Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-04-28
A GOOD TIME FOR IDENTIFICATION.


The letter from Coy. Senter to the Sher-
III of Weakly county, where the recent
heinous Kuklux outrage took place, bears
the true tone, and leaves no doubt as to
the character of the offence. The official
report, called for by the Governor, will be
looked for with interest.
There is one feature connected with
this outrage which has been wanting in
most preceding it, and that is the open
and frank denunciation it has received
from a small portion of the Democratic
press of the State, The Union and Anaeri-
can, fearful lest it should be inconsistent,
is guarded enoughto denounce it ,nomatter
whether the perpetrators "be white or
black, Democrat or Radical" but this eau
ton only serves to show the ridiculous
ness of its pretence that these outrages are
generally committed by 'iblacks." The
Banner is less reserved and calls upon the
law-abiding people of the State to repress all
such outrages. We cannot overlook the fact,
however, that the motive provoking the
censure seems to be more fear of Governor
Senter's " stronger power" than anything
else. But we are glad to see even this
much. If the Kuklux bill of Congress
does no more than simply spur local au-
thorities or newspapers to pursue such fell
ons with the processes of the law and the
force of public condemnation, it has done.
a great good. We call upon the people of
Weakly county and all other counties SIM
ilarly infested, to hunt down with blood
hounds, if necessary, these -lawless bands
whoibring our State into disrepute,a dis
grace its peaceable citizens, and retard, its
prosperity, We ask them to create pub
lie sentiment that will not tolerate such
crimes and that will make West Tennessee
orderly and law-abiding as is, East Ten
nessee. The whole subject is. in their
hands. The Kuklux Bill of Congress
means business, and if they do not set
their household in order we know of
power that will do it. a
We want some of our friends here in
East Tennessee, who manifest such an
alarming indignation whenever the charge
of such. lawlessness is preferred, to read
the Governors letter aud our account. of
the cowardly and dastardly outrage as
given yesterday from, Democratic papers,
and direct some of their bitter denuncia-
ton towards its perpetrators. We can sit
here in the CHRONICLE office and write
East Tennessee articles, earnestely and fear
lessly, proclaiming that peace and order
prevails here in our own section, from now
until doomsday, but it will avail nothing
SO long as the wires flashes the account
that Tennessee is, cursed with such viii
lains.
Nine men out Of ten who read the ac-
count of this outrage will read itas hap
pening in Tennessee. They do not know
Weakly county from Blount county. They |
do not stop to reflect that loyal, law-abid-
ing community would not tolerate such an
outrage, and that it happened in Vest and |
not in East Tennessee.
We see in this affair an opportunity for
Indignation and denuciation, and we
hope some of the men who were so terri
bly, excited few days ago because charges
that such outrages had occurred were pub
lished, will nov become equally as indig-
nant over an actual outrage. !, 1t is the out
RACES that hurt us as people and not their
publication or exposure. A good remedy
is public opinion, and this can only be
created by "plain, truthful language I