Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/185

 onel Berry against the repetition of such arrests within his jurisdiction.

When these prisoners were discharged, a great mass meeting was called to give them a reception in the public square of Independence. A platform was hastily built in the square and that night five thousand excited people crowded past the stand, shook hands with the men and cheered till they were hoarse. The Governor watched the demonstration in helpless fury from his room in the hotel.

The speaking began at nine o'clock. Every discordant element of the old South's furious political passions was now melted into harmonious unity. Whig and Democrat who had fought one another with relentless hatred sat side by side on that platform. Secessionist and Unionist now clasped hands. It was a White Man's Party, and against it stood in solid array the Black Man's Party, led by Simon Legree.

Henceforth there could be but one issue, are you a White Man or a Negro?

They declared there was but one question to be settled:—

"Shall the future American be an Anglo-Saxon or a Mulatto?"

These determined impassioned men believed that this question was more important than any theory of tariff or finance and that it was larger than the South, or even the nation, and held in its solution the brightest hopes of the progress of the human race. And they believed that they were ordained of God in this crisis to give this question its first authoritative answer.

The state burst into a flame of excitement that fused in its white heat the whole Anglo-Saxon race.

In vain Hogg marched and counter-marched his twenty thousand state troops. They only added fuel to