davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
ESTABLISHED FACTS ABOUT KU-KLUX

ESTABLISHED FACTS ABOUT hU-KLUY
The Joint Committee of Congress on Ku-
Klux outrages has been in session in Wash
ington for two months. A Subcommittee
visited the States where the operations of the
Ku-Klux have been most notorious, spending
two weeks in investigating reported outrages
on the spots where they occurred. TIE Com
mittee, while in session at the capital, exam
ined great number of witnesses of every
shade of politics. Republicans, sehool-teachers
preachers Federal officials, and other e1iles,
testified TO the doings of the band From
such men as Napoleon Bonaparte Forrest and
other confirmed Rebels was wrung more than
one unwilling evidence of the doings in which
they had themselves taken part. But the Sub
Committee saw with their own eyes and heard
with their own ears the conclusive testimony
given in various ways before the whole Com
mittee at Washington.
The facts now gathered in the South by the
Sub Committee had, long before, been volum-
nously stated and abundantly proved in the
special correspondence of The TRIBUNE.
Wherever these Committeeman went they met
the unfortunate victims of persecution. Men
with MANNED limbs and backs SCARED with
cruel scourgngs came to meet them. The be-
ginning of every day found a gathering
of prosecuted men appealing to the Sub-Com-
mittee for protection and sympathy. AS has
repeatedly been shown in the correspondence
of this journal, many sections visited were
found to be in state of utter social and polit-
zeal decentralization. There was no law anar-
ehy reigned supreme, and men not in known
active sympathy with the marauding rulers OF
the country were obliged to flee for their
lives.
1t is too late to dispute the main facts
which have been first established by the indSI
fatigable and trustworthy correspondents OF
The TRIBUNE, and now by the investigations
and personal observations of the Committed
and subcommittee. Men who sympathikt
with the purposes of Ku-Kluxism may quibbl'
about unimDortant particulars, bS all accounts
agree in tostifying to,the existence of all oath
bound band of men operating ID different part
of the Sonth with view ta/weaken the Re
publican and strengthen tho Democratic party
! This band came into existence during the eX
element which attended the last Presidents
canvass bat has .Abt been wholly dissolved
| since In some localities the Sub-Commttte
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02

1BDJC4TIOV OF TIE HOUSE OF LORDS.
Once more a serious crisis in the COostitu-
tional history of England has been avoided by
the good sense or the fear of the House OF
Lords. Perhaps both of these motives had
their influence in the recent action of the
Peers, just as they had in the "hiding" which
the Book of Proverbs assigns to the wise man.
The British patricians have also foreseen the
evil, and preferred to so into momentary
eclipse, rather than, like the foolish, to pass
on and be punished. Next to possessing the
discretion to keep out of scrapes, the best
faculty is to get more or less gracefully out
of them. The Peers, by their vote on the Pur-
chase bill, placed themselves in conflict with
the aroused public opinion of En-
gland; but they have taken advantage of
the indiscreet attempt of one of their
own number to indict the Government for its
bold disregard of the Peers obstructive policy,
to place themselves in harmo ny with the inevita-
BILE course of things. The motion of the Duke
of Richmond was fair and honest statement
of the question between the aristocracy and
the Government. He proposed to censure the
Ministry for its act in overriding the expressed
opinion of the House of Lords on an import
ant public measure, by having recourse to a
Royal Warrant, which carried out the views
voted for by the House of Commons 1t re-
cognizes the coalition of Crown and Commons
and does not propose to submit to it. The de-
bate was an unusually animated one for that
ordinarily rather stupid assembly. Lord
Salisbury displayed for moment the old fire
and venom of Lord Cranbourne in his
plucky denuncatiOns of this last breach of
the Peers privilege and contempt of their
authority. Lord Romilly gave the great weight
of his name to the proposition of the illegality
of Mr.. Gladstones action. Even the Earl of
Derby shook off the combined palsy of mac
ton and liberalism which has lately seemed to
threaten him, to say hearty word in favor
of the endangered prestige of the House.
Earl Russell, who seems more and more I'M
able to 60 the pace necessary to Liberal OF
to day, ENORMOUSLY complained of the respon-
sibility the Government had assumed, and
Lord Cairns made one of his exhaustive
legal arguments against the regularity
of the Gladstone stratagem. The Gov
eminent, thus attacked all along
the line by the very best talent the
Conservatives and hating Liberals can COM
mand, was not defended with equal vigor.
Earl Granville cOntented himself with citing
precedents which sustained the action Of the
Premier. The Duke OF Argyll reDelled the in
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02

