Title
The Rough Is Ready- Voting Power of the South
Creator
Harpers Weekly
Description
The Cartoon, Voting Power of the South, was published in Harpers Weekly on November 22nd, 1879. The violence appearing in the South around the issue of voting is highlighted in the cartoon, along with the possibility of the violence spreading into the North. The ominous figure in the cartoon is a southern Democrat, who wishes to bring his violence and intimidation North in order to influence the polls as he has done in the South. The crossroads between the North and South indicates just how close the line between the two sides has come, from a perspective of the rights of suffrage. In the right side of the cartoon, Northern elections are carried out in a peaceful orderly manner, with the school, church and congressional building shown indicating a civilized environment. In the caption, Mr. Chandler, a supporter of Democratic Party and suffrage, insist that if the North remains ideal that the violence of southern political tactics will reach Northern territories and will "give them[republicans] the Presidency... and by fraud and violence they would hold it for generations." The message above is a warning and call to action to stop the restraints on suffrage that the Democratic extremists in the South are using the ballot against black and white Republicans.
Source
Voting Power of the South, Harpers Weekly, November 22nd, 1879.
Date
1879-11-22
Contributor
Chris Fesmire
Coverage
Harpers Weekly was written towards the Republican viewpoint of the time and mainly ready by Republican Northern Whites and blacks.
Text
Voting Power Of The South
Mr. Chandler dwelt at some length upon the Election Laws, and claimed that the Southern end of the republic didn't want any safeguards put upon the purity of elecions, because they would interfere with the operations of the Ku-Klux at the polls. Said Mr. Chandler, "Give them permission to perpetrate the same kind of fraud and violence in New York city and Cincinnati as has bee perpetrated in the South, and those two cities, with the solid South, will give them the Presidency of the United States, and by fraud and violence they would hold it for a generation."
The Rough is Ready.
The Southern Epidemic Will Spread North If Not Checked.
Mr. Chandler dwelt at some length upon the Election Laws, and claimed that the Southern end of the republic didn't want any safeguards put upon the purity of elecions, because they would interfere with the operations of the Ku-Klux at the polls. Said Mr. Chandler, "Give them permission to perpetrate the same kind of fraud and violence in New York city and Cincinnati as has bee perpetrated in the South, and those two cities, with the solid South, will give them the Presidency of the United States, and by fraud and violence they would hold it for a generation."
The Rough is Ready.
The Southern Epidemic Will Spread North If Not Checked.