Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-09-11
WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER.

party, is especially called to the necessi-
ty during the early part of our present
campaign to furnish to intelligent law
abiding and tax paying voters, of the
North, compendium Of facts explain
atory Of the modus operandi adopted
and carried out by the Democracy of
the South ever since the close of the
Rebellion, and which is to-day being
revived and brought to bear upon the
present campaign.
Not long since the people of this
Republic, were panied to learn through
the press, of the bloody and cruel
murder of Republican voter who was
shot down at the polls, by a Democrat,
for no greater offense than that of vot-
ing the Republican ticket. After
having been threatened with death il
he dared to disobey the command OF
the Democratic leaders who were in
power in that section.
| refer to the murder of Print
Mathews in Mississippi. The Demo
cratic party when confronted by these
facts, have the audacity to tell us, that
such cases are exceptional ones. That
the shooting was done in self defense
and that it is not true. These expla-
nations are entirely too thin to be
believed by intelligent and thinking
men. The frequent recurrence of
these acts, brands their statements as
false. The political murders, at the
South, a reference to which, Demo
cratic leaders and Democratic organs,
object and call them attempts to
faunt the "Bloody Shirt" still take
place and are upheld and justified by
the Southern Democracy. They fur
Their deny that the Republican vote of
the South is suppressed by force and
fraud. / beg leave to call attention to
the Brookhaven { Miss. Democrat, a
prominent party journal in Congress
man Barksdale's District published
near the scene of the murder of Math
sws.
In the issue announcing the nomin-
alton Of Cleveland and Hendricks it
utters the following significant threat:
1--WE take the present opportunity
thus early in the fight, to throw out a
friendly warning to the more reckless
and unprincipled demagogues of the
Republican party, in this and adjoin-
ing counties, not to let their patriot
ism" get the better of their discretion.
IF they are endowed with ordinary
Judgment, and even Of that kind,
which personal safety may be supposed
to engender, they may see the 'hand-
writing on the walP' reflected in the
light of recent events
We invite every republican to be
true to his party and vote according
TO his convictions. Let the colored
man exercise his right in this respect
of his own volition, without fear, Oh
hindrance. But let there be no bull,
doing. and let it be at once under
stood, that it will be an act SO perilous
that none but fools will undertake to
antagonize the colored race against the
whites. Let this we say, be under.
stood definitely. It cannot be toe
earnestly or too speedily impressed,
and if the fate of Print Mathews will
add any weight to our utterances, his
party will have reaped more benefit
fron his death, than he could
have conferred on it by
living" word to the wise is suffi-
Gent | would asks there any
DOUBT as TO the meaning OF this
language? In order TO show the
enormity of Mathews offence | will
append plain statement of facts as
clipped from a leading journal: ''Print
Mathews was native white man, an
exconfederate, the leading business
man of his town. Noted for his
kindness and generosity, but he dared
to oppose the democratic fat, that
there must be no organized opposition
to the democratic party. He was or
dered not to go to the polls, This
is queer language" said he ''for free