Whose fault abs was, it surely must DO easy
10 determine.
The engineer, Henry Robinson, is said TO
have been careful and experienced man, in
whom tho Company had the fullest conf
dence; yet on this occasion he certainly failed
of hi. duty. He testifes(that five minutes
before the explosion, he tested the water in
the fire-room, and found the boiler well sup
piled. Then he passed into the engine-room,
and noticed that the locked safety-valye indi-
Gated 81 pounds of pressure-twO more than
he was allowed to cauyj he did nothing TO
reduce it, but went out on deck. 1t is impos-
sible to fix the exact time during which he
was absent from his post; his own estimate of
FIVE minutes is undoubtedly the lowest that
can be made. During those five minutes the
pressure may have risen great many moro
pounds. We have no guarantee, to begin
with, that the indication of q was
correct, for the locked valve may
have been coToded as well as the
other. And even if it was correct, the
pressure in boiler of so large heating sur
face as this was supposing there was brisk,
fire. must have increased very rapidly. Five
minutes after Robinson passed through the
room it may easily have exceeded even the
pressure applied during the hydrostatic test
We cannot know that this was the case, be-
cause the engineer was not at his post. lie
knew that the steam was in excess and ac-
cumulatng, and yet he trusted to luck, or
rusty valye and went out on deck. The In
quest will probably tell us whether the regu-
lations of the Company allow such careless
ness, or whether it is the duty of either the
engineer or a competent assistant to be always
OH the watch, and reduce the pressure when IL
gets too high.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02

What with riot and disaster some OF the
papers have supped full of horrors lately
But horrors enough they have had to dish up
without inventing new or exaggerat1ng the
existing ones, as some have done. There Is q
certain fascination in pathetic tales of suffer-
ing and strange stories of terrible adventure,
which in some measure justifies the minute
detail in which the fcrry-boat slaughter has
been described. These statements have been
read by thousands eager for information, who
have obtained only agonized and sickening
sensations. But the reckless rivalry which
augments the long list of killed and wounded
as an evidence of superior enterprise is simply
criminal, and in the present state of public
anxiety to know the extent and results of the
disaster, to be strongly condemned. BY dupli-
eating seven of the names in its list and trans
posing seven others from the list of wounded
to that of the dead, The World, yesterday,
managed to make the total loss of life 20 per-
sons. The Times, by adding eight wounded
persons, swelled its list of dead to 70, and by
fifteen repetitions its wounded to 1876. Yet
another paper in the same way presents list
of 81 dead, in which twenty-six of the names
are repeated. We published on Monday and
again yesterday full list, arranged in alpha
betcal order, the latter including all the true
names in the other papers and some that they
had not, the casualties footing up OF killed
and I23 wounded. This morning the death
list is swelled by the addition of fourteen names
to 76 killed, and the wounded foot up I17.
This, in all conscience, is horrible enough,
though we greatly fear that Others must yet
be added to the list of dead, until it will
eventually be sweled to nearly one hundred
Numbers of the wounded are still in dan
gerous condition. many who were only slightly
scalded having, it is feared, inhaled the steam,
which is almost certain death. The total
casualties, killed and wounded, now number
ing I03, will not, however be greatly in
creased, all the victims and sufferers having
probably been cared for.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
THE QUARANTINE RING.

