Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-11-05
ku Klux and loyal Leagues.

ing to defend his late partisan proclamation
upon the ground that he could not include
denunciation of the Loyal Leagues in
connection with the ku Klux. because the
former is O secret political society, while
the latter is an armed military organization
for the purpose of committing crimes.
Admitting this to be true We cannot see
how this iustifes the Governor in reciting
the crimes committed by one set of men,
with painstaking and exaggerating care,
while he at the same time, with partisan
prejudice, conceals the crime for which the
former were IN eresY instance only Ill re-
taliatiou. It could not be from ignorance.
It could not be by accident It must have
resulted from definite and devised pur-
pose to shield party friends and to punish
party foes. We hope We see in the edito-
rial address which the Governor has pub
lished in the appointment of peace
commissioner. and in the delay in forward
ing his militia, that he repents OF the par
tisan proclamation he has made, and will
un1.- the mischief which its publication
has done.
While we know nothing of the organiza-
tions of the Ku Klux or the Loyal Leagues,
for we have never belonged to a secret pc
litical society, and believe them detrimen-
tai to republicanism, We are not prepared
to admit that one is an organization for the
purpose of committing crimes and the other
the nursery of loyalty. We must Judge of
the tree by it's fruits. However praise
worthy may have been the intentions of
the founders of the Loyal Leagues, the
organization has been perverted by bad
men into schools for crime and Incidence.
It has been the source of nine-tenths of
the evils which have followed in the train
of emancipation. It may indeed have
been a good armory to drill the political
recruits of Radicalism, but it was an evil
one to learn the duties of citizenship. The
crimes committed in the earlier months
after the war, and which caused the peo-
pie in some portions of the State to Or
| ganize for mutual protection, ,rere almost
universally conanaitea BIZ members Of tie
| Loya5 League We have seen members of
the League, caught in the act of commit
ting crimes, taken by their fellow members
from the officers of the law upon the
streets of this city, and never mado to
answer for their crimes. We have known
the time when the arrest of o Loyal
Lacquer in Wilmington, regardless of the
offence which he had committed, was at
tended with difficulty and danger. We
know not what obligations bound them to-
gether, but we state facts which have oc.
CURED under our own observation and
knowledge.
The same condition of things existed
throughout til, State, and in some coun
ties the crimes were more frequent and
fragrant. This state Of affairs resulted
from the direct teachings Of the Leagues
or from belief that such conduct would
not be punished, and the offenders tind
protection from the civil or military de
partments of the government. None Q,
them acere punished, and this immunity
caused a rapid increase IN the number anG
boldness of crimes.
It was in this crisis that counter organ
izations were formed for mutual prote G
ton. Some may have been bound to
gether by oaths, but many had no Other
rallying cry but self protection-the first
great law of nature. We do not here pro
pose to go into an argument as to how fol
the citizen may go for protection when
the law is inadequate, CT its administrators
unwilling, to furnish it. We know what
they will do under such circumstances
and what human nature justiies them in
These organizations were intended only, az
we honestly believe, for protection. II, il
some instances, they have taken the law into
their own hands, it has always been te
punish some offender of the League who
had made himself amenable to the law
but had not been punished. We are nc
defenders Of such conduct. Men who VIC
late the law shouid be adequately punish
ed-the majesty of the law should be vim
Dictated at all hazards. But we can see how
citizens, law-abiding citizens, may be lee
into the committal of acts which they
would scorn to do, had they not lost con
fidence in the ability OR will of their duly
constituted authoritiesto afford them pro!ec
ton who did not believe that band O
political criminals in their midst were af
forded protection by the officers them
selves.
, Ii the Governor will disband his Loya
| Leaguers all counter organizations will a
} once be broken up. If al criminals ar.
, dealt with without favor, citizens will no
be tempted to take the law into their ow1
hands. If our civil officers will act SO o.
J to deserve the confidence of the people, tn.
old regard and veneration for the law viii
} return. And when it does. Loyal League
| ism, and it's offspring, Ku Kluxism, will b,
J buried in common grave
The CASE OF THE OFFICERS OF THE CUEA
. At the .. s, District Court yesterday NOR
ming the officers Of the Cuba bound owe
by Commissioner Rutherford appeared be
fore Judge Brooks as required by tn