Year: 1879

William Lloyd Garrison upon the Presi-
dents Southern policy and which, in the
writer's opinion, the Republican party
should take in order to succeed in $780,
The letter is as follows:


"BosToN, Dec. 19, 1873.


DEAR SIR: l agree with you
that a marked change for the better is
taking place in public sentiment at the
North in relation to the incalculably dis
astrous policy of President Hayes, and
the practical disfranchisement of the en-
entire colored population of the South,
by shameless fraud brutal intimidation
and remorseless slaughter. Still, l am
not sanguine as to Republican triumph
at the next Presidential struggle, seeing
that while o well assured "Solid South"
for the Democratic nominee, less than
fifty votes will be needed from all the
North to carry him into the White
House


1.-The only feasible way to prevent such
catastrophe-and this is demanded by
every consideration of truth, justice and
rights for the Republican party, its or
gans and leaders, to meet this issue in an
uncompromising and infexible spirit.
There is nothing which strikes such ter
ror or causes such foaming at the mouth
in the ranks of the armed conspirators
at the South, or elicits such responsive
howlings from their servile minions at
the North, as waving the bloody shirt"
"a term of their own devising in order
to make Jest of the most sanguinary
outrages, but which comprehensively
symbolizes d long extended reign of ter
ror," during which thousands of innocent
victims have been murdered with impu
nifty for daring to assert their political
rights as free American citizens. Yes,
let the bloody shirt continue to be
waved until an end be put to the shed
ding of blood by the organized assassins
who boldly and successfully setting the
Federal Government at defiance, and
trampling the Constitution and laws of
the country under their feet. Let it be
shown by confirmation strong as proofs
from Holy Writ that the South (using
that designation as of old) is still full of
the habitations of cruelty; that her
hands are stained and her garments satu-
rated with blood; that her feet run to
evil, and there is no Judgment in her 60.
ings that she is as disloyal in spirit as
she was when she fired her first shot at
Fort Sumter; that she only lacks the
power to re enslave the millions who
have been emancipated on her soil, in
order to save the Union and battle her
reasonable designs; that in nothing does
she so much glory as in her attempt to
destroy the Republic, and in the success
es of her Confederate leaders on the bat
tle-feld; that she has repented of moth
ing, and is ashamed of nothing that she
has done, but exactly the reverse; that
she despises the North (barbarism sneer-
ing at civilization) as she always has
done, and counts as "mudsills" the
Northern working g-classes, while endeav-
oring to use them for her own evil ends;
that she is gloating over the prospect of
soon having the reins of government
over the whole country in her own hands;
that as for her leading men in Church
and State, in Congress and out of it,
"the best of them are sharper than a
thorn-hedge," and the most deeply re-
sponsible for the numberless atrocities
that have been perpetrated upon the
Southern loyal population, white and
black; and that nothing but perfect uni
ty of spirit and action at the North, to
the extent, at least of out-voting "the
Solid South" at the approaching Presi-
Dental election, can avert the most dis
astrous consequences to the country
"The bloody shirt y


In hoe 8ig71o Uinces Your, very truly,


WIN. LLOYD GARRISON"