The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-03
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SOUTHERN DEMOCRACY.
OPIN1oSs AND INTENTIONS or
BUTCHER FORREST.
Views of a delegate to the New York
Convention
He THINKS the time has come to put
an end TO RndIcal Rule In Ten.
nessec-NOt n Radical to
be left alive.
He thinks he could Raise 10000 Men
N In Five Days.
SOUTHERN DEMOCRACY
views of a Delegate to the New York
Convention.
He thinks he could Raise 10000 Men
~ In Five Days.
mar a MIllIon Ku KIux I'm the south.
PROSPECT OF A CIVIL WAR.
Cincinnati Commercial.
MEMPHIS, TENN., Aug. %, 1858.

| tAASi AH'@NA''i @AN6' ~ 4SNS'
| .
Icannot better personally describe
him (Gen. Forrest) than by borrowing
the language of one of his biogra-
pliers. ''In person, he is six feet,
one inch and half in hight, with
broad shoulders, a broad chest and
Symmetrical, muscular limbs; erect in
carriage. and weighs one hundred and
ninety-five pounds; dark gray eyes,
dark hair, moustache and beard worn
upon the chin; q set of regular white
teeth and clearly cut features;" which,
altogether make him a handsome man
for one fOrty-seven years of age.
Previous to the warm lS52-he left
the business of planter, and came to
this city and engaged in the business OF
NEGRO trader" in which traffic he
seems to have been quite successful,
for, by 1861, he had become the owner
of two plantations few miles below
here, in Mississippi, on which he pro-
duced about Thousand bales of cotton
each year, in the meantime carrying on
the negro trading. In June, 1861, he
was authorized by Governor Harris to
recruit regiment of cavalry for the
war, which he did, and which was the
nucleus around which he gathered the
army which he commanded as a
| Lieutenant General at the end OF the
war.
After being seated in his Office, I said:
General Forrest, 1 came especially
to learn your views in regard to the
condition of your civil and political
affairs in the State of Tennessee, and
the South generally. desire them for
publication in the Cincinnati CONNER
in the slightest degree, and therefore
only ask for such views as you are
willing should publish"
ST have not now" he replied, "and
never have had, any opinion on any
public or political subject which l
would object to having published. l
mean what I say, honestly and earn
estly, and only object to being misrep-
resented. / dislike to be placed before
the country in false position, especi-
ally as have not sought the reputa-
ton 1 have gained"
1 replied: "Sir, will publish only
what you say, and then yOu can not
possibly be misrepresented. Our peo-
Pile desire to know your feeling toward
| the General Government, the State gov
eminent ofTennessee. the Radical party,
both in and out of the State, and upon
the question of negro suffrage"
"Well, sir, !" said he, "when / snrren
dered my seven thousand men in 1865,
1 accepted n parole, honestly, and have
observed it faithfully up,to to day. i
have counseled peace in all the speeches
have made. 1 have advised my peo-
pie to submit to the laws of the State,
oppressive as they nre, and unconsti-
tutional as 1 believe them TO be. i
was .paroled and not pardoned until
the issuance of the last proclamation of
general amnesty, and therefore did not
think it prudent for me to take any
uctive part until the oppression of my
people became so great that they could
not endure 1t, and then would be with
them. My friends thought differently,
and sent me to New York, and / am
glad that went there.
Then I suppose. General, that you
think't the oppression has become so
great that your people should not
longer bear it,"
"No." he answered; cit is growing
worse hourly, yet / have said TO the
people, stand fast, let us try to right
the wrong by legislation. A few weeks
ago was called to Nashville TO counsel
with other gentlemen who had been
prominently identified with the cause
of the Confederacy, and we then offered
pledges which we though would besRt-
isfactory to Mr.. Brownlow and his Leg
islature, and we told them that, If they
would not call out the militia, we would
agree to preserve order and see that the
laws were enforced. The legislative
committee certainly led me TO believe
that our proposition would be accepted,
and no militia organized. Believing
this, came home, and advised all of
my people to remain peaceful, and offer
no resistance TO any reasonable law. 1t
is true that i never have recognized the
present government in Tennessee as
having any legal existence, yet was
willing to submit to 1t for II time, with
the hope that the wrongs might be right
ed peaceably." 1
"What are your feelings toward the
Federal Government, General 2"
ST loved the old Government in 1861,
love the old Constitution yet. think
it the best government in the world If
administered as 1t was before the war.
/ do not hate 1t; am opposing now
only the Radical revolntionists who
are trying to destroy 1t. believe that
party to be composed, as know it is in
Tennessee, of the worst men on Gods
earth-men who would hesitate at no
crime, and who have only one object in
view, to enrich themselves"
"In the event of Governor BrOwnlow's
calling out the militia, do you think
there will be any resistance made 2"
asked. ~
"That will dependupon circumstan-
ces. 1.-THE militia are simply called out,
and do not Interfere with or modest any
fight. If, on the contrary, they do what
believe they will do, commit ontrages,
or even one outrage upon the people,
they aud Mr.. BTotOnL0G0'S government
mil be Sivept out of existence not a Rad
icdL lOiLL be left dtftc." If the militia are
called out, we cannot. but look uponsit
as declaration of war, because Mr..
Brownlow has already issued his proc
lamation directing them to shoot down
the Ku Klux wherever they find them;
and he calls all Southern men Ku
Klux."
have regarded the Ku KIux Khan as an
organization which existed only in the
frightened imaginations of a few poli-
"Weil, sir, there is such an dfganiza.
ton, not only in Tennessee, but all
over the South, and its number have
not been exaggerated"
"What are It's numbers, General ?"
"In Tennessee there are oVe1' forty
Thousand; tn all The Southern States they
number about 55O, 600 men,"
What is the character of the organ
| iZation, may inquire ?"
Eyes, sir. 1t IA protective, political,
military organization. am willing
to show any man the constitution of
the society. The members are sworn
TO recognize the Government of the
United States. 1t does not say any
thing at all about the government Of
the State OF Tennessee. Its objects orr.
ginally were protection against Loyal
Leagues and the Grand Army of the
was found that political matters and
interest could best be promoted within
IL, and Il was then made political or
1 ganizatlon, giving It's support, of course,
TO the Democratic party"
"But Is the Organization connected
throughout the Slater 2"
Yes, 1t is. In each voting precinct
there is a captain, who, In addition to
his other duties, is required to make
out list of names of men In his pre-