Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-17
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, I


hereas repeated complaints bave been
made u me, and are now being made almost
ida-, by private citizens, by judges, by so
IIcitOTs. and by other officers whose province
it Is to see the civil law faithfully executed.
that armed bands Of disguised men have
been and stIH are providing about in some Of
the counties of our State and IN the night
time. committing Outrages Of the most afro
cIous character upon weak ard defenselese
citizens, white and colored, old and young,
male and female and whereas the civil au-
thorities have thus far been unable to detect
and bring to Justice the cowardly perpetra-
tors Of these fiendish and inhuman Outrages,
the Judges acknowledging themselves power
less To suppress the evil, on account OF the
secrecy, DISCUSSES and perjury with which
the guilty parties cover up their inIquities,
the victims, knowing their opprcssOIs, afraid
to complain, lest they be again visited and
more cruelty scourged, or even put to
death and whereas this horrid state of al
fairs must have an end, peace and harmony
he restored. crime repressed, life. liberty,
and property protected, the humble, the
poo T, ard the helpless, well as the rich
and powerful made to feel secure in every
ctlon of the State, the good name Of North
[ DINA be indicated, and law and order
prevail in all her borders.
Now, therefore, in view of the premises.
/. Todd r. Caldwell, Governor of the State,
q make this my solemn appeal to the PEG
pie, more especially TO those who have here
lOlore held places Of honor and trust, to as
sist the constituted authorities Of the State
IN maintaining the supremacy OF the law
and | invoke the ministers of the gospel Of
every denomination TO give their powerful
and from their respective pulpits and places
oil worship to put down crime and build u
d feeling of fraternal love and fOrbearance u
our suffering State. Ind now IN due time !
warn all secret, unlawful societies and com
, blnations, to dissolve their organizations, t.
cease from their cruel and illegal outragce,
/ and ID devote themselves TO the peaceful anu
useful avocations OF life and l notify all Of
enders that if this appeal be not needed,
/ nd il they persist in setting all law and de
cency at defiance, and will have no mercy Oh
Cleir helpless ctIms, that the day may not
/ lie distant when they themselves will entreat
/ OF mercy in vain.
/ ToDD r. Caldwell.
/ This is pretty PLAIN talk for a Governor
with Southern sympathies and it is to be
hoped he means just what he says If the
State officials and the prominent men OF
/ North Carolina, or any other Southern State
desire peace and order and prosperity, they
can have them all. The evils of Ku-Kluxism
are on every side Of them. and il sternly dis
o ,untenanced by them, these midnight out
RACES and acts of lawlessness would cease.
The South can make itself peaceable and
prosperous if it only will do So No com
| nunity can afford to tolerate lawlessness.
/ Disregard of the rights of life and prop
srty drives away the best citizens, those men
who are the life-blood of society Neither
capital or labor will seek communities where
I they can have no protection or safety. A
portion Of the people Of North Carolina be-
gin to understand these facts These are
! brought 70 feel the ill-efiects Of a policy at
which they have long connived, even if they
have not actively supported it. Property
now begins to be deprecated, trade becomes
stagnapt, immigration becomes less, and
/. men refuse to invest money where assassins
and thieves 90 unwhipped Of justice and
crimes Of a certain class are winked at by
the resident citizens. The South now fore
/ sees the evidence of the harvest she must
reap from the seed she has sown. She cen
/ foretell, with entire certainty, the desolate-
ness OF her fields and villages and the hope
lessness of her future, unless better counsels
prevail. Already We have rumors that the
property holders of Raleigh have induced
several norths m men who now live there to
sign card asserting that the reports of law
ess outrages in that state are magnifed :;
that such reports are an injury TO the State,
and that lie and property will in future he
as safe there as anywhere in the United
States. From other parts of the South sim
liar protests are published against injurious
reports. There is meaning in these facts,
which presages much of good TO the South.
When the Southerner can fully realize that
his highest self-interest lies in REFRESHING all
acts OF hu-hluxlsm, we shall expect to find
him eheerfully uniting with the Federal