The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-03-11
Coming Events Casting shadows


"About this time look out for squalls" So
used to say the old almanacs in noting the
time Of the SUMS passing the equator.
"AbOut this time look out for kuklux cut
RACES" can be said with ten times more GER
tainty of the prediction being verified, when.
ever the radical party are meditating some
special outrage in the way of"reconstruction"
legislation.
Gen. Grant is preparing the way for his re-
election in 1872, and to this end has secured
the passage through congress OF law placing
the elections in the northern states under
military control, SO that, if the exigency re-
quires, he can, Napoleon like, force majorities
in his favor in quarters where the people may
be unwilling. Of this bill even 50 staunch
radical as Senator Trumbull forgot TO be on
both sides long enough to say:
Even in the old fugitive slave law which
was about as odious as any law that was ever
enacted in this country, which made it the
duty of every person to assist the marshal to
arrest a runaway slave, there was no penalty
provided if man refused to assist marshal
when called npon. Although the law declar-
ed it his duty to do so, the law did not i'm
pose penalty of two years imprisonment IN
the penitentiary upon him, or any other pun.
ishment. But this bill authorizes deputy
selected by the marshal, to arrest anybody
without process, and compel everybody that
he shall call upon to assist him under penalty
of two years Imprisonment in the penitcntiary.
The history of Legislation in this country
has produced no law which politicians of the
radical stripe held IN more unlimited horror
and execration than the fugitive slave law,
yet even that enactment is exceeded, in the
estimation of Lyman Trumbull, in atrocity by
the late enforcement" act of congress. 0''
But Grant is not satisfied with having the
principal elections in the north placed under
his personal military control. The south, in
spite of the rigid surveillance the reconstruc-
ton laws enabled him to exercise over its
elections, yet showed vexatious perversity in
giving antl.radical majorities, Grant wants a
still closer grippe on the throats of the southern
voters. So he asks the new congress, which
is impatient to adjourn, to stay and pass
Buffers kuklux bill, which was too infamous
an enactment for even the forty.drst congress
to pass Its object is, to appoint military
commissioner in every county in the southern
states, with plenary power to arrest and i'm.
prison whomsoever said commissioners, ap-
pointed by and the tools of the President
may suspect Of klukuxlsm or holding "disloy.
al" sentiments.
As a justification for legislation like this
Grant cites Coy. Holden, of North Carolina
as reporting to him that matters in North
Carolina are growing worse and worse, and
nothing but the strong arm Of the military
can arrest the downward tendency. Holden
is convicted scoundrei and thief, and is now
on trial by the Senate of North Carolina fol
"high crimes and misdemeanors" No doub,
nothing short of the military arm can prevent
matters from growing worse and worse in that
state for Holden.
Grant also cites, as another fact to Justify
the coveted outrageous legislation, the stop
page of the mails by the kuklux in Ken
uckey,-which the Kcntuckey papers show
to be a falsehoOd. There had been a negro
mail agent put upon train, and the story
was circulated to brighten him that the
kuklux were after him, in consequence Of
which the p. NJ. General directed that ne
mail should be sent on that road. But nc
kuklux appeared anywhere when the train
passed, and the whole proved groundlesi
and ridiculous scare.
But it furnishes Grant with a preteXt fol
insisting on his infamous legislation to enable
him to cheat the people out Of their rights al
the polls under pretence Of protecting "leyal
voters" There never was tyrant but per.
pertrated his crimes against popular liberty
under an equally specious pretext.