Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-16
THE Ks-KLUx BUeaEAR-poc-

seteEAstieallE declares that s'things are,
bad" in that State, and to prove its
premises, that paper recites through its
Washington correspondence some harrow
ing details, after this fashion: ''The Ku-
Klux Khan ride day and night in Sump-
ter, PickeDs and Green counties. *,a*r
A colored man of irreproachable charac-
ter has been beaten to death for attending
8 Republican convention; and another
prominent negro fears TO run for the
Legislature in Greene county, as he may
be assassinated The RepubI-
cans dare not canvass the State lest they
lose their lives" Wonder if that promi
nent acolored individual" is not as greatly
troubled with the fear that he viii be
struck by Lightning, and sshe Republi-
cans ans that the earth win open in spots and
swallow thems But the browning infa-
nay of all, in the estimation of the
Tribune, is, that Gov. Smith, of Ala
bams, himself Radical, not only 'Tend-
ers no assistance" 10 these persecuted
"colored brothers," but, from foolish
notion that willful and deliberate lying is
disreputable, actually ''denies the perpe-
tration of the outrages." This is terribly
shocking TO the sensitive nerves of the
Tribune. II appears that the Tribune
regards it as criminal in Gov. Smith to
tell the truth when the necessities of the
party TO which he belongs require a diff
ferent story. This is somewhat the style
in which that paper treated Gov. Holden.
North Carolina was likely TO be carried
by the Democrats, and it required some
thing desperate to fire the Northern heart
to an extent that would result in bring
ing a pressure to bear upon the
prosecuted North CarOlinians that would
induce them to stay away from the polls
or vote the Radical ticket. In this en-
Urgency Gov. Holden got hold Of letter
written by one Judge Tourgec, carpet
Dagger and Judge of the Circuit Court
of that State, and SO manipulated it as to
make its author tell the most fabulous
stories of wrong and outrage, committed
by the spectral Ku-Klux and other terrible
characters; and this letter the Tribune
published with a grand flourish, as
conclusive as 10 the bad charac-
ter of the people of North Caro-
lina- Although this letter went far
to justify to the Radical North the acts of
infalny committed by Holden and Kirk,
it failed to accomplish its object, for the
Democrats carried North Carolina by q
handsome majority; and then the Tribune
'blowed" on Holden, and has since de-
nounced him as no better than a forger.
So much for Holden's failure. But Gov.
Smith appears 20 be a different sort of
man. He has so far refused TO misrepre-
sent the people of his State, or to justify
or palliate others in incorporating them.
The New York Times radical as the
Tribune, is becoming nauseated and dis
gusted with these terrible Ku-Klux stories,
gotten up on the eve OF an important
election in Southern State, and in its
issue of the 4th inst. thus sensibiy de-
liYers itself:
sit is not many days since the Tribune
made righteous exposure of perform
ance Of Gov. Holden's, in forwarding it |
for publication a letter received by him
about Kuklux Outrages in that State. in |
which the burni1gs and murderings were
somehow raised, between the receipt Of |
the letter by the Governor and its receipt
by the Tribune, from hundreds to thOus-
sAds, by an alteration of the figures in |
the manuscript. We had hoped that this |
would put an end to the use of the Ku-
klux crimes for political purposes. There |
Is no manner of doubt, that for some time
past, when the KuJux had not been
good enough to do enough whip |
ping and slaughtering to make the can
vass exciting, the matter was put into the |
hands of literary gentlemen, who there |
upon started around bands IN all direc-
tons through the newspaper woods, |
dragged out newspaper negroes from
homes, and, tying them
up 10 trees of the mind, lashed their |
newspaper backs till the blood ran
down, awful to behold. Column after
column, too, was in the same way made |
to flame with incendisry fires, and swarm
with widows running for their lives, with |
babies in their arms and other children
hanging on their skirts.
seThc effect, We need hardly say, has
been very injurious, and rather moio SO |
to the Union men whom these inventions
were intended to help than to the rest of |
the Southern community. We are, there |
fore, sorry 10 find, from the TTibune's |
correspondence, that fnfor |
nation has been received in that city, |
sby a private letter from a responsible |
source, giving fearful account of af- |
fairs in the Fourth Alabama district |
The Ku-Klux Khan, it appears, ride day |
and night in that region, giving them
selves absolutely no rest, whipping and |
Union people, and the Re
publicans dare not canvass the district lest |
they should lose their lives. Gov. Smith |
does not appear to render any assist
ance: in fact, is so hardened as TO |
DENY the preparation of the outrages
These outragcs,' so far as mentioned by |
the correspondent, consist of the murder /
of one cOlored man and the throwing of |
his body into a well for no other |
crime than attending Republican Con-
vention,' and the refusal of another col |
ored man so run for the Legislature, |
fearful assassination Now We venture |
TO assert that there is not a single Con |
gressional district in the United States in |
which Republican man has not been re-
Gently murdered, and in which another |
may not be found who is afraid of being /
murdered. Whether the Alabama ColOred ]
man owed his death TO his having attend |
ed a convention, we suppose is a piece of |
conjecture suited TO the season. Wheth- |
er the other does not run for the Legisla-
ture because he is afraid of being muir
dered, is q matter about which there can |
be no evidence but his own word. We |
think we may ask, too, without seeming /
whether some Republicans at |
the South do not conclude little too has
tily that the Ku-Klux will CANVASS the dis |
trict better for the party by riding night |
and day, whipping and numbering |
than the party speakers, and whether |
there is not an undue tendency among
them 20 transfer all the crimes of the |
year to the political schedule, and con-
meet every violation of the law with the |
discomfort of Southerners with the results |
of the WARE n ..
''Thefact is, we believe, that, outrage
GUS as the conduct of Southern malcon-
tents has been in various districts, there
has not been one case, in which the mat |
ter has been inquired into, in which the |
reports of the newspapers and politicians