The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-07-12

better managed by those who are skill
full and capable than by those who not
But no just test has yet been found il
human experience for determining tn,
practical application of these princi, les
and liberty and real social security have
always found their only refuge, in thu
long run, In the full and free participa-
ton by the whole body of citizens in thu
management Of affairs, The evils flowing
from the ignorance of voters are con-
fessedly great, but those are infinitely
greater which come from the assump-
ton of authority and power by minori
ties in communities. II the practice il
common use in some of the States Gr
the South were applied to some OF the
old free states. with the same motives
and the same ends, the political charao-
ter would be effectively changed. AT
Ignorant voter is just as dangerous IN
New York or Massachusetts or New Jer
sey as he is in South Carolina or louisa
ma or Texas; and il the notions that are
put forward in defense of the practices
which blot out the votes of great class
of the community in one state are de.
feasible there, they are defensible In
every other state"
That is to ssy the Ignorant, un Amer
lean vote" of New York which Mr.. Cur
els says is large enough to control the
state might be depressed by "those who
assume to be the intelligent and CONFER
Yetive class" on the lame lllogica
grounds and by the same violent meth
dds that are used at the South to represI
the ignorant vote there. In the Gaze o.
New York such repression of the igno-
rant vote would give the state to iht
Republican party, while at the South i
gives the states, where the vote is adm t
tedly depressed, to the Democratic
President Cleveland holds his seat by
the repression OF this vote. SENATOR
hold theirs andRepreNentatives theirs BY
the same unlawful tenor. Plesiuen
Hayes lost at least 80 electoral votes by
this same process of the supple, ION o
the lawful vote, which is now admitted
and defended by the South and apollo
gzed for by the Democrats of the North
The BANNER has this information Of &
case Of the repression Of the Republican
vote in the late election in Louis "a mol
heretofore published. In back district
where the negroes outnumbered the
whites three or four to one, the formeI
came to the polls in great numbers and
voted for the Republican candidate fol-
Governor and other officers on the tick
ct. The whites hardly put in an appear
ance. Consequently the Democratic
managers closed the polls before the
legal hour for closing, aud made no re-
turns at all. At this election a legisla-
ture was chosen which has just elected
two United States Senators, Democrats
OF course, as they were certain to be by
such methods, although louisiana is a
Republican st,.te by any fair method of
voting and counting.
On this same subject our candidate
for President spoke, an adtrc.s ith
he delivered at Chicago last winter. AL
though he did not deny 20 Congre tie
power to remedy the evil, to right the
gross wrong, he did say that it was
probably improbable fer that body to
do SO, and ADVOCATED a aonstant agila
tion OF the subject, till the South for
very shame should herself deal fairly
with the question Of the suffrage. "a
free ballot and fair count" is some
thing that the nation will insist on even
to she verge of civil war, A national
e 'ec'ion determined by opposite meth
DDS, as Mr.. Cleveland's was, will soue
day, as Mr.. Curtis says, "be challenged
amid violent disorder"
The history of The repre-. sion of the
negro vote, says Senator W m, e. Chand
Ter in the July Forum. "ls more dis-
graceful,if possible than were the crimes
Of slavery and rebellion. The bloody
deeds planned and melted by cruel and
brutal men, who yet claimed to be civ
Ilissd and renned, AMI VINO even now
themselves the only natural
rulers of free America can meyer be hid
len or obscurcd by interpreting the faults
and defects of those loyal governments"
which were establi ded under the recon-
Itruction laws of the United States.
The words Of Reverdy Johnson,a Dem
,crat, while unsuccesafully defending
'efore jury some of the Kuklux ruff
ians will bear repeating Il have lis.
ened with unmIxed horror to some of |
be testimony which has been brought
'efore you. The nutrages proved are
hooking to humani'yi they admit of
either excuse nor justification; they
'iolate every obligation which law and
allure impose upon men; they show
hat the parties engaged were brutes, in.
ensible to the obligations of humanity
nd religion
TO the pre- eminent dshonor of Jack
OF, the capital of Mississippi, that city
as furnished the latest Illustration OF
Official methods. In order 10 over
brow a city government simply because
was Republican, the Federal officials
here, j. Bowman Harris U 8. d strict
.ttorney, Samuel Livingston, Deputy
J. s. Marshal, and R. E. Wilson. Depu-
= Collector Of Internal Revenue, head
d movement to prevent the coIored
itizens from voting. 4 secret. oath
ound, white league was organized to
'nch negroes, and to attend, armed, at
lie voting precincts, the leading spirit
l which band Of assassins was one John
|. Martin, EDITOR Of the New MlssisSiI ;
lan.' The movement was successful on {
an. ., 1888; but mark the sequel On
lie second day Of May 1893, at Jackson,
.aI tin wantonly shot Gen. Writ Adams
- postmaster. a man so years of age. |
I'D Of the highest character. Adams s
turned Martins fire and both fell dead t
the street. The young men Of he :
outh, who are encouraged by the most a
f1uential citizens TO resort 10 murder +
an ordinary political agency will new
refrain from using their field rtvoi- !;
,rs for private revenge"
Surely this Intervention of President q
eveland's officials in an election was I
oerniclous activity" with vengeance, :