The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-04-28

From the Washington Chronicle, April 15tl
1870.
At l Is o'clock the Georgia bill was pro
ceeded with, and Mr.. Morton addressed til
Senate.
He said that after the remarks which bai
been made this morning bv the Senate
from Michigan Mr.. Chandler) upon tn
Importance of speedy determination o
/ the Georgia question, he would not nov
/ engage the attention of the Senate excep
upon the most urgent considerations. Tn,
I great Importance of the questio would b.
| his excuse. After brief reference TO th'
| fact that this day five years ago Abraham
/ Lincoln fell by the hands ofan assassin-the
/ original huklux whose evil example wa
now being Initiated IN various Southern
/ States-Mr. Morton proceeded to reply a
/ length to certain representations OF the
/ Senator from Wisconsin. (Mr. Carpenter.
/ He then criticized the Bingham amendment
showing that it had been offered and wa.
maintained in the interest of the Democratic
party, which fact was well known to the
UnionistS and rebels in Georgia. Several
Georgia Republicans had come TO Washing
ton to engineer the Bingham amendment
but upon investigation he had found that
not one of them were acting in harmony
with the Republican party South, but in the
interest ofthe Southern Democracy.
In reply to what had been said in the de-
bate about the existence of peace and har-
mony in the South. he would refer Senators
as contained in former dispatch from that
officer. stating that men who had gone
down there from the North had, as the price
of social position and temporary quiet. sur
rendered their principles and given false
testimony. In other words. had abandO ned
the Union men of the South.
In reply to the assertion by Mr.. Norton
that the reconstruction policy Of Congress
was "A failure, he would say to that Senator
and 70 the whole country that, if such was
he -ala L.,
efforts of the Democratic party all over the
country to make it failure. That party
had cast in the way of the Congressional
policy every possible obstacle, and its sue
cess would be entirely in defiance of Demo-
cratic hostility. 1 o the Democratic party
sibility of the numerous murders and out
RACES which had occurred in the South.
Through their press and their conventions
they had, by their influence upon the South
ern people, directly brought about the pres
ent state of things. The platforms of DEM
ocratic conventions all through the North
were united in the declaration that the re-
construction acts were unconstitutional and
void. and sought to stimulate the Southern
people to resistance by violent and inflam
matory appeals to their prejudices.
Mr.. Morton then forwarded to the clerk
and had read various extracts from resolU-
tions of Democratic conventions in Indiana,
New Hampshire, and other States. declaring
that language was inadequate To express the
adherence of the party at the uIconstitu-
tional act Of Congress.
Who. he asked. could blame the Southern
people for following this advice. ii Il ey be-
iieved ii to be true and in their interest:
No; the responsibility was not theirs. but
OF their political leaders in the North. who
advised resistance on their part to the Uni
ted States Government. These instructions
eliminated in the platform of the DemOcra-
cy at the National Convention at New York
City, when the following language was
adopted at the suggestion of one of the most
bitter and malignant enemies of this Gov
prominent member of the Con-
vention:
1t tthe Republican party has, so far as in
its power, subjected ten States, in a time of
profound peace, 10 military despotism and
negro supremacy.
Then further on:
We regard the reconstruction acts of Con-
gress. as such, as acts of usurpation, revo-
lutio: airy, and void.
The letter written by Gen. Blair. and upon
which he was nominated for the Vice Presi-
1ency on the Democratic ticket, declared
that. in the event of the election of a Demo-
cratic President, it would be his duty to dis
perse the new State governments at the
point of the bayonet, to overturn by force
and violence what had been done, to estab-
ish revolution, and Gas he said restore the
white man to power.
This Democratic instruction had taken
root and was now blossoming ia q fresh crop
II murders and Rd1eieSS UiLdi5tteS the South.
The expulsion of The cOlored members from
he Georgia Legislature in 1868 was an inn
mediate consequence.
In answer to the pretended incredulity of
Democratic politicians in the North as to the
existence of secret societies there, MIR. Nor
on related the circumstances attending
he exposition of the Knights of the
Golden Circle in Indiana by means of the
EDITOR OF the Democratic organ known as
he indianapolis Sentinel turning States
evidence. 1t was mainly upon this gentle
mans testimony that Bowles and Milligan
we're convicted, and the purposes OF the or
Ter discovered to be the Liberation of l2,U00 I
prisoners in indianapolis, the assassination 1
# the Governor of the State, and the over
urning of the State government. When |
! mon prisoners were being murdered. !
Larved and tortured in Southern prisons 4
he Democratic party were utterly incredu- |
Gus to the fact. But when the war was 4
he graves alongside those horrible prison /
'ens. the evidence was forthcoming for all /
hat had been said.
Referring at length to the operations of
he kuklux, he said he had had the misfor-
une to see one very recently-a gentleman
f talents, who had declared himself at diff
erent places in this city an officer OF that
rganization. This man had openly named
lis child John Wilkes Booth, All original
luklux." lie lived in the city of Atlanta.
nd was personally known to different Sen
tors.
Throughout the Southern States an organ
zed con spiracy existed for the purpose of
reaking down the Republican party by
iolence, by creating reign of terror that
hall compel Union men either to abandon
heir principles or fly the country, or pur-
base security by silence. This organization
onsisted of the very dregs of the war and
-as destined, if not abated, to corrupt the
7hole moral atmosphere of the South. All
democrats there might not be kukluXes,
ut all kukluXes were Democrats; il was
n organization inside the Democratic party
4 the South.
In Tennessee the order was shown to have
cen in full force in 1865. according to the
eport of a committee of the Legislature OF
hat State, their assumption being that the
tate government was illegal and unauthOr-
,ed, and that they had right to overthrow
:. Governor Senter's recent application TO
ne President and his presence before the
louise Reconstruction Committee proved
nat affairs in Tennessee were daily growing
TorSe. The numbers of kukluX there were
epresented at 10000, and a reign of power
xisted in every part of the State, prevent
~ the possibility of a free election.
He then reviewed the outrages and lists of
official murders in Kentucky, Louisiana,
exas, North Carolina. and other States as
Down by the Freedmens Bureau report
nd the report of the House Reconstruction
ommittee upon the testimony before them.
n Kentucky the prescription of Union men
'as shown TO be universal, with 1921 outrageS
short time, twenty-seyen of which were
lnrders. In Louisiana, within sixty days
efore the last Presidential election, $50 po-
teal murders were committed, and there
las good reason to believe that the whole
lumber of murders would amount TO from
900 TO 1900. Concerning Texas, he tMr.
Iorton) had the evidence of one of the
enators from that State Mr.. Hamilton)
nat since the war there had been more than
900 murders in that State. These facts
lowed the Democracy to be a Robespierre
they were fast coming to
ropagate their faith, like Mahomet with
he sword, by the bowie knife aud pistol,