New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-28
rnE nEEENn1NrS WLTNESS.

The most painful and annoying duty which
devolyes upon the Administration aud the Re-
publican party is that of taking measures 10 pre-
vent outrnges By ill-disposcd persons i'll The
South upon the lives and property of peace
able citizens. This is duty incumbent not
especially upon them. If there were the slight
est spark of the old pluck and patriotism
which once distinguished the Democratic party
now existing in its dccayng relics. these meas
ures of Justice and necessity would never be-
come partisan questions. Ii would be not only
the honest but the eXpcdicnt ding for the
leaders of the Democracy to ask for full inyes-
tigation and prompt punishment of the lawes'
acts of riot and murder that are doing so much
to retard the restoration Of order and
prosperity in the Southern States. But
either the cowardly apprehension Of offending
the outlaws who commit these Outragcs and
their Sympathizing friends, or peryeIse in
capacity to do what is plainly right when the
Republican party is IN favor of it, has thus far
been sufficient TO keep the Democratic minority
in Congress and i'll the country from doing
anything even to express their disapproyal Of
pillage and murder committed by the riotous
organization which infcsts every rural neigh
borhOod in the South. On the contrary, every
effort made by the President and by Congress
TO sustain law and order in those haraSsed
and disturbed regions meets with their certain
and yindctive hostility. To admit the exist
ence Of the wrong doing which is patent to
the world would be cOndemning themselves
and their action. The only refuge is, there
fore, to deny it.. This is an easy and indolent
way out of the difficulty, snd perfectly
effectual IN the Senate and House and among
those Northern opponents of the AdminiStra-
ton who can safely presume upon the ignor-
ance of their followers.
But in the South the case is far different
All parties acknowledge the existence aud the
crimes of that savage gang of riiiians who
call themselves by the name Of Ku-kluX.
John G. Breckenridge, who has sense enough
to perceive the useless and gratutOus dis
credit they bring upon his party, spoke of
them the other day ~ "knaves and fools
Every Southern paper mentions their opera
tions either with passionate Indignation or
cynical apology. Even the Rebel correspond
ents of Northern newspapers which deny the
existence OF the organization, disregarding the
countersgn of their sympathetic supporters,
speak openly Of the brutal rntiianism now ram
pant in many States justliiable retaliation
for negro suffrage. We Own We were astonishcd
at seeing in Tile World of yesterday-in that
paper which has always dismissed with some
expression of feeble impertinence every report
of these brutalitics-a most shameless defense
of the Ku-Klux printed prominently in a letter
from South Carolina. The writer narrates
with great gusto recent exploit of his friends
IN Union County, who, to the number of a
hundred, oyerpowered the jailor OF the county
prison, seized the negro prisoners and hanged
them on trees in the neighborhood. He goes
on to express his delight at the perfection Of
Their organization. He says: " 1t seems to be
impossible TO discover any of the members
oil THIS awful fraternity Tho negroes