Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-03-02

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February l6: ~. ''.--
The'mystery which surrounds the
movements Of the Ku Klux Klan, ha
led the superstitious to regard them q
2 spirits. of the disembodied, while tht
educated, beyond the field of operation
]. have believed the whole story to bes
myrth. But of their existence, as ar
organized body of living men, we, VIII
have seen them, entertain no doubt. ~
their numbers and extent, it is impos.
sible to speak. There must be l,o0C
Lin a days march.of Union. You have
them, no doubt, in Charleston and they
certainly can be found throughout Geor,
gia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
i They occasionally leave behind them
letters explanatory Of. their purposes
Those of them who operate in South
Carolina, say that they want peace, but
must have justices that the courts are
guided weakjudges';; and juries com
iposed of ignorant negroes; that thief,
Iconyicted with much cost Of time, mon
ey and labor to the prosecutor, remains
at the penitentiary scarcely a week, and
IIthen returns home with pardon, pre-.
| pared to steal again. They say that that
when their race have justice, and are
Ilno longer robbed by public thieves,
their mission will end = " s. - >
| There are some erroneous opinions
lentertained as to the feelings Of the
Il people of upper South Carolina towards
1.-THE Ku Klux They are not band OF
cut-throats and desperadoes, as some
suppose NOR, on the other hand, are
they universally approved Of BY the
white people here. They are men of
frmness and nerve, who strike because
they believe it necessary for the pro
lection of their life, property and lib
erty; they ystrike.at. nj ight, because cir
cumstances render it imperative. But
very many citizens disapprove and con-
Gemn the acts of violence committed by
the Klan. We feel the oppression Of
the present State Government, but we
would not have it overturned with vio-
Hence. We might indulge in hard words
against the -Ku Klux, but we find that
they despise our structures, and the
State officials believe all of us to be
members of the band, no matter how
much we abuse it.
Now, sir, before we can successfully
oppose and end this evil, we must ap-
preciate the causes. 1t is bad practice
to administer remedy before we make
a diagnosis. If we went back to first
causes, We would indicate the recon
strurtion Acts. the greatest political
blunder Of the century, as, the inciter
of the Ku Klux. In our State, how
ever, the organization would never have
taken root if we had been spared the
late iniquitous election laws, the arm
ing of negroes with guns and cartridges,
(thc latter being unnecessary for pur-
poses of dill y the gross frauds OF the
election in October, the numerous par
donS issued by the Governor, and the
wholesale robbery by Stat, officials Of
money wrung from our people by enor-
NOUS taxation. And again, it is well
known that Joseph Crews, prominently
connected with the State Government,
honored by the Speaker of the House,
and the travelling companion OF ong
Governor, in effect encouraged murder
arson and rapine, last SUMNER in Lau-
rcns. What might have been the con-
sequences of that advice, it is fearful to
contemplate. ,He may be more success
ful next summer.
In September or, October last, June
Mobley, membea Of the Legislature, IN
formed his negro friends that ten white
men should be killed for every negro
murdered Little did June then think
that lis threat against our race would
so literally be fulfilled against his own.
The anintus of the black race, and their
advisers towards the white people, may
be also gathered from the murderous
plans of Crews and others, (then and
now State officials towards citizens of
Union and Laurens, SO recently exposed
through your columns by Kerrigan and
his men. 1t was only further proof
of what we already felt, that the white
race woill be taxed out, driven out or
killed out-by negroes and their allies
If possible.
Here were the causes which operated
to plant the Ku Kluxin South Carolina.
The murder of Mat Stevens gave them
great strength. 1t was foul murder
the foulest ever known in this State.
A one-armed, inoffensive white man, OF
good character, who toiled honestly for
Ills daily bread, and did harm to no
one; he was waylaid and cruelty muir
dered because he had whit, skin.
The murderers were body of negro
militia, at least twenty-five and more
probably forty in number; instigated,
the white people of Union believe, and!
may, in time, be able to prove, by El-
lick Walker, captain of militia. and
June S. Mobley, legislator. Bad as
this murder was, it was q sign Of worse
things, to see the entire negro race OF
Union in active sympathy with the
mur,lerers. Hadit been left with tine ne
groes, not one of them would have been
arrested, although they proclaimed their
guilt wherever they went among their
own people. 1t is within bounds to as
sert that 200 negroes in Union County
were accessories after the fact to the
murder of Stevens, and that there are
not TWO dozen of that class who would
have refused to shield the criminals
Ten prisoners have been taken out o