The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-10
THE BLOODY SOUTH.

So, Senator Eustis of Louisiana has no
other answer to make to the charges of
election frauds and the suppression of
the negro vote in his State than to say :,
as he did in the Senate Tuesday, that he
would advise reign of terror rather
than submit it to negro domination
In ether words, he and his political as
sociates deliberately violate the Consti-
tuition of the United States, which they
have sworn TO support, and they have
the hardihood to proclaim that blood
shall flow before they will permit ma
jority of the legal voters in their State
to exercise their will at the polls.
Who is waving the bloody shirt nowI
We call upon every young man who has
been taught by the Democratic and so
called Independent press that all ques-
tiOns pertaining to human rights in the
South are ancient history and that Re
pubiCans are tanning the embers OF an
old strife. to take notice that this ex-
Confederate, this pardoned and recon
structed rebel, this Senator of a govern
ment which is pledged to the mainten-
ance of the equal rights of all its citizens,
stands before the very political mercy
seat and lhreatens-not indeed another
rebellion-but worse than that, reign
of terror, with all the blood and rapine
and anarchy and outrage that the term
How long are the loyal people OF this
country going to submit to these Indigni'
ties and insults! Well may we exclaim,
as Cicero exclaimed when Catiline stalk
ed from his hostile camp into the Roman
senate, How long, o Catillne, wilt thou
abuse our patience!
1t was not enough for the men who
dipped their hands to the elbows in their
brothers blood in a mad attempt to
break this Union and found govern
ment upon human slavery, to be taken
back upon a plane of equal citizenship
with those who were loyal at any sacri-
| flee, but they must set up government
of force, fraud and usurpation, not only
in those States, but through and by
means of them in the Union itself, and
now since that control begins to be i'm
periIled by the rising Indignation Of the
people, they threaten dire disaster and
coolIy inform the people Of the United
States that il they are no longer per-
mitted to poison our spring they will
cut our thrOats.
1t is a braggart threat, but there is not
a shadow of doubt of their purpose to
maintain their usurpation by blood 80
long as they have no power TO contend
with but the poor, unprotected and
easily lntimidated Republicans of the
South. But what are the people # the
United States going to do about itH The
deprivation of citizen OF Louisiana Of
his right to vote is a blow at the citizens
of Vermont.
1t IS time that the brigand politicians
of the South he given to understand that
the fundamental law OF the land must
be obeyed. If it takes fighting to do this
we must fight. The preservation of the
elective franchise is fundamental. Our
government is swept from under our
feet if that is lost or seriously impaired,
They must either allow free elections
and make honest returns, or suffer re.
ductlon IN their represent alton, as the
Fourteenth Amendment prescribes. 1t
may be disagreeable to them, but it is
one of the consequences of their rebel
lion and one of the irretraceable steps OF
national progress. We have seen too
much of their resistance, we have heard
enough of their defiance and bravado,
IL is proper for them to understand that,
except during this Confederate admins
tratiou, this Union and its defenders and
loyal masses are not much longer to be
trifled with Rutland Herald.