Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-11-19
From the N. Y. Journal of Commerce, Nov. 9th
The Troubles i'm North Carolina.

During the past Summer and up to a
recent period, Orange, Chatham, Lenoir
and Jones counties, North Carolina, were
| the scenes of many lawless and bloody
acts. The radical Loyal Leagues and an
organization popularity called the Ku Klux
Khan, the actual existence of which is
however, denied, were the high contend
| ing parties. We have carefully read many
accounts of these disgraceful affairs in
North Carolina papers, and the impression
left on our mind is this that negroes be-
longing to the Loyal Leagues were much
| given to murder, rape, robbery and arson,
and that a large body of whites was form
ed to punish their crimes by high-handed
measures in the absence of any com petent
impartial tribunal Vigilance committees
and Lynch law usurped the place Of courts
and statutes This was deplorable, and we
do not propose 20 excuse Or eXtenuate it.
At the same time it must be remembered
that there are few communities that will
not throw themselves back on the first law
of nature when other means Of protection
fail. The North Carolina disturbances
came near being famed into & civil war by
the rash and reckless interference Of Go V
ernor Holden. That official issued pro-
clamatlOn and initiated acts clearly indica-
ting his sympathy with the blacks and the
Loyal Leagues as against the whites and
the ''Ku Klux Klan," when i was his duty
to have preserved the nice balance of i'm
Partially between them-such as the act
ual facts of the case required him to do
He caused to be enrolled, it is said, three
companies OF black Loyal Leaguers and
one of whites of the same organization.
and intended to arm and send them int,
a fP01 hi nI 70
This was q great mistake and meditated
wrong; and, had the whole plan been car
ried out. would have led, undoubtedly, to
sanguinary conflicts, in which the whites,
as whites, would have massed themselves,
with but few exceptions, for that war of
races which has thus far happily been
averted. But, fortunately, Governor Holden
has recoled from the extreme step which
he WAS about to take, and the danger is
postponed. In the meantime we are glad
to record that the outrages by the blacks
liz the counties mentioned have nearly
ceased, and the whites have suspended
the operations of their vigilance commit
tees. The blacks seem instlnctively to have
taken the alarm at the Governors protect
&c interference, and to have foreseen that
the presence of black companies Of sol
diers among them would be no actual pro-
lection, but source of further and more
aggravated difficulty. We do not with
hold from the Governor credit for aban-
donlng hlsspurpose OF attempting to array
black troops against his white fellow -citi-
zens. for it is probable that he has been
egged on to such an attempt by Northern
Radicals, whom nothing would more de-
light than to start conflict of races
in the South, in order that better pre-
texts might be afforded for more med
ding with her local government. Per-
haps he is even now waiting for the words
of advice from his Radical friends in the
North before launching his black battalions
on their mission of blood. Should the
outbreaks recur nothing would be easier
than for the Governor to quiet them if he
really wishes to, He has but to 80 per-
sonally into the disturbed counties and
appeal to citizens of all classes and colors
to be calm, promising them that, SO far as
his power extends, they shall have Justice
oil round. The whites, if the signs are to
be believed, only require some such as
surances, and to see that they are not for
feited by corrupt judges and packed iuries,
IN order to be kept peaceable and quiet.
Ii 1t is actually necessary to form special
militia and put it on duty there the Gov
ernor could make it up from the most re-
spectacle citizens of all parties, property
holders and others deeply interested in
preserving order. But, in doing this, he
must sink the politician and appear as the
Governor of the whole State sincerely
anxious to do equal justice by all of the
citizens, irrespective of color and old SYM
pathies for or against the rebellion. We
have closely watched the conduct of the
whites, or ex-rebels, in North Carolina
and other Southern States, since the war,
ard can certify that there 10 not q battar
disposed, more orderly or manageable set
of men on the face of the earth, so long
as they are treated with something like
iuotioa op1 fo;rpoec