Several hundred steerage passengers by the
steamer City of Paris, which arrived on Mon
day from port where no epidemic prevails,
and with clean bill of health, were yacci-
mated by the Quarantine officials, by order of
DIR. Carnochan, and charged fifty cents each.
This is apparently a matter of little cOnse-
ouence, but it is an imposition, unauthorized
by any law other than the regulations of the
Quarantine officers, and a petty swindle for
which Dr. CarnOchan is responsible and OF
which he is morally guilty.
Every day in the year steamers arrive in
this port under precisely the same conditions
as to health bill, and the regulations of the
same officials compel their hundreds OF pas
sengers to transfer themselves and baggage to
lighters for transport to the city, imposing
upon each n tax Onerous in amount and out
rageous in principle. The transports which
are thus benefited pay TO the Quarantine Off
GERS large bonus and heavy weekly Install
ment for the privilege of thus swindling the
passengers arriving at this port
Every day in the year ships of all kinds,
bearing valuable cargOes to this city, are de-
tanned at Quarantine without reason and with
out legal warrant, until they consent to be
lowed by the tugs of the companies which pay
this blood money to the Quarantine officials.
These tugs charge four and five times the rate
which other boats would be glad to tow them
for, if the Lower Bay were free TO all, and not
reserved by the Health Officers for the boats
of those who pay the brides. These rates are
not only exorbitant, but unauthorized, and are
q tax on commerce which is fast driving 1t to
other ports. Every box and bale of our I'M
ports, every emigrant to our shores, every
traveller from abroad, pays tribute to these
leeches. Every merchant of our city, every
shipper in this port, every captain OF our mer-
chant marine is taxed for the benefit OF this
Quarantine Ring.
These are general facts known to every ac-
tive merchant and shipper in New-YOrk; and
they are abuses which call loudly for redress.
While other Rings" are exposed and public
Indignation meetings are called to reform the
rule of the city, the Quarantine Ring" which
is driving commerce from the port by its ex-
actions, should meet also with deserved pun
ishment. Only united action of the merchants
can do this; and the sooner this action is
taken the better it will I've for commerce.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02


were told by Conservative" politicians t6att
nearly every able-bodied man in the country
belonged TO the Ku-Klux, which was looked
upon as q local Vigilance Committee with large
powers. And in every instance prominent
Democrats are active in the Klans, and all
"good Democrats" applaud their doings.
though it would be Libel 10 say that all
Democrats are Ku-Klux.
How far the Governments of some of tho
Southern States are responsible for this state
of facts it is impossible to say. But whether
these officials, who found administrative dutie,
too burdensome and dangerous for them, have
any share in the general odium does not
specially concern the matter in hand. Wo
know that the system Of oppression and vio-
lence of which we complain has resulted in
depriying thousands of men Of the right Of
suffrage. We know that in Louisiana mora
than forty thousand registered Republican
voters were kept away from the polls al tho
Presidential election of 1853. We have tho
authority Of one Of the victims Of The Ku-
Klux in West Tennessee for saying that this
organization has openly declared to its captivcs
that "no Radical voting is t9 DO allowed in
"any Southern State, by black or white"
The remedy for all this is tolerably appa-
rent. The Democracy Of the North has tlls
far affected to disbeleve reports OF Southern
outrages, or has given quasi countenance 10
them. At any rate, our Democratic friends
have never shown any disaprroyal of theso
acts of violence-even with hypothetical al.
mission of their existence. If this has been
made party question, it is the Democracy
which has forced it into that position. Lv2g
ago it was asserted IN Congress- without con-
tradiction, that one word of disapproyal from
leading Democrats of the Moth would dis
courage and disband the Ku-t ilux Organiza-
tons. 1t is not too late for tlbt word TO DO
spoken. Party considerations aside, the facts
established by the Congress committees arc
now impregnable; all honest doubts must dis
appear before them. We will tave protection
to legal voters everywhere. lh the face OF
incontrovertible evidence and d determination
to see absolute justice done herkafter. the De
mocracy may as well yield gracefully TO the
force of circumstances and circumference,
while they acknowledge, the existence OF Ku-
Kluxism.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
TINE PRACTICAL QUESTION.


