The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-11-19
Thamas,s Report.

Gen George a. Thomas, who is military
commandant of the Department of the Cum
ber)aud, has as little of the sensational in his
nature as any man in the country, yet his re-
mort to General Grant just published, gives as
startling a picture of Rebel arrogance and
lawlessness in Tennessee, Kentucky and West
Virginia as if it had been written by Bureau
agent for political effect" His statement of
the case is very forcible:
In Tennessee, where majority of late Rebels
are DISTINGUISHED, they are sympathizers with
them and have hatred for State authorities
which is unconcealed and aggressive In To-
calities where the DISTINGUISHED element is
strong, spirit of persecution towards those IN
sympathy with the authorities-those VINO
recognize the political rights of the enifah-
chsed negroes. and the negroes themselves
especially shows itself in utter contehp G Oh
| the law, and violence is openly talRed o. Ihe
| editorial articles of the public press are such
as To create the most intense hatred IN the
| hreosts Of ex-rebels and their sympathizers.-
| The effect of this is to cause disturbance
| throughout the State by melting the ruffianly
| norton of this class OF citizens to murder and
| maltreat white Unonists and colored people
| in localities where no United States troops are
| stationed. The local authorities often have
not the will, and more often have not the pow
er to suppress or prevent these disturbances.
In Kentucky disfranchisement cannot be al
leged as q reason for these disturbances
There the mass of people are in sympathy with
the State authorities and make no attempt to
resist them. The colored people are quiet and
| peaceabie. They have no political rights not
| being enfranchised. Yet ruffians are permitted
| to tyranniZe over them without fear OF pun
| ishment. The testimony of negroes is refused
| in the State courts and the United States
| courts are difficult of access to an ignorant
| people without friends or influence. In some
| districts some ex Union soldiers are persecut-
| ed by Their more numerous rebel neighbors
| until they are forced into resistance which
| sometimes ends with the loss of their lives, or
they are compelled in self-defence to emigrate.
| An appeal to the courts affords but little hope
| of redress, as the magistrates and juries too
| often decide in accordance with their preju-
dices, and without regard to justice. The con-
trolling cause of the unsettled condition of af-
fairs in the department is that the greatest eff
forts made by defeated insurgents since the
close of the war, have been to promulgate the
idea that the cause of liberty, justice, humani-
| ty. equality, and all the calendar of virtues
| suffered violence and wrong when the effort
| for Southern independence failed. This Is Of
| course Intended as species of political cant
| whereby the crime of treason light be cover
| ed with a counterfeit varnish OF patriotism, Sc
| that the participators in the rebellion might
| 90 down in history hand in hand with the de-
| tenders of the government, thus wiping out
| with their own hands their own stains. A
| species OF self-forgiveness amazing in its eff
| frontery, when it is considered that the lite
and property justly forfeited by the laws o.
the country, OF war and of nations, through
the magnanmity of the government and the
| people, was not exacted from them.