The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1871-07-01
FORREST INTERVIEWED.
No Au-Klux Bands I'm the South,
opeaal Dispatch to the Cincinnati Enquirer
WAsHINGToN. June %. 1871.

,, peiofe the K u Klux Committee, but a
! rue committee does not want him unit
S " onaay he left for New York tonight
g Genesal Forrest is man above the aver
age height, of light though wiry frame
His eye small gray, bordering on blue
denose activity and nervousness. Ii
' his manner he is cordial and courteous
tie tslks distinctly, but slowly, auC
seemingly studies in his mind the pro
urietyPf giving replies to interrogato
ries WAhout proper reflection. He i,
neat inhis attire, and is just such mar
as onefould never think to be Gen. N
b. FoEest, of Confederate fame.
In cpversation to day the Genera
twas as Ia about Ihe Ku Klux Klan, and
3 ssfl Es 49, -iss-es>.i ls>i..e- .i>-. -
: yaaizsr and leader of that organization
hlt as vet ne had failed to ascertain thai
liny such Klan exists, except in the i'm
bginatious of those who. for political
purposes, probably would like to see
such body in the South. His oppor
tunities for observation, he said, were
very great, and if such a band as the
Ku Klux existed, he would know it. He
did not believe in its existence. Gen.
Forrest was then asked the question,
What then, in your opinion, is the
cause of so many acts of violence being
reported and telegraphed North as Ku
Klux outrages ?"' To this he replied as
follows:
at may arise from various causes.
Ny theory, however, is that class of
men, who have not the welfare of the
South at heart, came from the North,
and knowing that the political rights of
many of the Southern people are denied
them they operate with the negroes TO
secure their votes and elevate them to
positions of trust and responsibility. Sc
cret leagues are formed; ineendiary
speeches calculated to do irreparable in
jury are made. The employer Is denied
the services of his paid laborers, as they
flock to these leagues, aud are taught in
subordination. The result is that the
citizens of that seetiop of the
country wherein these men operate are
regarded with distrust, aud socially os
traeized. They secure lucrative offices;
defraud the people, and in all their acts
seemingly endeavor to excite public
opinion against them. As natural con
sequence at intervals the indignation
probably of an individual may be arous
ed and an individual assault made, which
Is soon magnifedsinto a Ku Klux out
rage. Now l DO not pretend to deny
that in some instances men have been
killed, not, however, indiscrimF Nstely
slaughtered. The same motive
pels man to kill his brother ~ ~
York, Massachusetts,, or Maine ), applies
as we'll in Alabama, North Ca-5lina, or
Texas. the difference being that in the
latter States the victim By his conduct
Temps the murderer to his bloody work.
The cases are few, but of course are
s.sssssesi -ss.s.--ss .s.....-ssszvls s5vutn as
bloodthirsty people. Again, bad men
come South with no fixed purpose in
view. They seem to float aloag, and
like .Micawber,' await something t96gp
up. In their idleness they * :
among the negroes, excite their su,owsh
tious feelings against their employees,
aud cause a general stagnation In agrI-
cultural pursuits When demonstrated
with for such conG 1T, instead OF allow
ing the slaaderef to peacefully. pursue
the even tenor of his way they sstemPt
to revive old sores and make assertions
calculated to excite anger and bad feel
ing. The result may be that such men
are ordered to leave or pursue some vo
cation, Just the same as a vagrant may
be locked up in Washington or a suspi
cious character ordered out of it. 4hIs,
I presume, is at once called a ku kiux
outragef
Gen. Forrest added that mo North
ern man settling in the South with the
fixed purpose of developing its resources
would be molested, even though he
entertained strong Radical opinions. On
the contrary, he would be welcomed.
Let the people know that ne comes to be
one of them, to live among them, and
by his labor or means tend to build up
the waste places, | care not what his po
litical faith may be, he would be gladly
received and even assisted by the South
ern people." He said ''he believed he
was charged with organizing bands of
Ku Klux among the men employed In
the construction of a railroad from Sci
ma, Ala. to Memphis, Teun., and for
which he had been summoned to answer
before the Outrage Committee but"
said the General, ''the charge is so alb
surd that I often wonder who could have
furnished such information, or whose
idle brain could have conceived it. am
constructing a road from Selma to Mem
phis. and employ large number of Ia
borers. Upon assuming the work gave
special instructions to those under me IN
authority who are charged with obtain
ing mechanic, workmeu, ETC., under no
consideration to allow politics to be a
barrier to the employment of any man !;
on the contrary, to secure good work
men. be they white or black. Aseto the
forming of bands of Ku Klux among
them. it is too ridiculous to entertain a
moment. Why, really believe that
we're a vote taken 90 day among those
working under me in the1construetion OF
that enterprise. there would be found
three Republican votes TO one Demo
cratic The people of the South, he
said, chad accepted the situation, and
were as orderly and law abiding people
as can be found in any section of the
country. Under the Reconstruction acts
outrages were committed, not by ku
Klux but since 1S6S-o,her than indi-
vidual troubles arising between man and
man, liable to arise any place-they have
demeaued themselves with becoming
propriety, and yield hearty obedience
to the law.
In answer to a second question
whether he doubted the existence OF the
Ku Klux-Gen. Forrest said, very em
phatically, II do Ny facilities for 90
servation particularly lead me TO speak <
knowingly of Alabama and Tennessee. l
have visited every town along the line OF
the projected road. from Memphis to
Selma, making speeches in the interest
of the road. l have eudeavored, among
the people, to arrive at the truth as to its
organization. and have as yet failed to