The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-25
WHY THE KU.KLUX ARE NOT TRIED.

senate. sssysPsoa Ap:wersd~Card from the
Special Correspondence of the Cincinnati Gazette.
LOUISVILLE, March 22.-Colonel G. G. Whar-
ton, United States District Attorney for Ken
lucky, will publish the following card, in the
Louisville papers, tomorrow morning, in rep
to portion of Senator Stevenson's speech in the
Senate on the Ku-klux bill:-
TO the Pubic:-In a recent debate in the Senate
Of the United States between Senator Sherman and
Senator Stevenson, find the following paragraph in
the speech of the latter named Senator:-
/ have not done with this transaction yet. The
Federal Court, the Federal officers, knew who the
man was who attempted this outrage. He did not
live there his politics not disclosed. Why did
not the Federal horites arrest him for aggres
sion upon Federal agent? 1t was crime. Imade
1t the subject of special message. ispoke as !
speak now-I do not care who he was-in terms of
the strongest condemnation; and think all good
men OF every party agree with me. But why was he
not brought TO trial? 1t was IN interference with
mail route; the Federal Courts have jurisdiction
Why was he not arrested? Why was he not indicted?
would know what his politics are. Now, let me tell
my honorable friend that whenever that disclosed
he will find that the man was Republican and not
sKu-knX Qaughter) or, If he is Ku-klux that the
Republicans have as many Ku-kluxes as the Demo-
Gratis.
These words were uttered in a debate touch
ing the attack made in January last at North
Benson, near Frankfort, upon w. Fl. Gibson,
United States Mail Agent on the route between
Louisville and Lexington, and in that debate
Senator Stevenson endeavored to show that the
attack was the act of one man unconnected with
any organized band. The idea which his Ian
i
brought to trial because he was Republican in
politics.
AS to the Federal Court, have only to say
that the Judge has no information, SO far as L
know, upon the subject of the outrage beyond
what the newspapers contain. All that he can
do he has done, viz, to call the attention of the
grand jury to the violation of the law. Unless
the grand juries are furnished with facts upon
which to found our indictments, there can be
no trial or prosecution, as Senator Stevenson
well knows. In my sphere of official duty L
have exhausted every effort to bring the offend
ers to justice.
No one has or will put me or any other Fede-
raj officer in possession of facts upon which to
found an indictment. They, doubtless, fear the
zen of Shelby county, who, having divulged
some of the acts of the Ku-kluX, was, upon his
return to his home, taken out in the night time
by an organized band and hung, for no other
reason than that he gave information to some
of the State authorities about the Ku-kluX.
AS to the politics of the man referred to, aud
whom rumor designated as one of the offenders,
/ have no knowledge or information whatever,
and never heard anything upon the subject until
/ saw in Senator StevensOns speech the conf
dent declaration that he Republican. 1t
seems that the Senator is upon terms of familiar
intercourse with some of the Ku-kluX, or that
he has means of information which have not.
His chief anxiety seems to be to ascertain the
politics OF parties rather than to have the law
vindicated and Ku-klux suppressed. AS a law
abiding citizen he should have communicated
the facts to me before indulging in reflections
upon Federal officers who he well knew were
more anxious and more determined, so far as
they could be, to suppress Ku-klux and all
disturbers of the peace than Senator Stevenson
seemed to be when he was Governor of Ken
lucky.
While he was Governor of Kentucky murders
and outrages were committed almost in sight of
the Capitol, and the Senator who is so swift to
charge others with derection of official duty
was, in the midst of these troubles, as feeble
and helpless as q babe; while Federal officers,
within the knowledge of the Senator, were en-
deavoring, but without success to obtain facts
upon which to base prosecution against the
offenders, so far as the Federal Court had Juris-
diction.
The attempt of Senator Stevenson to create
the impression that there does not exist in Ken
tucky an organized band of lawless men, more
powerful in some portions of the State than the
civil authorities, will create surprise If not
tempt with all candid people in this State, many
of whom know, as / do, that the intimidation
of the Ku-klux has in its effects even reached
the Grand Jury of the Federal Court. If Sena-
tor Stevenson will exhaust the sources of infor-
nation which he seems to have, and give me
facts and names, he may confidently rely upon
offenders being brought to justice without any
inquiry as to politics.
The Senator has personal reasons to know
that in the Federal courts prosecutors not
influenced by the politics of the offender OF
the alleged offender against the law. If the
charges or intimations OF the Senator are
founded on fact, am unworthy to hold my pre-
sent position, and l demand that the Senator
give his authority for the suggestion that the
offender or any of them referred to have not
been arrested, indicted, and tried because of q
disposition of myself other Federal officers tt
the discharge official duties from political ol
other considerations.
G. G. WHARTON,
! U. s. District Attorney, Kentucky District.