Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-22
SuurnaI xla Gsurisr.
SINGLE COPIES TWO CENTS.
Friday, February 29, 1884.

ssTHE BLOODY SHIRT"
 Do not wave the bloody shirt, say the Democrats and some Republicans. Mean while the sad garment grows rsdder and the honest and tendsr-heartsd people of this great, glorious and free country continue to be mortified by deeds of blood in the South which are the direct outgrowth of the brutal political methods which prevail in some of the States there.
 It is useless for those who cry peace, peace, when there is no peace to atteznpt to deny. the terrible facts which go to makeup some of the Southern outrsgss' They are too numerous and too plain. Take the Copiah case, for instance. The investigating com mittse which is in New Orleans examining witnesses in this case has heard fifty, and 1t has, according to a correspondent of the Boston Advertiser who is there, found Q state of things worse than any of It's mem- bers expected to find. It has, this corre- spondent points out, been amply proved that last fall the elections in Mississippi were car ried by the Bourbons only after a reign of terror, by mobs headed by the Democratic politicians and abetted by congressman and state officials from the governor down. In some counties the independ- ents were counted out; in others they withdrew their tickets. The week before negroes to the woods, murdsring some and whipping others, broke up indepsndent meetings, patroIled the county by night by . regularly organized and armed mob, and dis regarded all the appeals of psaceable people for the punishment of these crimes, held public meetings approving the use of force, picketed the polling places with armed men, drove away Republican officers of election, and notified their leaders not to go to the polls. The strongest, best Republican in the county,-a man whom every witness, in- cluding Democrats and clsrgymen, has deS- cribed as an honorable and peaceful man, was notified not to vote. He expressed his intention of doing so. The mob under the lead of the chairman of the Democratic com- mittss drew lots to see who should murder him at the pOlling-place. Knowing that he was in danger. but persisting in voting, be was unresistingly murdered by the chosen assassin; an old personal friend. Ne. sooner was it done than the news was telegraphed all over the county that Matthews WAS killed, and the notorious Democracy drove out all Republicans, threatening them with Mat thews' fate. A few weeks later the murderer is chosen city marshal, sent as delegate to prohibitory convention and is q prominent candidate before the legislature for the posi- ton of commissioner of railroads. None of the criminals are punished. Grand juriss,
 ministers of the gospel, shsrihs, mayors and practising attorneys are silent. The best men in the community swors that while they did not approve the proossdinGs, they did not dare to object on account of universal terrorism
 This is indeed . shocking story. And the revelations in the Virginia investigation are not more pleasant. In view of 1t all ws are compelled to believe that 1t is not. as terrible l thing to wave the bloody shirt as 1t is to make the shirt bloody.