Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-03-31

denotes axe generated with an
aecelerating force, which when
once established eau never be
reversed. When control of rea
son Is once removed, the result
Is not distant The life Of j Ia
ton like that of "a man, may be
prolonged in honor to the full
ness of ;ime, or perish quickly
aud permanently for lack OF
guidance OF by internal Gisar
der.
There are courses Of action
that have uniformly produced
the sams results and the truly
wise are those who have leaIn-
ed from experience the real ten
denotes of things, unmis.ed by
superficial differences; who can
shun the rocks where others
have been wrecked.
To assert that politics IN the
South were ever pure aud tina;
elections we're conducted with
the strictest honesty would be
I statement. the belief in vhieh
would depend largely upon the
present political creed of its
hearers. That the elections in
the South before the war were
conducted with more honesty
than was chargable to them af-
ter the war is a fact having its
explanation in the freedom and
eufTaachisement of the negro.
Prior - this time, there was no
dangerous element in politics in
the South. Being strictly an
agricultural section. worked by
slaves, capital played no part in
the purchasing of votes or the
Intimidation of voters. Ihenorth
1t the. time with it's factories
aud wage workers enjoyed q
monopoly as il does to day of
giving or Withholding employ
ment according 20 the complex
ion of the employees ballot.
When four million freedmen
we're hung upon the south pos
seSsIDg q Voice in politics equal
to that of the intelligence aud
virtue of the country, the ilea
of governmental economy was
speedily suppiauted in our elee
,iOns by the necessity OF self
defense. The question was no
longer of which sls1 should rule
our state, but which race.
Whether the rights of it's eiti-
zens were - be given into the
control OF the native white man
or into tue negro. or much worse
euStody-that Of the renegade
white man, who through the
meanest passions and basest
p%rejudiees ofthe ignorant negro
sought 10 ride into office on his
easily eorraDted ballot. la the
extremity Of Sighting the invad-
ing carpet-bagger and suppress
ing the disSeutiOn within. the
people who owned the country
were reduced almost 20 despair.
Every personal alteration vas
given q political significance,
and the negro sought protection
OF the bayOuet government
whenever the state tried To en-
force It's laws. There was bat
one expedient possible, and that
vas one. the evil consequences
Of which are felt long after the
necessity Of It's employment
ceased to exist. Tue negr.es
lsft 10 themselves would seen
have found th0t in their help
leSSness their former masters
would prove their truest friends.
Their interests were mltual and
heir duties reciprocal. But no
man seeing the dagger in the
hands Of his child even, turned
upon himself Will not by force
or fraud wrest the instrument
from it. his the South did.
aid she has no apology to offer
for the self preserving act. Her
works and progress since 1915
prove the righteousness of her
authority.
But as devastation and finan-
eIal ruin were the results of Sc
ceSsiOn jus. so surely is the
existing political chicanery and
election frauds the inevitable
results Of our former -puriica
ton of the ballOt-box.r We
have sown election frauds and
must reap political corruption
There is no safer altitude or
compromise ground yet, nor will
there be until our sesf sought
punishment shall be in full ex-
patton of our deliberate trans
-gressioa. The times are not
Out ofjoint neither is the coun-
thy going any faster to the devil
we are hat gathering the har-
vest We planted twenty FIVE
years ago. Our young men We
taught to STUFF Tie ballot box