The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-10-06
THE KU KLUX ORGANIZATION IN THE
SOUTHERN STATES.

We publish tO-uhy tnO lhSL VI . 8cEAOc
of letters from q prominent resident of
South Carolina, in which he has given,
with as little warmth of feeling as the
SUBJECT permits, general review of the
ku Klux order, its history, Organlza-
ton and acts in his own State, with the
estimate of its probable strength in
other states. These letters, in connec-
ton with the other evidence within our
reach, establish the following facts:
In nearly all parts of the Southern
States, especially in the States of North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ten
nessee, Alabama and Mississippi, there
exists secret armed organizations, which
are strong enough in numbers and In
huence TO control public sentiment, to
defy the local courts of justice, and to
intimidate the executive officers of the
law. Wherever the truth has transpired,
the management and purposes of these
secret societies have been found to be
the same. Their acts are everywhere
of the same character, and have, appar-
emily, the same object. Their work is
almost invariably accomplished at night
and in disguise, and their victims are
always negroes and white Republicans.
The uniformity of object, mode of
actions, and constitution leads naturally
| to but one conclusion: that these small
secret societies are scattered over so
large territory, arc parts of general
organization under whose control they
act-though it is possible no such gen.
eral organization extends beyond the
limits of any one State.
The general organization, whatever
the extent of its control, is military in
| its character, and il SO devised that the
leaders can readily bring together large
bodies OF armed men, composed of sew
eral small societies. Expensive arms
have been furnished to members of the
minor societies, known generally as
| 'klans," by men who do not themselves
| do service. In some known cases, arms
have been interchanged among the diff
| ferent klRns for convenience in distrib-
uting ammunition. Tho rules of organi-
zation and conduct, so far as they have
been made public, are skillfully drawn
up and give evidences of careful thought.
While it is notorious that q majority OF
the members of these local klans be-
long to q comparatively low and igno.
rant class of white men, the general
operations of the organizations are
under the control OF intelligent leaders
In all places where the known acts OF
the order betrayed its existence, pu6ltC
sentiment Sust0i1aS IL, either openly OIL
by silence. No one dares to denounce
it. Judges In many places are intlmid.
ated by threats OF removal or death
juries are brOW-beaten, and public OFF,
GERS of every grade if not in sympathy
with the order, are intimidated. It il
evident from this that the Ku-Klux or.
ganization has great strength in both
the number and social position OF Its
, members and officers.
While admitting that the reports o.
outrages in the Southern States have q
times been grossly exaggerated by par
| tisan leaders and papers in the INTEREST,"
of so-called Republican politicians, it ii
impossible, with the admitted facts be-
fore as, to adopt the Democratic theory
that no acts of violence have been com
mitted except in the interests of law anC
morality. With very rare exceptions
all the outrages-and we have enough
reported on nndoubted authority-hav'
been committed either against negroe
) or against men who sympathiZed will
negroes in politics. No one class in tn
Southern States, or in any other part o
the world, has . special monopoly o
either vice or virtue, and if vigilance
4 committees assume the vindication o
: outraged morality, they out to make
distinction other than that OF color o
: politics.
We are sure, then, that o powerful
: organization exists In the Southern
States, controlled by intelligent leaders
4. and working through small secret soei
cites composed chiefly of desperate ant
unscrupulous men; that the object o
the Organization IL to intimidate color
!. cd voters in the Republican party in tn
interests of the Democratic party; tina
it is sufficiently powerful, socially ant
numerically, to control the local court
of justice and to influence or suppress
public sentiment. The question mex
arisea WHY does this exist on so large
. scale, and what are the general purpose
local politics, while it might tempt me
to commit the outrages recorded, is No
sufficient to account for the magnitud
of the plan. Our able correspondeu
: in South Carolina, in . letter which "
have not published, makes the followin
suggestions:
~ questions why the order exists, an
:, what its purposes are, will be found b
t, inQuiring what are the ends that th
Or southern leaders in the war still desiI
to secure. While for various reason
Il of pride and obetinacy fsw who WEI
rebels acknowledged that accession an
= rebellion was wrong, ali readily conced
that secession was . mistake, and the
frequently say, "We should have fOugi
under the nag and not against IT,"
f. 'OThe Southern leaders will nevt
again attempt secession, but it Is certai
they never ceased to contemplate u
!. possibility OF their reinstatement in p.
De litical power, and their ability to und
nearly all that the war accomplishe'
m They continue to hope for the disfrai
e the rebel war debt, and for compens
= ton for the alawaa araancinated Tshae