The weekly standard., 1869-11-03
|, Gov. HOlden--the Disturbances in Orange
and Chatham C0unties-his Wish

Gev. HOLDEN requests us to state that he
has appointed Col. THOMAS B. LONG one OF
his Aids with the rank of Colonel, and that
colonel LONG is authorized to proceed to
the Counties of Chatham and Orange for
the purpose of seeing and talking with the
people, with the hope of composing the
troubles in those counties. Col. LONG will
soon make tour through those counties,
and address the people. His mission is a
pacific, friendly one. He will speak for the
State government, and will confer freely
with citizens of all parties in the interest of
peace, law, and order. We trust Col LONG
will be courteously received, and that his
mission will result in good to all. The Gov
ernor is reluctant to proceed to extreme
measures, and will not do so unless such
measures are forced upon him; but if he
should take any steps lie will not recede,
| THE CIVIL LAW MUST BE MAINTAINED. In
maintaining the law and in protecting the
citizen, he knows no parties and no colors.
1t is objected to the Governors recent
proclamation that it is aimed at what are
called the Ku Klux, and that the Leagues
are not mentioned. 1t is not customery or
proper to mention the names of parties or
factions in State papers. The Governor has
always avoided this in his Inaugural, his
Messages, and his proclamations; and such
| allusion was omitted in his late proclama-
ton, because he did not wish to give it
party aspect. His purpose was to condemn
all violations of law, no matter who might
be guilty Of them.
So far as the Leagues and the Ru Rlur,
| or Constitutional Union Guard are concern
| ed, the Governor no more objects to them
than hundreds of thousands of our people
did some years ago to the americans or
Know Nothings so long as they are pacific,
and not armed or military organizations.
Secret political organizations have existed,
and will exist always; and whatever we may
think of them, or however we may regret
their existence, we can not hope to get rid
of them. The League is pacific organiza-
tion. 1t was designed simply as a nursery
of loyalty to the government, and was use
full in instructing the colored people espe-
cially in the rudiments of selfgovernment.
Its Ritual, containing its principles and its
obligations, is open to all, and may be read
by all. No member of the League is al
lowed to nse deadly weapon except in self
defence. No member of the League is al
lowed to disguise himself, and, with arms in
his hands, molest, terrify or injure his neigh
bors No member of the League is allowed
in any way to break the civil law, but, on
the contrary, he is bound by the most SOL
emn obligations to uphold the civil law
and protect the rights of all. 1t may be
added also, that the League is not now
in working order in this State. Gov
HOLDEN ceased to be President of it when
he became Governor. He approves of all its
principles, and regards it as having been very
useful in effecting the reconstruction of the
State government; but he would not have
belonged to it one moment, if it had, in |
any way, counseled the slightest resistance |
to law, or countenanced any array whatso
ever of military power. 1t was purely pa
cific in its operations The few instances in
which some of the members, from ignorance,
menaced or Oppressed other members, scarce
ly deserve to be mentioned, especially as
colored men only were the sufferers at the |
hands of colored men, and the whites were |
not menaced or injured. And we assert that |
much OF the good order observed and main
tained by colored men, during the progress
of reconstruction and in the midst of excit- |
ing campaigns and elections, is due to the
Conservative influence esercise1 By these gerry
Leagues Orer many Of the goters. And the |
Governor authorizes us to state that if proof |
is laid before him that the members of the
League are in the habit OF Disgusting them
selves and entering houses with deadly |
weapons, and terrifying and injuring any
one; or that members of the League are
guilty as such of violations of the law, such
as shooting, hanging mutilating, or burning
houses, or in any way maltreating any per-
son or persons, or injuring property, he will |
at once denounce the League as an organi-
zation dangerous to the peace and good Or
der of society, and will do all he can to sup
press it.
The Ku Klux, or Constitutional Union
Guard were at first pacific organization.
formed for defensive purposes and to ad-
vance political objects. If it had remained
so it would have been no more Objectionable |
than the Leagues, the Heroes of America, or
the Know Nothings. But it has been pervert-
ed from its original purpose, AMI is now mill
tary and aggressive in its operations. 1t has
forced open houses occupied Ivy peaceable
citizens, and alarmed or injured them. 1t
has stolen horses and cattle, and burnt
houses. 1t has hanged several people by
the neck until they were dead. 1t has shot
mutilated and beaten others. 1t has occa-
stoned excitement and alarm in many coun-
ties; and it has generally, as military organ
ization. either defied the civil law or evaded
it before juries of the country This is brief
and not overdrawn description of the Ku
Klux. Who can deny the truthfulness of
the description? The vengeance of this
organization has fallen almost entirely on
the colored people. This has resulted from
the comparative helplessness and isolation
of this people 1t is, therefore, as far as
it has progressed, a war Of races, if we can
call that war intwhich nearly all the injury
is inflicted by one side We know that
every good citizen, without regard to party,
deprecates and deplores this state of things;
but how few go about to correct it, and to
prevent what must certainly follow, if these
things continue?
We know that barns have been burnt, and
that it is charged that certain colored men
burnt them. Admit it, and what then? 1t
is easy to apprehend, to try and to convict
colored man. Why is it not done ?
We know that there are white men and
colored men who are unworthy citizens and
pests to their neighborhoocs, but that can
not justify any man or body of men in un-
dertaking to regulate the neighborhood by
Furnishing such characters We know it hap
pens now and then that some one ofthat most
docile race, the colored race, insults white
person by language or manner; but can that
justify whipping and scourgiug, and mutila-