The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-11-29
Senator Blair.

The reporter Of the Republican in
terviewedRSenator Blair yesterday in
regard to his observations as a member
of the sub-Ku-Klux committee, which
has just closed its investigations in
Alabama and Mississippi. The fol-
lowing are the main points of Mr..
Blair's statement
The testimony of some two hundred
witnesses was taken. The Radical
witnesses we're chilly negroes, while
those of Mr.. Blair were gentlemen of
education and prominence IN society.
The evidence at Huntsville, Alabama,
showed that there existed a system of
wholesale Lplundering carried on
through the Government and in
dividual acts ~ofnegroes, in consequence
of which the people in many instances
were driven to take the law into their
own hands and protect their property
by inficting=punishment upon negroes,
1t was not shown in any instance that
these acts had anything to do with pc.
litics. There are many instances of
arson for plumber and revenge, andssa
great many instances of rape, which
are instantly and violently punished
Apart from these things, there is no
more violence in the South than in
any other part of the country. I'm
prisonment of negroes.does not repress
laundering by them-they do not re-
gard it as punishment; on the con-
trary, a prison is more comfortable
than their own cabinS and it is no
disgrace to be in~carcerated.
In Sumter, Green and Hale coun
tries, many negroes voted the Demo
cratic ticket,and these, counties have
Democratic majorities. The carpet
baggers had left this region, and an
attempt wasHnade to prove this was
the result Of violence and intimidation,
but the effort entirely failed. Much
the same condition of things existed
in various sections of Mississippi,
brought about by the piundring of ne
groes, andJthe policy Of the State
Government-under Governor Alcorn
and the very yindictive prosecution of
whites under the Ku-Klux law. Some
three Observation-Disclosures have been
found in the United States Courts
against whites on very fimsy pre-
texts, in the great majority of cases.
The enforcement act isregarded as ar,
bitrary and Illegal, Involving a great
''1 In regard to ~prooiaiming martial
law, Mr.. Blair said the people r ap.
prehensive that if it becomes necessary
to carry the elections by martial law
it will be declared by the President.
They feel the whole thing is a mere
trick of a psft5to retain power. They
are all convinced that the only way tc
stop these things and restore peace and
harmony in the South, is TO accept the
Missouri policy proclaimed by the st
Louis Republican newspaper, and vott
for some liberal Republican to defea
Grant, have a general amnesty, ant
the repeal of all Ku-Klux laws. Thi
is the. only thing that gives the South
ern,people any hope for the future. HI
believes that ifGrant is reelected j
will come neal depopulating the South
eru States of white people, as the.
can not remain there in safety unde
the present condition of things.
MIR. Blair stated that %unfairnes
characterized the action of the Com
mittee in taking testimony, the ma
ljority frequently reserving witnesse
until it was too late for him to procur
rebutting testimony. They only ha
one real Ku-Klux before them
man who Joined the Khan in Sumte
county, Alabama, a Wing before tn
war, and who had cast but one vot
since the war, and that for a Radical
The people do not hope for much goo
to come out of the action of the CON
mittee, as they do not believe the
: true condition will be reported. Th
: only ray of hope that penetrates tn
5 South at present and keeps the peopl
g from complete dependency, is the
faith in the success of the passive pc
licy.