Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-16
TENNESSEE.
Her Condition as Depicted by
Sugar Hamilton aud HIS
CO.C0mMfttee.
Their Address to the President

ions OF the Constitution OF the United States.
We now address you in discharge OF the duty
I IMPOSED on US by the action OF the Legislature
:" the frst Thing required to be done by usI Is to
place before you FUZZY the present condition OF
II 10 40 this, Mr.. President, would take more
I time and space than Is consistent win a writ
Ten communication prepared as this necsssa
rIly has been. We can only touch upon The
more prcrnieent q aGairs Of eur state.
First, Mr.. President, you are aware that the
LEGISLATURE OF Tennegses mas been called TO-
/ getner in extra session, and has not Yet adj
4 Tourpsd, The main object in calling them to-
: gether by the Governor, IS indicated Ia his
message, was taStlt might pass laws calling
out troops Tor the protection oiths people
against a secret organization k1own ss the
"Ku-KiuX Kan" which were deemed neces-
sary by His EKcellency TO uppresss uch Illegal
association. II the necessity Tor military pro-
tection In some portion OF LDsb Stale, the leg
iEIaturs and committee fully concur. That
there is such an organization as the u-htu
Klsn" is now beyond question. BY a recent
publication, made by authority, or with the as
sent OF a distinguished general officer" OF the
so-caued Confederate States" it is stated
49, : fnrtV Thousand memhars of that as
sOeiatiou IN Tennessee.
As 20 the objects and. pur poses Ct the organi-
EatiOn, they can only be known by their acts
and savings whilst IN their masks and ghast-
/ " uniforms" Whilst thus engaged they lake
out citizens and XII them, some by hanging,
some by shooting, aud some by the sterner ana
/ more certain plan Of whipping, whilst some
are whipped, not until death, but severely aud
disEracetully. In some parts OF the Slais they
are travelling at night as often as twice a w-ek,
ami Yi.ifinS The houses OF Union meu ana
Federals, some OF whom they Kill, Others they
whip and order rom tbs country on pam OF
being killed IL hthey do not leave, whilst
[ Others arc ordered, under promise OF violence
II they remain after thus being ordered TO de-
part. THIS Is carried N by greater or less
numbers, according as the objects TO be effected
on q particular night are OF greater or less mag
nitude. They rarely spPearln their masks and
! uniforms in daylight. II is in the night when
] they mostly travel and perpetrate their acts OF
violence and blOOdshed The most peaceahle,
-l,-H n-aaH aud wa ~ Ia evan the m.GF
exemplary members OF the church are not eX-
eIapt from their personal violence, Instances
are Known wh-re the most orderly and pieus
men OF a ne .ghborhOod have been walked rom
/ their slumbaIs AID Tea en- by them for no other
reason than IheIr political sentiments. Muir
deTs are common, particularly among The col
ored people, against whom the hlan seem 10
have a pecoIisr and mortal hatred. Many coll
ord people have been whippsd-s1me of them
badly, and -oms Of them have died from its sf-
1 fees; and masy Of them have been murdered
Tor no other reason or offense than their poLti-
| cal opinions aud sentiments.
Many people who had hired FOR the year, or
! engaged to work for a portion OF the crOp, have
been com PEELED to leave their homes ior their
personal safety and fly for taeir lives, leaving
their EN- pioyers or their CROPS. And unless
something be done fer their relief they cannot
! go homs, and viii, of course, leave their earn
1 InEs, with starvation in the gloomy future, for
themselves ana families.
In the class OF cases shown, there is no ex-
I cuse or pslliatton for the wrongs peIpetrated
/ on the citizens. But there is another class Of
cases Waere the Khan take the case into their
owe hands, where, although there is no JUST
ncation. there are circumstances of alleged
pallIation. TheSs are, when a murder has bsen
committed under circumstances Oisgsrayslton
as in the case OF Young Bickw6u, In the county
OF NIsury. He was foully murdered The
guilty sg5nt was arrested bv the civil authOri-
I uss, lodged IL Jail, and Afterwards by the hIsn
] AIKEN out and hung There EeeHstO have been
! no doubt as to his gull, buG that was no Iu-tn-
/ cation 20 those who hung hin without trisl
Ihere are some other cases where they have
hung men for an alleged crime Xness cases
| were mentioned, for the reason th2t we a6e
/ sent here TO place before yOCr EXce!lency the
present condition OF REairs in oGr state, These
nartias should be tried and punished according
! TO law. It Is true, in some OF these cases, II IN
| said, and the TACT may be. that the guilt OF the
/ party Is beyond question or doubt Assume
| thss 20 be so, as we cOncede it to be IN some OF
| the cases, where they have hung the Offenders,
it il the more certain that they will pc con-
vtcted and punished. 1hsse cases OF PUNISH
ment for crime are referred 10 ny the friends OF
the order TO justify the existsZcs, when they
are assailed IN TIE n~ewspayers or otEerwise.
We wiH further add that most, IL not All per
sons engaged IN these violations Of law, and
who belong TO the Khan, so far as known,
we're enemies Of the Government OF ths
UnlJed States during the late civil war.
But we are sb.e TO state, and DO 50 with
soldiers and Oncsr5' who foCg n gal andy Gu
ring the war, dIsapDrOvs OF and condemu the
"KIan" and It's acts OF unprOyoked vi1ience.
