Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-03-17

port OF the majority, or obtain proper
knowledge of its contents. The report
was read once, and instantly transmitted
to tho printer, by whom it has not yet |
been returned,
They FAY further There can no longer |
be urged the plea of military necessity
The flag of the nation floats in placid Sc
curly in every part of the Union, and |
there is no pretcnce OF opposition IN any
quarter TO the peaceable operation OF the
civil authority" After setting forth that
tho kind of Investigation pursued has
simply given an opportunity for any one
to come forward and Hssait tho State ana
people Of North Carolina, by any character
of testimony and III any manner that
prejudice or animosty eau suggest, the
minority continue
"But all this is manifestly the result OF
plan cut and dried by conspiracy
formed of disappointed politicians. who
have lost the confidence of their people,
and have been cast out of Office by the al
most unanimous voice of betrayed and
in iured constituency. At the head OF this
conspiracy plainly stands VIM. w. Holden,
the Governor of North Carolina. and now
undergoing trial by process of impeach-
ment for high misdemeanOrs aud gross
abuses of his official power. He has beg
CARED the treasury of his State, aud plum.
dered, outraged, and betrayed her people,
and now looks to the strong arm of the
Federal Government as tho only means of
rescuing him and his followers from the
| Just punishment due their crimes. In fur
therance of this scheme, the present meas
ure was instituted. and this committee
raised. The two Senators from North Car
DINA TAbbott and POOL have efficiently
aided it, suggesting witnesses and supply
ing interrOgatories for their examination,
and sometimes escorting them in person to
the door of the committee-room. And what
is the character of these witnesses, found
ready and in attendance for examination :?
"Joseph w. Holden. the son and ac-
complete Of Governor VIM. Holden, heads
the list. He has been an office-holder, fat
tening on the corruptions of his father g
administra'iOn-thee editor of his party or
gan-and even his testimony is almost en-
tirely heGrsay in its nature, and lnadmIs-
sible in courts of Justice.
George w. Kirk..and George Is. Bergen
come upon the scene; and, to the under
signed, there seems strange lnsensiblllty
: to the opinions Of mankind, in the pro
, duction of two such atroclous characters
in the role of witne sses in this case. Meth
er of them were citizens of North Carolina,
! Int were called from abroad by Holden at
fitting instruments for his dark and bloody
I intent. In violation of the constitution al
his State, he made these two strangers tC
his people officers of militia, and, having
declared two counties (Alamance and Cas-
q welN in a state Of instruction, he gave the
unhappy residents over to the tender mer
cies of these two ruffians.
The testimony discloses their absolute
4 denial of having insulted or maltreatei
Q their prisoners IN any way and their per
iury in these statements il fully proven b.
the testimony of Lucian FL. Murray, Mr.
Kerr, Mr.. Turner. and others. who wer
Q their prisoners" (The testimony is quote'
. at length, showing various kinds Of NAL
treatment and torture to extOrt comics s
. ions, &c.,l and the minority proceed il
the same manner to review the testimon.
q of William r. Albright, whom they tern
= "a violent, unscrupulous man" and O
e James E. Boyd. upon whose sole testlmon !
they say the majority largely rely to justit
them in their remarkable conclusions re
u specting the condition of society in Mort
It Carolina This witness. the minority say
i is q very young man. and, by his oW
>, statement, has little or no personal kno"
ledge of the matters whereof be speaks
l. They review his evidence infinitely, an
characterize it as weak, corrupt, and sham
g bling.
= In the same manner they impeach tn
;, reliability of the testimony of the remain
der of the witnesses, not one OF whom, tn
% minority assert testifies to facts With
+ his own knowledge tending to prove Mort
q Carolina to be less safe as place Of resi-
=, dence than any portion of the Union ly
ing north of her boundaries
10 Tho minority then enter upon an extern
q sive argument to show that the disorder
which have existed in North Carolina ar
- attributable to the misrule of the So calle
u carpet bag State officers, the unwisc legi
a lation of Congress, and the machinatior
of the Loyal Leagues, melting and inst
- eating the negroes to idleness, dlsatIe'
- ton, and lawlessnese. In support of thes
IL PROPOSITIONS the minority quote very large
b ~ from the testimony of Hon. John KCr
" ox-member of Congress from North Care
~ lima, n. A. Ramsey, and number Of oth'
- witnesses, who were examined and eros
examined before the committee.
s. The minority say il will be seen fro
SO the above statements that there has bee
IA no resistance to the execution of the pr
- cess of the courts, no obstructlOn6 to OIL
ia GERS in the exercise of their functions. III
l. report of the majority see ks to evade Il
e, force of this fact, thus admitting the Ia
10 BY asserting that the Ku-Klnx organic
ton is 80 banded together as to defeat Il
"a enls of Justice by intlmid4tinS witnesse
be packing iuries, aud procuring witnesses
of swear falsely in favor of the accused, II
fit belongs to that order.
- The reply to this is easy an complete
The state law of the State gives to t.
he solicitor and the judge the power to L
an move oauses from any locality in the Sta
n to any other locality, at the option of t
r. prosecution. Every judge and every s
W iicitor in the State was a Radical. The
- were localities in the State in which t
N. Radicals predominated overwhelming
r. and, if the crime was committed whe
10 the influence of the Ku.klux prevented
conviction, it was only necessary for t
'ct solicitor to make motion, and the jud
~. would order the removal of the cause ire
N county to county until satisfactory ven
nj lis reached. It is perfectly evident fro
~ the evidence that the process of the cou
les could be executed without military for
lee that no resistance was offered to its exec
ton, and it is clear, also, that the caui
could have been removed from any pie
to some county in which fair trial mie
have been had. Why, then, did the &c
ernor prefer to resort to the extreme me-
ure of proclaiming the counties of A
nance and Oaswell in insurrectlon, rstf
DO 20 NIX haV