Fooled in their efforts to escape the dam-
aging charges of fraud and theft, the Tammany
Ring, through their organ, now turn at bay
and hurl an insOlent defiance at their pursuers
Grant that all these charges are true, exclaims
The World, what are you going to do about
it'll You cannot punish us. The Mayor is safe
in office till the end of 1872. The heads OF
departments are his appointees, and he viii
not remove them. The charter cannot be
abolished, because even if you could push
repeating act through the Legislature, we
would make Gov. Hoffman veto it. Thus for
two or three years at least we are safe, and
you may as well stop your screaming until 1t
will do you some practical good.
This is distinct announcement that the
Democratic managers in this City will take no
action to punish theft in their own party, no
matter how clearly it may be proved, or how
gross it may be in amount. No disclosures
whatever will induce Tammany Hall to purge
itself. 1t is pledged to Tweed, Connolly, Hall,
IngersOll, and Garvey, through honor and
through dshOnOr. If one is thief they will
all be thieves together. We knew this before;
but we did not expect an open confession.
Such frankness is indecent.
But since The World wants to know what
we are going to do about it, we answer, that
we purpose pursuing this investigation until the
whole truth is exposed, the magnitude OF the
frauds revealed so far as any existing record
will reveal them, and the guilt fastened where
it belongs. The next time the people have to
vote for public officers we mean that they
shall vote with their eyes open, and we mean
they shall understand that the new charter
will not give them an honest government If
they intrust its administration to the same
men who robbed them under the old. What
can be done to punish the officers whom these
disclosures seem to be cOnvicting of felony, we
shall see hereafter. 1t is not true, as The
World appears to assume, that the law cannot
reach them; neither is it true that there is no
provision of the charter by which they can be
removed from office. 1t is the duty of the
Mayor to impeach before the full bench of
the Court of Common Pleas any head of de-
partment who proves unfaithful to his trust.
1t is the duty of the Common Council to i'm
peach in the same manner an unfaithful
Mayor Neither probably will perform this
duty except under cOmpulsiOn of the leaders
of the party in New-York State. When the
indictment is complete the. question will be
put squarely to the Democratic party, whether
it sustains horde of plunderers, OF is ready
to join us in putting them down. And upon
its answer to that question it will have to go
before the country.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02

Congressman Van Trump, Democratic
member of the Congress Subcommittee on
Ku-Klux, does not believe all the testimony
that came before that body when it was
in the South. OF course not it has been the
persistent course of certain class of Demo-
Gratis to "deny everything" And so Van
Trump denies that the witnesses before the
Subcommittee were all trustworthy, and
he comes forth with long statement which
does not materially affect the main facts in
the case, as already made up This determine
ton of Van Trump and his fellows to bubble
and divert attention on trivialities is dscour-
aging to any prospect of peaceful adjustment
of dificuties
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
LORD, HOW THIS World IS GIVEN TO

LIING!
Four persons have Just brought suits against
the city to compel payment for work alleged
to have been done or materials furnished In
the construction and repair of the county
buildings. j. B. Cornell sues for $4,000
represented to be due on bill for iron-wOrk
for the New Court House, allowed by the
Board of Supervisors in 1869, and approved by
Mayor Hall. Badger another iron merchant
sues for a bill of $4,000. Edmund Jones de-
mands $4,000 But the largest account Is
that of Alr. Tweed's henchman and bell
ringer, the prince of plasterers, and decorator
general of the Tammany Ring, Mr. Andrew
j. Garvey. We have already seen that during
two years Garvey has received e2,SsO, f64
out of the county treasury, and he now asks
for $1G9,O34 more, for various repairs and al
terations made previously to the 23d of De-
cember, 1860. The only remarkable thing
about this bill is that the Controller should
put Mr.. Garvey to the trouble of suing for it.
From the fact that payment is resisted, un-
charitable people may perhaps draw an infer
ence that the accounts are correct, and the
Ring has not received its usual commission.
We mention these suits, not to call atten-
ton TO the claims themselves, which seem in
significant after the developments of the past
fortnight, but because they have afforded a
signal illustration of the dishonest arts by
which the Ring organs attempt to conceal
frauds which they dare not palliate or deny.
The World, yesterday, deliberately suppressed
all mention of Garvey's, Jones's, and Badgers
suits, and printed the petition of j. b. Cornell
only, heading the article, " More Republicans
"after City Funds-The Controller refuses to
Pay a Bill of $4,000 for Iron-The Extrava-
" giant Appropriation of Republican Legislatures
Z" for the New Court House" The impudence
of this sort of thing i5 not likely to impose
upon anybody, but what shall we say of its
morality7 1t is equivalent to plain lying
only it is more cowardly than the direct va
riety of that vice, and consequently little
more dIsreputable. Whether it is good jour
naism or not to suppress three-fourths of the
news and lie about the other fourth is ques-
ton we may leave to be settled between The
World and its readers. Our own opinion has
been for some time that The World is not
newspaper at all, and the canOns of journal
ism consequently do not apply to it.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
al RFASOyABLE QUESTION:

