The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-04-29
The Real kH klux Khan.
'rom the New York Sun lRcp). !

From the New York Sun lRepl
Congress is busy devising a plan for
the alleged outrages in the
Southern States of the celebrated ku
KluN Khan. The object is a praise
worthy one, but the efforts by which it
is sought to be attained are misdircctcd.
The real Ku kluNcs who ought to Ike
put down by national legislation are
not the rut1ians, real or imaginary,
whose exploits are made SO much OF,
but the living flesh and blood scound-
rels in official station, who are doing
their best to impoverish and destroy
the whole fabric Of society in the South.
Since the close of the war every
southern State has been cursed with Al
swarm of adventures from the North,
who, having failed to gain II living at
home, by either honest or dishonest
labor, and having no reputation except
II bad one to leave behind them, have
sought this new and untried field where
in to retrieve their fortunes. Some had
been langers-On in the wake of our ar
mics, but moro prudently waited till
all the fighting was over, and then de-
scendcl on their prey. Taking advan-
tagc Of the Acknowledgement of the ma
tivc-bOrn citizens, or availing them
selves of Federal patronage, they have
foistcd themselves into places OF power
and profit, which they have fearfllly
abused, to their own advantage and
the ruin of their helpless victims.
From one end of the South to the
other there comes up n universal cry
against the corruption, tho extravaganza
and the general maladministrntiOn O
these :,dvcnturcrs. They have incrcascG
taxes tcnfold; they have added cnor
mously to the funded debt of the States
counties, cities and towns; they arc
squantlering the resources of the coun
try, and afford no adequate protection
for either property or life.
The State Government of Florida be
". .'".,rics. rrcn,:',, rcn,' 20 q cost the people
fore the war us,,, =. "a "ar; i
about forty thousand dollars II yeuuEE;..
now costs nearly double that amount
In South Carolina the State taxation
this year will be nearly three millions,
or about seven times as much rs it used
to be under the old order of things,
while the total taxes will be ten times
as much. The debt of North Carolina
was lately Increased at q single session
of the Legislature by the sum of thirty
six millions. In Arkansas the annual
expenditure has been increased from
three hundred thousand dollars tC
nineteen hundred thousand, beside ad
ding eight millions for railroad purpo
ses to the permanent debt. In Louisi
ana the State debt has been increased
from thirteen to twenty-five millions
and the local debt of New Orleans ant
other towns has been swollen in The
same proportion.
These evils are pnlpablc and unmis
taxable, and their balCful influence j.
wide c-rcaching and universal. What is
an occasional decd of violence in some
remote country place, compared with
this grinding oppression OF the tax
gathcrcr which crushcs all classes and
all kinds of industry to the earth:
If, therefore, Congress really wishes
to tranqulizc the South and restore or
der there lot it restore to the people the
privilege of sclf-govcrnnlcnt. Let the
American doctrine of no taxation with
out representation be enforced, and let
Il stop be put to tho tyrannical cxactions
of the carpet-bag fraternity. When this
shall have been done, there will be no
need of legislation against Ku Klux
outragcs. The Southern people will
themselves take care of that matter, and
maintain peace and good order without
thcuid Oft tInitcti States troops or money