every intelli.
gent citizen of ths United States that
had every voter who desired TO vote
been permitted TO vote freely and with
out intimidation the result of the Pres.
idential election would not have been
in doubt for moment, the South would
not have been solid, and the chances of
the Democratic candidate would not
have been worth calculation. In at
least three of the Southern States,
South Carolina, Mississippi and LOuisi-
ana, the Republicans have a decisive
majority of the electors, yet these three
States will cast their aggregate elector-
nj vote of twenty-six for Cleveland, not
because the Republicans of South Car
olina, of Mississippi and of Louisiana
are Indifferent as TO which party shall
control the National Government; not
because they are too ignorant to COM
prehend the issues at stake in the con-
test; not because they no not remember
the lash and bloodhound of slavery
times, and the sacrifices which loyal
North made for their deliYerance-Nol
The plain, unexaggerated reason why
the Republicans of these States do not
go to the polls is that they are afraid
to go; that such cruel massacres as that
of Saturday last in New Iberia, La,
have warned the negroes that death
may be the penalty of daring to cast a
Republican ballot, and that the safest
place for them election day is at home
or in the swamps.
How long is the South to be permit
ted to ignore and to defy the COnstitu-
G.F hka M in nSn af 4
by force TO destrOy2 How long are
fed by fraud and violence in the South?
South Carolina once more by its Demo-
cratic minority attempts TO nullify the
laws of the United States, and nullifi-
cation should be met now as it was
met before. The false result in the
three States enumerated means that
Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts
and New Hampshire might as well not
have voted at all. In effect the twenty
six electoral votes of these four New
England States were no more than a
set-Of against the twenty-six votes of
the three Southern States we have
seized by the Democracy by
violence and intimidation from the Re
publican column.
Thu ) an issue outside of candidates,
outside of party. It mattered not who
the Republican candidate was, South
Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana
would have been held, and the election
by the dominant minority.
1t is an issue which affects the very
VITALITY of the Nation, for the Republic
- founded on the great principle that
he decision of the majority of qualified
'actors, freely expressed in the manner
divided by the Constitution and the
Tvs, Sail be final in the several States.
This principle is trampled under foot
Dy the ex-COnfederates of the South.
They do not even deny it. Said the
Hon. Jonathan Chase, in his speech at
Central Falls, Friday: There are FIVE
southern States in which there is just
IS certain a Republican majority as
here is in this good little common
wealth of Rhode Island. There is no
iOubt of il, and they do not deny it
themselves when we go down among
hem. have had them admit it TO me.
have had them declare to me in the
House of Representatives that they
propose to count those votes; that they
propose to hold them by counting and
Dy fraud, and If they cannot do it in
hat way they propose to do it by vio-
ence." This cannot continue If free
Institutions are to survive, and no sheer
1t the bloody shirt" can diminish the
gravity of the question, which is of far
more Importance than of any single
election, which recurrently emphasizes