The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1871-12-02
Senator Blair'S KU-KluY EXDOse.

ciless Persecution of a Helpless Psople-
Impending Despair aud Ruin.
The st. Louis Republican gives detailed
report OF the interview with Senator Blair,
OF Missouri, rejecting his views on the Ku
hlux investigation by the congressional
committee at the South, of which Mr.. Blair
is a member, and indicating, in effect. the
| tone and statements of his minority report
in ADVANCE, One of the sub committees
was appointed to visit Alabama, Tenues.
see and Mississippi, and consisted of Pratt
of Indiana, Rice of Arkansas, Buckley of
| Alabama, Senator Blair of Missouri, and
James Q. Robinson of Illinois. The two
latter were the ouly Democrats on the com
mittee. and Senator Blair was left single.
handed on it, Mr.. Robinson being detained
al home.
| Gen. Blair says that some three hundred
lndictm ents have been found in the United
States courts against the whites, on very
flimsy pretexts. IN great majority of cases.
| Some few of them are cases in which the
parties deserved to be prosecuted and pun.
ished, but where there is one of that kind
there are fifty which grow out of trihing
| affairs, rencontres and brawls between ne
groes and white men. The wholesale plun
dering shown by the testimony taken at
Huntsville, Ala, and in various parts of
Mississippi, both by the State governments
and negroes. drove the people, in many in
stances, to intiict punishments upon the
negroes, to protect their property from the
depredations of the latter, as well as from
arson and rape, which had been frequent.
and the cases of rape were instantly and
violently dealt with, as iu all parts Of the
United States.
1t was not shown in any instance of pun
ishment for depredations that they had any
thing to do with politics; it is simply an
effort of the people to preserve what little
property Is lett them, aad it is essential to
the support of their familes-to put bread
III Their children's mouths. Apart from
these things, there is no more violence in
the south than IN any other part of the
country. On the other hand, in Sumpter,
Green and Hale counties, Alabama, many
negroes voted the Democratic ticket. and
these counties have Democratic maiorities.
The carpet baggers had left this region, and
an attempt was made TO prove that this was
the result Of violence and intimidation, bu,
the effort entirely failed. Meetings of the
colored men were held in the face of the
comnlittee showing the very contrary, and
that thsy had by experience found out whc
were their real friends"
General Blair says the people generally
were surprisingly quiet and well conducted,
&C cnsiderlng everything they have gone
through, but were very mach depressed by
the condition of affairs. Though many
negroes were convicted in the local courts
Tor their plundering, they did not mind it,
as the punishment was only imprisomen;
IN jail, and when they came out they were
made heroes Of Mr. Blair relates the mur.
der OF Hugh Lee, a strange young white
man, at Artcsia, Miss, who went L D among
meeting OF six hundred or more negroes
IN tho late election canvass to see what was
going on, aud pistol having been fired,
they set upon aud stabbed and shot him to
death. The meeting was led by three car.
pet basgers, and Nc. Blair SAYS;
some oi the leaders were arrested and
carried to Jail, and mob of negroes was
raised at Columbus, about fourteen miles
distant, to take them out But the leaders
were discharged from prison, and imme.
dately proceedings were instituted against
the sheriff and his force who had made the
arrests, for violating the enforcement law
OF Congress- and they were carried off to
oxford, where they were compelled to give
bail bel re the United States Judge for ar.
resting the murderers of that innocent man."
Persons are brought under the enforce.
ment act, by simple allegation that there
is a combination to deprive the people of
their rights guaranteed to them by the con
stitutional amendments. In this in stance
twas for an attempt to deprive negroes of
their right TO murder white men. There
could have boen no other effect. for they
were arrested for the murder of II lrh Lee.
who Is spoken of as a very retiring, timid
and modest young man.
X. What do the people think of the
measure?
Gen. b. They think it is an arbitrary,
illegal and unconstitutional procedure.
IL Is certainly repugnaut to every idea
we ever had IA this country heretofore in
reference TO the jurisdiction of the Federal
and State courts. The prosec .tons are
set on foot by the officers Of the federal
courts themselves. They have got lot of
carpet bag district attorneys, marshals and
Judges, and they act under the instructions
OF the government at Washington and in
shtute these proceedings upon the most
frivolous complaints.
X; The expense consequent to the pro.
ceedings must be great?
Gen. B. II is a very great expense not
only to the general government but to the
citizens who are arrested under It. The
latter are dragged from their homes snd
carried oil hundreds of miles; for instance,
there are but one or two United States
courts IN the entire State of Mississippi,
and no matter where, within the State, a
CRIME is alleged to have been committed,
parties are dragged from the counties in
winch they live. and where their witnesses
are 10 be had, and carried to great dis.
lance, and at corresponding expense in
procuring lawyers and witnesses.
IL. what has been the general result of
the trials SO far?
Gen. B. There has been no conviction
IN the courts Of Mississippi as vet. The |
triais have been postponed from time to |
time, and the indictments as far us we could |
ascertain were generally of the most friyo.
ions Character. And the nature of many
OF these cases may be judged from the fact |
OF the arrest of the sheriff and posse for |
arresting those charged with the muir. |
ger oil Hugh Lee. They were carried from |
Lowndes county to Oxford, in one of the |
Northern counties of the State, for arrestina |
parties under plain and di stinct statute Of |
the State commanding them to make arrest |
OF all parties engaged in violent assaults.
The distance the sheriff and his posse of
six or eight men were carried is about one |
hundred miles, and the charge vas that thew
had conspired to deprive persons Of their
right under the constitutional amendment.
They We're released on bail.
We went from Macon to Columbus, in
Lowndes county, where we spent eight or
ten days in taking testimony. The eyi.
dence, SO far as Lowndes county was con.
cerned, did not show any, or but very few
violations of law of any kind. The county
IS very quiet and the population orderly
There, as in Noxubee, the negro vote Is
about three or four to one white, aud they
have just elected fellow named Lewis as
sheriH-a recently imported carpet bagger
who was conspicuous by making speech