The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-05
seC,et Rebel Societies Their Extent and
Influence


secret societies., organized for the purpose Of
carrying out, so far as possible, the designs
OF the war, we have every reason to believe.
We have the declaration Of General G. A.
Custer that such we're formed immediately
after the inauguration Of the Executive
policy, and are now thriving in all the late
Rebel States. General G. H. Thomas, and
all the leading Union officers in command,
state without qualification that they are
powerful and numerous; while the evidence
of every loyal resident south of Mason and
Dixon's line leaves no reasonable cause tor
doubt but that those once banded together
In the ranks Of war are now organized in
secret conclave for the continued propagation
of treason. That some organization should
have been perfected is no ground for sur
prise. Every war has been followed by the
growth OF military order designed to con-
tinue those friendships a st formed on the
field Of battle. We find no fault with the
formation of the association, but we demand
that 1t be based on the issues as settled by
the war, and not on the dead questions of the
past. We demand that those who have
fought well and been vanquished, yield to the
arbitrament of war, and not seek to per-
petuate dissension by secret treason after
they have failed in the open field. And we
accuse the members of these Southern soce-
ties of having, as the corner stone Of their
system of brotherhood, desire and determi-
nation to unbury the question of Union, and
seek, by dark plottings, to accomplish that
which the sword tailed to achieve. When
such an organization is formed, with slch
designs, it becomes traitorous, and those who
Join it forget what is due to an honorable
defeat at the tribunal to which they originally
appealed.
These secret societies have various names
and designs, but are all associated under
general head. One of them to which our
attention has been called, but the name of
which is kept inviolate, numbers its thousands
in all the Southern States, and eItends its
branches among the Democracy of the
North, the leaders Of eChOm are, Uery many
ofthem, its most Gctiue members. We know
ofwhat we speak when we make the accusation
that to this secession club-originated to
renew the struggle for disunion and to per-
petuate the kindly remembrances of the war
for Southern independence, to which none are
admitted but tried friends oil the South through
out the war-there belong hundreds of the
leaders of the Northern Democracy. The
badge of this association we have seen, and
1t has been seen on the breasts of t,co of the
leading Democratic politicians of the city of
Philadelphia. 1t consists of small ebony
Maltese cross with a gold skull and cross
bones on the face, with pair of crossed sabres
above them, and in them the initials G. s. A.
Two army officers, whose residence in the
South made them familiar with the design,
have told us within two days that they saw
five of these badges worn by Philadelphians
openly upon their coats.
Now, without passion, we say that it is time
that this sort OF bravado treason he stopped.
Our loyal town has exhibited a patience which
has amazed ourselves. We have allowed Rebels
toparade our strests without word. We have
tolerated every thing; but patience sometimes
ceases to be virtue, and when any of our
fellow citizens thus boldly insults every loyal
man, woman, and child by such a display,
we think the time has come when we need
no longer treat such treason with toera-
ton. Has our country sunk so far, has our
city become so depraved, as to have to submit
to this Haunting insult? AS soon as the public
attention is called to this charge, we have no
fears that it will be repeated, for no loyal
man would tolerate for a moment suchs q
glaring insult in his presence.
The fact that such are being worn by
Northern Democratic leaders is the best evi-
dence that can be offered Of the close SYM
tween them and the South. Not the recon-
constructed and regenerated South, but the
old Rebel South, OF ante-war days. 1t shows
that among the mourners around the dead
carcass OF the Confederacy stand the North
ern Democrats, and that the hallowed memo
ries of the struggle to save that abortion
extend to the Northern Democracy. With
these men what loyalist is ready to stand? (?
With the wearers of badge on which the
skull of "Yankee" and the G. S. A. are in.
scribed, what man with one spark of patriot
ism in his constitution is ready to be found |?
The New York Tribune of to-day contains
q special despatch from New Orleans, fully
confirming what we had already heard from
undoubted sources, and indicates that the mili-
tary will take steps to break up these traitor
GUS societies. We append the despatch -
NEW ORLEANS, La, October 4.-Some import
ant disclosures will soon be officially made
public in reference to secret Rebel societies
which permeate the entire South. These orga.