The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-04-26
sENATOR MORTON.
Speech Against the Bingham
amendment.
Democratic Conspiracy TO Defeat
Reconstruction.
TcoNcLUsIoN.1

NOW, MI I6bluGHhi GOAnC NONA
later in point Of time. / desire to
read an extract from the message of
Governor Senter, elected Governor Of
Tennessee last fall, this message be-
ing sent to the Legislature of Tenues-
see in the month Of February last:
It is with profound regret realize
the necessity of directing your atten-
ton to the alarmingly frequent vio-
lence to the peace and dignity Of the
State, in the maltreatment and even
atrocious murders Of her citizens, by
persons generally reported in disguise
or unknown. Many of the States
citizens have been outraged in their
privileges and persons by cruel indig-
mites; not few slain outright, with
out charge of having In anywise
offended the laws, while others. under
criminal charges, have been forcibly
wrested from the custody of the law,
and their blood deliberately shed by
bodies of men without the least
shadow Of authority. That these
enormities can be In our midst with
out the perpetrators, In single in
stance, being even arrested to answer
for their lawless and criminal acts,
demonstrates the existence Of organ
izations on their part, not only dan
gerous to the individual citizen and
adverse TO the public dignity, but
formidable even to the public peace
and safety.
While the law latoly enacted for
the suppression of these outrages must
do honor to the purposes OF your
honorable body, | trust il will not be
accepted as an improperly on my
part to respectfully suggest doubts of
its sufficiency to reach and remedy
the evils aimed at, as not single ar
rest has yet been made for the gross
est violations of already existing
laws, although such violations have
been frequent; and the largest re-
wards allowed have been often,
If not invariably, offered to bring the
offenders to justice, it may be fairly
concluded that they are protected by
organizations adequate, by terrorism,
the force Of mum bers, or other means,
to effect security against the ordinary
civil process and officers Of the law.
The public misfortune seems not SO
much a want of law as lack of power
to enforce that we have.
The Senate will take notice that in
the report of the committee which
has just been read, while they admit
the imperfection of the information.
yet they put down the murders in
that State as 10 least one day. The
evil has been spreading since that
time. The message of Governor Sen
ter, his recent application to the Pres
ident for military assistance, his
presence now, believe, In this city
tor that purpose, aud ate ndance up
on the Reconstruction Committee,
prove that this state OF things is get
ting worse from day to day instead OF
better. So bold has this organization
become in the State of Tennessee
that not very long ago they held a
public parade In the city of Nashville.
There they went under the name Of
THE Pale Faces" They did not
call themselves Kuklux, but Pale
Faces. tLl
The condition Of things in Tennes
see could scarce be worse than it Is
There is reign of terror prevailing II
almost every county In that State. A
= free election could not now be held il
that State, unless perhaps in some
portion Of East Tennessee. | will
not refer particularly to the Memphis
massacre in 1866, where some flt,
men we're killed, some seventy o.
eighty wounded, and some ninety-o ont
dwellings destroyed, and twelv,
school houses and a great deal o
other property. / am speaking nov
of what has been done under the 70
construction laws, and since the Dem
ocratic party have advised them tina
those laws are null and void, ant
that they are not bound to obey them
To show the extent of the revolu
tion that has been effected IN Tonnes
see since last year, refer to the cleo
ton returns. Gen. Grant in 1868 re
ceived 56,757 votes, and Seymour re
ceceived 26,311. Grants majorit.
vember, 1868. In August, 1869, som
nine months aiterward, Senter re
ceivod 1885 votes; Stokes 80, 10
votes, being within n very few vote
of the number that Grant received II
1868. Here was an increase Of 9l,76
votes in nine months, showing q com
plete revolution, that the laws Of Ten
nessee had been broken down, ant
that the men dislranchised by tn
laws of Tennessee all voted.
-Four months after that, In Decem
Der, 1869, an election was held TO
q
ton. There were seventy-hve mem
bers to be elected. There were 63,
630 votes cast. The Union men di,
not vote except in small numbers
they could not, The votes were cas-
chiefly by rebels; and Of the seventy
five men elected to that convention
sixty-eight of them had been rebels.
This is the condition of thing
brought about by this organization
by this reign Of terror IN the State 0
Tennessee. If you force an election
In Gergia next fall--I call my he
publican friends to bear this in min'
you will have just such a result a
you had In Tennessee last fall an,
last winter. Sir, the Union men O
Tennessee are to-day virtually dis
franchised by the reign of blood ant
terror that has been inauqurated
while those who perpetrated thes
yillainies go unwhipped of Justice
and the Governor Of the State
anxious as he is TO enforce the law, i
powerless to do it, and is calling nov
upon the Government of the Uniteu
States for protection for his people
I can not dwell very long on the con
dition of affairs In Tennessee, but
NAV say that General Forrest himsel
claims that there are 10000 Kuklu.
in the State Of Tennessee; and / no
ticed a very significant bit of eyidenc
ON the part Of Governor Senter, pub
Hshed in one Of the newspapers here
I will read an extract from bis testi