The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1870-01-13
THE ENTERPRISE.
HalleOk on the Condition Of Affairs
In the South.

in the South.
The Union and American says: The
policy of the Radicals is to m~isrepresent
the condition of affairs in every Southern
State in which they have lost the control
of the Offices, and unfortunately there are
men connected with the army who favor
this policy and do all they can to aid the
Radicals in this work Of misropresenta-
ton. General Terry, now in command Of
the "Distri6t of Georgia" is one of these
officers, but General Halleck, who is his
superior, is not. If anything were requir-
ed to nail the falsehoods Of the Radicals
about Georgia to the counter, it will be
found in the annexed extracts from the
official report of General Halleck, com-
handing the military Division of the
South, accompanying the annual report of
the Secretary of War. 1t will be found
in direct antagonism with that of General
Terry, upon which was pretendedly based
the necessity of the expulsion of the State.
General Halleck's report bears date Nov.
6, 1863. He says:
"Inspection and other reports, however,
represent it to be entirely tranquil, ex-
cept in certain districts of Georgia and
North Carolina, where there has been
some disorders requiring military inter-
ference, the civil authorities being unwil-
ling or unable to enforce the laws for the
protection oflife and property.
at is not easy at the present time to
determine upon the extent and character
of these alleged disorders; but official in
yestigations have generally proved the re-
ports to be either unfoundod or greatly
exaggerated.
"After a careful examination of all the
evidence | have been able to collect from
official reports aud the statements ofoficers
and citizens, unbiased by partisan feelings,
| am forced to the conclusion that the
amount of crime committed in the several
States of the division is very little greater
than before the rebellion, and certainly
no greater than was reasonably to be ex-
pected at the close of an embittered and
prolonged civil war, when large numbers
Of lawless and desperate characters, both
at the North and in the South, we're
turned loose upon society without any le-
gitimate means of support. Certain dis
tricts of country may, and probably do,
form exceptions to this general remark
but even Of these exceptional cases very
few have any partisan character or politi-
cal significance. Those who murder and
rob do so simply as murderers and rob-
bers, influenced by the motives which or
binary incite men to commit these crimes.
One of the worst desperadoes in Kentucky
served in the Union army during the war;
but he and his band murder Rebels and
loyalists alike, as may best suit their pur-
poses, at one time claiming to be Ku-
KluX, and at another to be anti-Ku-Klux.
Although there may be special organiza-
tions of outlaws, in particular localities,
under the nam of Ku-Klux, l am of the
opinion that no such general organization
now exists in the Southern States. 1t is
probable, however, that outlaws not I'M
frequently assume this name in order to
intimidate the weak and ~credulous, espe-
cially when calculated to increase their
" Importance.
In regard to the interference of military
officers in local difficulties under the pleas
of maintining peace and order, 1 think
that no such military interference should
be permitted, except on the requisition of
the Governor of a State, and by order of
ths President as provided by law. The
principal occupation of the troops, in GER
tain localities, has been in assisting reven-
NC officers should call for the assistance of
troops whenever they can get it, for by
this means they avoid danger and trouble,
and increase their own emoluments at the
expense of military appropriations.