Inspector-Gen. McQuade's presence in the
city, as announced in yesterdays papers
prompts us to remind him of a promise.
Gen. McQuade in protesting to answer GER
tain INQUIRIES about the late riot, propounded
TO you by The TRIBUNE you said, in recent
card, that you thought you had answered our
questions fully, but were "ready to answer any
"other reasonable question we might put"
We have very reasonable one which we have
since asked several times without eliciting
any response. We are willing to believe that
you overlooked 1t, and, accepting as honest
your professed readiness to answer, we once
more repeat 1t:
you saw Mayor Hall on behalf Of your chief,
Gov. Hoffman, about the preparations for
putting down the anticipated riot on the Mon
day afternoon before the Wednesday of its
occurrence. Then you telegraphed to Gov.
Hoffman that sit was all rightm But Gen.
Shaler reports that, hours before this inter-
view, Mayor Hall had given him notice of the
intended issue Of the Kelso order, forbidding
the Professionalism Gov. Hoffman did not
find call right" but, too tardily, revoked,
whence all the bloodshed. Did you know about
that order when you telegrGphed your chief that
at ecas all right" or had ii been concealed from
youf The public want to know, General,
whether you deceived Gov. Hoffman, or Mayor
Hall deceived you; and we assure you that
this Is q case where the worst answer you
could possibly make could not be worse than
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02

From Tahiti, by way of san Francisco, we
have the names of the new Cabinet of the
King of the Cannibal Islands. rs political
complexion is not given, but from the fact
that native names are in the minority, we
may infer that it is conservative on the ques-
ton of man-eating. A thrifty Englishman is
Premier, and it is complained by foreigners,
other than English, that the Britons have
captured the Cabinet of King Thakombua.
The French have heretofore been In the
ascendency at FIJI, but the English have lat
terly gained possession of the direction Of
commercial and political affairs; and now it
seems that the British colonists in Australasia
are scheming to annex the Fijian Islands, as
Lord Amberley, the English Secretary of State
for the Colonies, has informed Lord Belmore, the
Governor of New South Wales, that Great
Britain will neither annex the islands nor
establish Drotectorate over them. This foot
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-02
Netn'rork Daily Gribm11e.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2. 1871.

The principal city Of the Island Of Guadeloupe has
been burned, $4,000 people being rendered homeless
-z serious Iiot has occurred IN Porto Rico, two
negroes being killed One case Of cholera has been
reported In England the disease has also appeared In
the South of France. - The French Assembly has
postponed the consideration Of the tax on raw ma
terials. - as.
Tho Public Debt statement shows a decrease during
July Of S7Ol,976 80. Women will hereafter be ad,
mtted 70 the University of Vermont. - The new
Minister from Germany presented to the President
"A Jealous wife has shot woman I'm Nevada. 80
Two women wereidrowned at Renova Penn, by the up
setting of boat =-= saw mill and planning mill
have been burned at Rochester.
Capt Mcdonnell tried for causing the arrest Of
detective Bell. 80 Vesuvus the Hurdle and
Midday the Trial Stakes at Monmouth Park. There
were IS additional deaths from the Westfed explosion
Gold. I12i 1i2s 112i. Thermometer, 65o, 81, 68o