Year: 1879

alleged Uneasy and turbulent feeling


among the sSlored voters of any local


ity. And when pUlikical slaughter


could not be otherwise accounted f1r or


explained, it was customary to say that


it was an alteration among the negroes


themselves, in which the white people


took no part Northern Democratic


newspapers could hardly conceal their


amusement at the success of these va


rious expedients for the covering up of


political murders in the South. 1t was


not possible that they should not know


the real state of the case. The facts


were too patent to be overlooked; (;


but, so long as these outra-


geous crimes swelled party ma


jorities, it was good joke to wipe


out the opposition by the slow and
gradual process of elimination. At
least, this was the conclusion which


men drew from the comments of
the Democratic newspapers of the
North, which, it must be admitted,
took their cue from theit c0ntem-
poraries of the South. Why has q
change come over the spirit of their
dreamP For the first time in the his
tory of the country, Democratic leaders,
North and South, have discovered that
there is violence employed in some
parts of the South for the suppression
of ali opposition to the Democratic
party. This is not new thing. 1t is
because it has been maintained after
the Republicans have been wiped out,
that we now hear something of its
wickedness. 1t was to be expected, in
the nature of things, that party which
began with beating down one species
of opposition with a bludgeon would
not hesitate to use the same weapon
whenever any other opponent should
arise.


Let it once be established that po-
litical party may use the most violent
means to perpetuate its power, and
there is an end of popular liberty. This
would not trouble the Democrats, but
1t has become evident that Democrats
who have been allowed without let or
hindrance to bulldoze Republicans will
eventually practice the same tactics to-
ward Independents and other Demo-
Gratis. This is the aspect of "the Mis-
sissippi plan," which has finally
alarmed our Democratic friends of the
~ VI bLs AZ 81 ldpBClo blldu bllb Cdllul-
date who was clubbed out of the can
vass for Sheriff in Yazoo County, was
an original bulldozer and Democrat.
He is the proud possessor of compli-
mentary testimonial from his fellow
citizens, on which it is set forth that he
has been thus rewarded for his services
in ridding Yazoo of its Radical con-
spirators. 1t is not worth while to in
quire into the methods by which the
Radicals we're driven out. But we do
know that the bulldozer has at last
been btlldozed. The engineer is hoist
by his own petard. To the Democratic
mind, the crime of "the Mississippi
plan" is not so much against human
liberty or against society as against the
Democratic party. The crime is in
being found outbound out in way
which makes denial and coneealment
no longer possible. In popular par
lance, the men of Yazoo . have given


anny Of the truoulent fsiows sS With the Y tY
the Democratic party in the South was
practiced only on Republicans, there
was a chance for their allies in the
North to deceive the people by false
hoods. This chance Is taken away when
the witnesses are Democrats who have
felt the keen edge of oppression. Ard
this is the reason why the Democratic
speakers and writers of the North are
finally out of patience with their South
ern brethren; by series ofindiscretions,
they have finally given the lie to all
their former protestations of innocence
of the crimes imputed to them. Not be-
ing interfered with, they have been en-
boldened to turn their weapons against
each other.-N. Y. Times.