Year: 1876

of the States in which slavery formerly
existed. The circular says:


"Under the circumstances will It not be wise
TO carry every Southern State at all hazardsl
There are not United States troops enough
available to surround all the polls throughout
the South. Indeed, the entire United States
army, II It were practicable to withdraw 1t
from other duties, Is insufficient for the pur-
pose, If the Democrats of the South determine
to act in concert on election day-to deposit
their own votes at an early hour, and then TO
see to it that the negroes are not intimidated,
bribed, cajoled, or otherwise tampered with,
by the carpet -baggers. The stake to be played
for on Tuesday, November z, is the possession
of the Government; and it can be wonl But
there must be no loose talk beforehand"


The plain English of this is that mas
much as the army of the United States Is
not large enough to thwart the purposes of
the rebels to control the Southern vote, no
means shall be omitted by them to make
that vote count for the Democrats. They
are to surround the polls, deposit their
"votes at an early hour and then see to it
"that the negroes are not intimidated,
"bribed, cajoled or otherwise tampered
"with by the carpet-baggers.


One would be led to infer from this pro-
gramme that the negroes of their own voli-
ton would vote the Democratic ticket, but
that they are in the habit of being intimi-
dated, bribed and csjoled to vote the Re-
publican ticket. Of course, everybody
knows that this is sham. Everybody
knows that the negroes vote instinctively
for that party to which, in spite of the
persistent obstruction of the Democrats,
they owe their freedom, their citizenship,
their suffrage and all their rights. Every
negro who feels, votes the Republican
ticket from gratitude. Every negro who
thinks and reasons votes the Republican
ticket because he sees in the triumph of
the Democrats his subsection to system
only less oppressive than slavery and one
in many respects worse.


By seeing to it that the negroes are not
intimidated, bribed, cajoled or otherwise
tampered with by the carpet baggers"
the Democratic circular means to say to
their discreet friends in the South: ''See to
" it that you intimidate, bribe, cajole and
"tamper with the negroes so that they
"shall vote for Tilden and Hendricks, and
"use all the means necessary to produce
"this result, no matter how unlawful,
brutal or murderous. The United States
"army is not numerous enough to prevent
"you doing this, however much the Gov
eminent may be disposed to protect the
negroes right to free vote"


Democratic party, forsooth A party
which processes to stand up for the rights
of the people, but which begins and ends
by violating all rights and deprfving the
people of that very elemental and funda-
mental right of suffrage upon which all
their other civil rights dependl Well may
the party managers who issue this circular
say: "There must be no loose talk before
handP The plot to destroy the freedom
of elections is one which must not be loosely
talked about beforehand, for let it once be
understood that the South is to be united
by this system of terrorism and violence
and bribery and fraud, on which alone such
united South can be made, and if the old
Union men of the North do not arise in
their might as they did in 1861, it will be
indeed a sad day for American liberty and
civilization.