We have thus far spoken Of the acts OF tins or
gau-zatiOn. Their object, they say, is 10 over
turn the State government OF Tennessee, an0
many OF Ihem declare that they arr now as
willing TO nxht the Government OF the Jnited
States as tGey were al the commencement OF
the rebellion, The mor6 discreet ones OF them,
however, do not say government iG this con-
nectlon, but say the Yankees
Many Of them declare the StSte government
oCTsnnessee is illegal, aud they have Legally 8
riEnt 10 resist. aGu even to oyGrturu II. 4lts is
not confined 70 The masses, but nncs adyo-
Gates in d1stlGgulsled men, higu 10 the esd
nation of those foIInIug the late s0-csllsd Con
federaUe States Resistance 10
the government OF Tennessee, and the laws
passed by her legislature since the var, Is, IN
the opinion o tae COMMITTEES, as criminal "a to
attempt 70 oYsrthTow or resist the government
and laws Of the STATE Of New York, or any
other state in the Unisn,
But II may he said the courts can punish
these Offenders, and therefore no military
force is necessary. To this we reply that It
Is a fact no one, in any OF the cOunfies in Ten
uesses. as far as We have bean abe to ascertain,
has oyec been tried or punished Tor any OF the
onscsss or class OF onenses mentioned ABOVE.
And 50 long as pubic opinion remains as IL is
none will be, especially in those counties
where the Older is numerou. No person dare
prosecute, FOR II he should his life would BE- en-
dsngered thereby. People are apprehensiye
that should they prosecute, that they would
be murdered BY the khan JUDGED, they
tell people upon whom they intiet violence
that II they sno1ld know any OF them, and dis
close it, they will b. kliie1. With tbis state Of
alarm and apprehension no one wil prose
cute. Hence the civil authorities sTe power
Again, should any one have the courage and
! drmness to appear bsfore tue grand juries,
there is no assurance that an Indictment Tonl1
be found, Few grand iuries, Il is apprehsnjeI,
have mono Of the Khan on them-en1ugh, At
! lie lst, is generally there to defeat an indict-
msnt- As they go in masks and dlsguises, IL is
not known who is or who IL not IN the order,
and hence thsy get on juries snd defeaJ the
laws, II perchRnce any Of them should De
known and presented.
The committee VIII in this connection state
as TACT, that when the present Legislature met
in regular session In OctObeF last tney were dis
posed TO be liberal, and, in q spirit of libsrali5y,
substantially repealed the military laws passed.
by their immediate predecessors, IN the hope
and expectation thar the prom ses made by
those who were opposed to them politically
that soldiers were unnecessary. In this hey
regret 70 ssy they were disappointed ior no
sooner was the law repealed and soldiers dis
charged than the "Ku-Klux Kan" sprang up
travels and Expectations. the present con-
dftiou OF affairs" as given above, IS sustained
by the sWoln then before Inc Com-
miEtee on Military Affairs OF the Legislature OF
Tennessee OF Witnesses from various counties
IN that State, and is oorrOoOrated by the per-
sOnRt observation OF the COMMITTEES, and con-
nrned by the history OF Tennessee troubles.
We regret, Mr.. President, not being able to
furnish you with q printed COPY Of that report,
and the testimony on which tits based. Wnen
we left Nashville they were in the hands Of the
printer, and we were unable TO procure one.
We come now 70 the other part OF sur in
structiOns, with is % urge upon you TO take
steps TO give prOtec ion 70 the Aaw-absGtrg cit-
liens OF The State OF Tennessee, under the pro
visions OF the Consultation Of the United
states. This we nov respectfully do. Not be
cause we believe as the Legislature and Gov
ernor believe, that that State Is unable to over
! c1me by military force the opposition To the
] State government there and the "hu KluX
! Khan" and punish the offenders, but because
1 they THE Legfslsture} and we deem il better to
/ have Federal troops toere to al In the enforce
ment OF the laws and Suppress any IiOts or in.
su~rrecdons that might be attempted or occur.
1 Federal troops are preferred on another
ground. They have no local personal likes or
| DISLIKE IS to influence them to commit wrongs
/ on the peace2Dle citizens, nor ba subject them
selves, after discharge from the vice, 10
wrong and outrages FOL being known IN the
/ Stale military service.
Further, this q" KAN threaten that no more
elect ons shall be held in Tennessee III counties
wnere thsy have the power to prevent It. Il
this should be the principle upon which they
act, in the absence OF q proper force, then prob
ably no election could Ds geld in Tennessee,
for the Republicans, In the counties where they
have the Numerical strength, might Crlve the
Conservatives from the polls. WHAT we desire
In holding elections, so thai every man who IS
entitled 10 exercise ths elective franchise NAV
exercise II, no difference for whom or for what
party he may choose to vote.
That this Is the eteTmtnation OF the =" Khan 4"
is understood by their continued night travels,
and their saying 10 the Union msn-Rs well
white as cOloIed-that they shall not vote IN
iess they exercise the privilege in a particular
way. They are d~iszrntng the white and cOl-
ored men whenever they oao.
Toe Legislature hoped that the numbers OF
the " Khan would decrease, and tuaI their
outTsges would diminish Butin this they were
mistaken. Il has delayed action, having u WELL
founded hope and expectation that the ef1rts
OF certain prominent and distinguished repre-
sentative men, who had pledged their honest