The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-15

THE Dispatch of this morning contains
the following in an article headed "Troops
in the wrong place - .ibr 50 ~
1t is q shame to the age and the country that
armed troops should be placed over q people so
enlightened and refined as the white people of
the Southern States, under pretence that they
are disorderly, refractory, and murderous. The
pretext is lie, and the true motive--that of in
timidating the whites and carrying the elections
for the party in power-is as despotic and lln-
scrupulous as motive can be.
Will the Dispatch tell us in what sense,
any where or at any time since the South
ern States resumed relations to the Union,
armed troops have been placed over them
or their people? Does it pretend to say
that any law-abiding and peaceable citizen
of Virginia, is to-day or has been induced
by fear fsuch troops to do anything or re-
frain from doing it ? There are certain laws
of the United States, bearing alike every
where, North and South, designed to secure
collection Of revenue, the right of all men
to vote according to their conscience, and
personal security from persecution on ac-
count of political opinion.
These laws are so obviouly just and pro-
per that no man of ordinary intelligence
and experience, unless stepped in preju-
dice or actuated by interested motives, ven
lures to call them i'm question. There are
districts of the South where they cannot be
enforced without the presence of the militia
ry arm, and the only use made of such
troops since the war has been this. Both
parties have repeatedly testified to the val
liable aid of the United States troops in
keeping the peace and preventing hostile
outbreaks. i44sr.s1- -Iqli-isz taa -f.... ln'
The Dispatch makes man of straw and
then fiercely demolishes it. Nobody pre-
tends that the "Southern States are disor-
derby, refractory and murderous"; but
what we claim, and, moreover, what has
been proved with an array of evidence hide,
Gus, terrible and convincing, is that there
are regions in those States infested by dam
gerous classes Of men, against whose crimes
the States are powerless to afford protec-
This evidence is, before the authorized
representatives of the government, and
will soon be before the country. 1t will
cover with its damning stain every man and
every party, that attempts to apologize for,
or shield, the menstrous crimes of the Ku-
Klux. 1t will show that where one man
has been murdered by the Indians, hum
dred have fallen by these disguised butch.
ers, that have been used by the Democracy
to coerce submission on the part of frcemen
in the South that while the Indian slew
only individuals for plnnder, the Ku-Klux
aimed to destroy liberty and loyalty
throughout the South, and nurse the smoul-
dering embers of the "Lost Cause.' n. s1'5 S', :,
It's proved that its deep and well defined
purpose has been, and still is, to
keep up the opposition to the general
government, to exalt the States, and
nurse in the youth Of the South an un-
dying hatred of their conquerers, in short.
to prepare the way for another war when
ever, by foreign entanglements or domestic
differences, the government should be en-
barrassed. II was even hoped by the more
sanguine to get control of the government,
repeal the reconstruction laws, restore
slavery, and shut up the South once more
to narrow and barbarous excllisivism.
Iammany, with its money, and Ku-I<luy-
ism, with torch, halter, knife, bludgeon and
pistol, we're joint allies in this conspiracy
to defraud the nation Of the results of the
war, and revive again the bloody heresy of
estate rights" No one State recognized or
adopted this damnable conspiracy as pub
lie policy, but there were vast regions
in the Southern States where its existence
made life and property unsafe, and the
reign of terror inaugurated, was rapidly
spreading throughout the South. These are
matters of notoriety, and no man who re-
spects his reputation for vcracity Or intelli-
gence will deny them when he reads the ey-
idence given by men of all parties. The
Dispatch knows that he Federal troops
have never been. used TO Cypress or injure
any one with the consent of Gen. Grant.
1t knows further that Gen. Grant would
not employ troops to coerce or intimidate
any one into voting differently from what
he desired to do. f. .a.g...,s.
If there are cases where, from fear Of
others, parties stay away from the polls OIL
vote against their wishes or convictions, fol
fear of harm, will the Dispatch say that the
presence of troops to prevent it is an abuse
of authority; that it is oppressive? How
are the laws of the United States to be en-
forced in disturbed districts except by its
troops? y" 'r 1le
What change has come over. the South
since the days Of the fugitive slave act.
That act required even Northern citizens to
become posse comitatHs to arrest an es
Gaping slave it placed United States com
missioners in every county, who treated al
cases summarily, and set aside the habea'
corpus behind it stood the army ready, a
the slightest show of disturbance, to crusl
zE1 opposition. Did these men, who nov
cry ont against the presence of Fedora
troops ia their estates, have word TO say
when six hundred Federal soldiers marched
Anthony Burns through the streets of Bos
ton? Did the patriotic Dispatch, or it
Al i.