Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-12-30
roe MAYOR,
JOHN JON
CHuC0F-FHE COMMERCIAL AND KU-
EEUNIsM.

AkDAA.A
The Cincinnati Commercial apologies
flr the conduct of the negroes Of ohicot
county by referring 20 practices Of Ku-
kluxism, and asserting that the negroes
n this instance, hsve only turned the ia
bles. What is sauce for the goose is
sauce for the ~gsnder." We sdmit that
negroes hsve the same right as whites 70
axe the law into their own hands.
A clerk or bsr-keeper in Lake Village
loaned Sanders s knife with which he
zlled a negro, a third white man
-iuterposing TO prevent the escape OF
the negro from the doorway, All
three Of these persons, though the
negro confessedly began b fight
By stacking Sanders, because he as
serted the universally OF knsvsry among
esrpss-bsggers-su three Of these, after
they had been committed TO prison, were
taken out by the negro mob snd muir
dersd with q degree OF strocious savage
brutality unparalleled in the anns's Of
crime. Sanders' body was 20 mutilated
Inst it could only be recognized by his
apparel, and his friends would not
suffer his widow to see It. HIS
head was beaten into a sbapsless
mass. The maltrestmsnt of the two
other corpses was equally indiestiye
Of horrible bloOdthirstiness. Not content
with these fdghtful atrocities, negroes
visited the home Of Sanders and forced the
widow to give them all the money she
had, $500, with which TO defray the cost of
transmitting in state the body Of the muir
dered negro lswyer to Washington, that
i5 may be viewed and Hept over by Ms
tg0usl Rsdicslism. StOrshouses were
p.undsred by the negro mob, the sheriff
was defed and forced TO remain within
doors, and these are acts for which the
C0uEnsrciGl apologies by referring TO law
less deeds Of ku kluxism.
Since the purposes Of this ku. klux or
ganizstion we're perverted, it has ceased
= I've in Tennesses. It grew out OF the
the existence of loyal lesguss-the one
Organization being neither more nor less
rs~prehensible than the other; but when
Senter restored the government of Ten
nessee to The people Of the State, ku-klux-
ism wss no more. It is only alleged
TO exist where the people are forced
to combine for security. Wherever
a Clayton rsigns aud rsvages q county, or
q Scott plumbers a public treasury and
robbery is the law and justice, unknown,
IN such a hspless State, theirs viii ever be
associations Of individuals tina commu-
msy be protected. It is no in
stinot Of depravity that suggests these
combinations; but that Of s~elf-defsnce;
no original wrong to others is contem-
but the maintenance Of the great
81 possible share Of their own rights.
Give the South freedom and the negro
viii be as free everywhere as at this hour
n Tennessee, and as securely invested
with every privilege OF American citizsn-
ship, The only enemy Of blacks is the
,arpet-Dsggsr who uses him and his
o~reiUdtcss as an Egsncy for the scquisi-
ion OF power subsequently, maintained,
Is by Clayton in Arkansas, By the dis
reimbursement Of whites and the psrpet-
Isl evaporation Of blacks. Clayton or !
as svsTy white man knows, :
3 the only beneficiary Of bloody !
sds in Chicot. Sanders wss :
j Intelligent gentleman, and so may :
.sve been the negro killed. The latter I
new, as well az Saunders, that as q poll t
icisn, and citizsn, snd lawyer, he had 9
7srything 20 gain BY a conflict, and
andsrs everything to lose, The negro, q
therefore,, rushed in and began the fight to
ssent the insult to sanity csrpet-hsggsrs' /
msY be true that Sanders should not z
ave used the knife that was given him, =
at most men IN the midst of fights fail q
} consider nice moral questions. I Q
hermsn's theory of war be well founded, =
lat war means brutality and ssvsgery
IN mad land many think Sherman the q
isest and nest humane Of all invaders of S
ie South because he acted on this theory, e
snders can hardy be blamed. When +
tackled, he resorted TO all modes of de- O
nse. Il happened that at thed first blow g
s severed The nsgro's iugulsr vein. .
mother man became criminal, it is d
Iserted, to the last degree, by preventing C,
70 egress of the wounded negro. is
It is not for deeds like these that ku-
has "lost1 negroes in tho woods. =
here fights have occurred, and death at o
negro's hsnds resulted, the law has &c
ken its course. Rspes, times without :
lmber, have been committed, ana then IS
Q law is de6sd by an exaspersted null co
.ude; and then the criminal lie shown no e.
srey st the hands of kinsmen of brutal ~
d innocence. Even then the negro's 5
sd Is not pounded 20 q jelly, and q dead 70
dy is not torn to pieces IS by wild =
ssts, and q widowed woman Is not 4
that there may be 3 revel and jol
DIV while 3 corpse is being shipped over in
country. The Commercial should re- ~
1sider its facts and most of its deduc- ~
rs. l.