Year: 1876

For nearly ten years cry Of distress has
come up from the South. It has come from
an oppressed and prescribed race. It has come
through scenes of bloodshed, suffering and
death. It has been the voice of men demand
ing the protection guaranteed to them by the
amendments to the Constitution. They have
asked that their lives be preserved from the
assaults Of political foes; that their property
be protected from the despoliations of White
Line element which is determined to rule or
ruin, and that prescription and murder be not
the price OF exercising franchise rights accord
ing to the dictates of the conscience. The
n orth became incredulous and turned deaf
ear to the tales of outrage, intimidation and
murder that came up from this people. 1t
criticised the Administration in its effor to
relieve them from their oppression. 1t would
thrill with horror for moment at Clinton
or Hamburg massacre, and then pass again
into cold Indifference. Many opportunities
were presented In which a check might have
been placed on outrage and a bride on law
1essness. When the force bill was slaughtered
in the House of its friends an opportunity was
1ost to establish the freedom of election so
much needed in the South. That measure
would hsve made the ballot safe in the hands
of freedmen. It would have secured peace and
Justice to all. It would have made organized
murder and intimidation an impossibility, and
fraud would have been practically dead. But
timid Republicans in the House shrank
from their duty, and what is the re-
suit? Murder in midday is q common
occurrence; midnight assassination is the
pastime of masked men; intimidation is the
order Of the day, and prescription is pun
ishment inflicted on every one who votes the
Republican ticket. What again Is the RESULT
The White Line element delibera ately steals
-four Republican States, comprising the Com
monweslths of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkan-
Bas and North Carolina. They attempt to
steal Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
In this theft they are caught, tried and con-
Victed, and the property is restored to its
rightful owner, the Republican party. They
now have the supreme impudence to set up q
fictitious title. By this diplomacy they e1-
pect to obtain possession. If they fail, then
they propose to constitute themselves q court,
Issue an attachment, call a posse eonlitdtus,
and seize the property by force. But In this
attempt they will find insuperable barriers.
The Republican party has grave duty to
perform in this matter, from which It cannot
and will not shrink. 1t is to prove now, at all
hazards, that the ballot in the hands Of q
Southern man, white or black, is sacred prop
erty and must not be destroyed by either
force or fraud. 1t must settle the fact now
and forever that Southern Republican is to
be as safe in the exercise of his franchise
rights as is Northern Democrat. There is
no other course, for If the constitutional rights
of American citizens are worth preserving at
all they are worth that preservation now.
Therefore let it be understood BY the country
that the Republican party proposes to take
this occasion in which to determine whether
fraud and murder shall be punished in the
South or Ilect President. This is the best
time to teach the lawless and violent element
that the ballot box cannot be robbed of its
purity with impunity, and that the law of
force is not to be recognized as the law Of the
land,