The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-10-19
IN. southern Problem.

sllencss the press, the pulpit and ths
platform throughout almost ell Of our
former free territory. Whole States
have submitted to It; Citiss, Villages md
hamlets everywhere are ~ silent as the
grave which once were eloquent In
speech and action against the enormi-
ties and crimes Of the slave traffic. The
persistent outcry of the past is years
that has been made from ocean to ocean
and the Lakes to the Gulf against "wsv-
ing the bloody shirt. rs telling the
truth about Southern l|litics is called,
has in effect re-established many of the
practices and wrongs of human slavery
in a greater area than ever, 80 that the
South is now, indeed, practically solid
slave confederacy. Half of the people
hold in subjugation and terrorism the
other half, and free speech, free press
and free thought are no more conceded
now than they were 40 years ago. No
one does as he pleases unless he is
Democrat, and the more of desperate
the better the citizen. But what ere
we. the people of the United States,
going to do about it? The mysterious
power of the convict phrase, "waving
the bloody shirt" has been recognized
by all. No phrase or epithet invented
since the flood has had half the influ.
ence of this one. 1t has not only silenced
the press, but closed the mouths of one.
half continent concerning the wanton
manning and slaughter of million
men, and strange to say, has left the
other half to eternally howl and blather
and gable about the s'Wah" and the
"Nigger" and the 'lousy Yankees"
1t is true there is nothing in the
origin or character of this knock-down
phrase that should give it currency ex-
cept among the vilest blackguards in
creation. An aged negro who had
toiled for half a century under the lash
to supply his murderers with food was
fatally stabbed in the abdomen because
'he would not fight to enslave himself.
At the farce of trial held for forms
sake the blood-reeking clothing of the
victim was shown as conclusive proof
of the foul murder. OF course there
was but one way for the assassins to
treat such evidence and that was with
derision. Their filthy minds suggested
an explanation, which lie had to them
the merit of fixing slander upon the
dead. The phrase these murderers there
invented to hide their crime would not
have survived six months had it not
been for the suggestion of nastinesa
which the inventors aimed to convey.
Without the vulgar inunendo always
conveyed to depraved minds by ''bloody
shirt" the witless stupidity of the phrase
would confine its use to low debaucher.
or to criminals when actually on trial.
But assuming that free speech is not al
an end if one speaks in q permissible
direction, will solemnly affirm that il
the Almighty should send down from
heaven law to give effect to the Ma.
tional Constitution to the end that hon.
esty and fairness should be observed al
all National elections in the South, il
would be utterly impossible for United
States marshals to enforce such di.
vinely perfect law. Why do I make
this declaration? Upon the evidence OF
my own eyes, that no law can be en-.
forced against universal adverse senti.
ment. A tyranny of opinion, made uni.
versal by an intolerance that is incom.
prehensible in the North, makes the
South unit against manhood suffrage
and hence unit against the enforce.
ment of all laws which secure suffrage
to the colored race. This foundation
fact must be grasped before the solution
of the election problem can be ap.
preached.
The Constitution says the negro shall
vote. The South solidly and firmly de.
clares the negro shall not vote. The
law says citizens shall aid United States
officers when called on either singly OF
rs a posse comitatus. The Southern
white man says II will aid no Federal
officer under any circumstances, and il
you arrest me my neighbors will per.
Jure themselves. II necessary, to acquit
me-" Hence the Lodge National Elec.
ton Bill, or any other bill or law. would
be dead letter or dead law. 1t could
be enforced in no one of 10 States. II
would be tramplsd upon and spit upon
by the whole Democratic population Of
the seditiously solid South. The organic
law says: "This Constitution and ths
laws made in pursuance thereof shaN
be the supreme law of the land, any.
thing in any State law or constitution
to the contrary Notwithstanding" But
the typical Southerner says: ''My will
Is my law. I care nothing for your
Yankee Constitution or it's amend.
ments."
This proposition 10 therefore a. true
as one Of the Ten C Commandments that
Abraham Lincoln or Daniel Webster
would be beaten out Of sight in any one
n
Wirz for any elective Office il these
three men were running for Office to day.
Why? Because Wirz would represent
the spirit and the principles of the late
rebellion opposed by Lincoln or Web.
ster, and this il the sole test applied to
the solution Of all political problems.
Hostility to the cause Of secession is to
the late secessionist the sum of all vii.
lainiAs and all crimes.
Twill close this letter by saying what