The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-03-30


Cypress one class US much as another. /
confess that at one time greatly relied up
on this idea. But was mistaken. This /
Legislature have taught me that where there
Is q wiH there Is scay. Those who VIII
carefully examine the proceedings OF the
Legislature viii be struck with the adroit-
ness and ingenuity with which they have
cheated the Constitution in this respect.
They repealed the common school law.
/ know they pretend to plead high taxes
and an embarrassed treasury, in justification |
of this is act; but I, who have been here, on
the ground, happen to know their purposes
and motives in doingso. The people had
not complained of the school tax On the |
contrary they have paid it with pleasure. ] |
am aware that members point to certain de- |
fects in the machinery of the law as pretexts |
for its total repeal But these defects might |
haveb been easily corrected by amendment. l
happen to know their real motives for thisre-
peal. ..st *. a, i,-.ls Z. ssissi ~
/. This common school law was the only
hope of the colored children Of the State.
Legislators hated the freedmen, and there
fore went for the repeal OF the school tax.
They argued that the negroes had hut little
property, and paid but little taxes, and yet
would get an equal share of the benefits
An argument that is at war with the free
schools under any circumstances.
O. 1t was property tax. andit SO happen
ed that East Tennessee had, proportionally,
the least amount of property and the greatest
number of children. Among the high noun
| tains, pure atmosphere, and chrystal waters
| of East Tennessee we are most successful in
| raising children. But the fathers of these
children had committed the sin of loyalty.
| They had gone into the Federal army, and
| for that reason the school tax was cut of.
With this Legislature loyalty is the original
sin and they have visited the sins of the
fathers upon the children. Yes, gentlemen.
| If it should ever be your fortune to ride
| through the hills and valleys of East Ten.
| nessee, aud to see the little white headed
boys and girls sporting among the flowers
| of her hillsides, or gamboling in the shad-
| ows of her great mountains, you may say to
them, but for the loyalty Of your fathers
| YOU could Be at school learaing to read the
scriptures" The repeal of the school law
was rebel blow, most effectually dealt. 1t
struck a loyal and hated race, and loyal
and hated section. But let us look to other
laws. -as 'it
When the Legislature met they found a
law upon the statute book "te preserve the
public peace" 1t was a law of stringent
character against masked murdereIs. It
not only proposed to punish them. but it
disabled them from sitting upon juries. To
use cant phrase, the Legislature ''went
for" this law. They repealed it in haste!
And what was the consequence In less
than ten days, gentlemen -chivalrous South
ern gentlemen-were riding at night in
masks and shrouds, armed as brigands,
whipping, shooting and hanging the help
less colored man and the unprotected white
loyalist, and dropping notices at the gates
of citizens, from the Grand Cyclops, COM
manding them to leave the State 1t
was only last Saturday night that
passed from Chattanooga to this city,
against the warning advice of friends,
and heard the thrilling whistle of the Ku-
klux at three different points on the road,
and saw them in CHASTITY costume around the
train. On reaching what supposed to he
place of safety, train of thought came
into my mind. My carly ideas of Southern
chivalry! The great Washington was q
Southern chivalier! Marion and Horny and
Jasper were representatives of the chivalry
of 1776, and so were Jefferson and Madison
and the Lees and Carols and Haynes After
later day was jackson and Coffee and
Carroll, OF Tennessee. These were the rep
resentatiYes of the chiyslry of their day.
Their instincts were all noble; and though
they may have thought too much of what is
called the code of honor, they felt bound to
protect the weak and defenceless. Certain
" they despised cuwardice and cruelty
Yet, here we have the crivalry of 1870
closely masked, armed as brigands, VIC see
them at the midnight hour, lowering around
railroad train seeking the lite of some
. passenger whose only offense is that he is a
Republican, or We hear of them in some
lonely cabin butchering the inmates in cnld
blood because their skins areblack and they
dare to live. The latest type of Southern
chivalry! Great God! How hath the
mighty falleni What degeneration and de-
moralizationi .sl5iaf 49, 4. !
Next comes another law which. like all
the others, has modest and innocent cap
ton. It iseS;;fled san act to amend the
~ Ebieh aIsno 4. sinps
4 1li'1 : = =
) is violation -
IThe Constitution only requires thas-4 yoter
: shall be "a cisizen ri She County in which he
offers to vote; but this act requires that he
shall be citizen of the district. Such a
law was never thought of before, and of
course. there must be some matters in pals
to explain this enactment. l will tell you.
The chivalry have always boosted that they
could control the colored vote. They say to
the colored voter before election day that
they will stop his wages if he votes the Re
publican ticket. The landholder tells him
he will turn him out of house and home il
he does so. If this is not sufficient q
.. notice from the Grand Cyclops is left at his
: door, at night, to the effect that he will be
; killed if he votes the Republican ticket
To escape those dangers, the colored man
.. has been in the habit of going to the town
or some other district, where he might cas-,
his vote in peace-unmolested. Sometimes
he found at the county towns a company oil
militia or regular soldiers. with orders to
protect him. This law was passed to com
, pei the colored voter to 60 10 the polls under
: the eye of his employer or landlord tenn
porary master. The law is demonstrations
and has been admitted to be so by the Con
vention now in session, who have provided
for it by comforting the power on the Legis
: lature to pass such laws hereafter.
Then there was the law passed by former
. Legislature to prohibit common carriers
= railroads, steamboats, &C., from making un
just discrimination among passengers OF
account of race or color. Briefly it provi
ded that when colored man paid hi.
= money and bought his firist-class ticket he
should have as good accommodation as ,
!. white man. This law was repealed without
ceremony, so that now the colored man ma,
. be slowed away in the hold of boat or in /
cattle car with q frst-class ticket in hi
: pocket.
! 1next come to the repeal of CLASS O
: laws that had been enacted for the protec
ton of loyal men. Several laws existed
authorizing the Governor to arm and eouir
: State Guards and especially to protect vo
/. tiers from violence on election DAYS. Their,
!. was also law giving to sheriffs, in case O
!. necessity, permanent posse of twenty fiv,
' men to assist him in making arrests and ex
!. ecuting process. There was also law au
: thorizing discharged Union soldiers to carr,
! ! arms for self defence. Every one of thes
: laws have been swept from the statute book
They had elected the present Governor
His name was at the head of their tickle:
> but they knew him to be Union man anf
: that he would leave conscientious desire t,
! execute the laws. They, therefore, disarn
: him of all power and unmistakahly <betra
. their intention to protect their Kuklux OF
|. Pale Face allies. It is true this singularl,
! hypocritical body have since gone througl
= with the form of passing some sort of la,
: against masked marauders; but this is in
3 horn.
! No person expects any one to be convicte,
u under that law. 1t does not make Kuklu
!, ineligible as Jurors or disqualify them frou
. holding Office. As an evidence that tn
! passage of this pretended law was mer
y child's play, the fact is s., that at the YER
= time the bill was pending they were passin
I. | l., ;roornnrat inrv tho Dali Eoooo Ixyb iol