The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-08

Pile of the North to realize that across yonder
river" (pointing towards the Potomac; lives .
o people speaking the same tongue and OF inc
same stock, who morally are in politics aoSo
lutely inverted. Society there-I speaA y, '-o
old Understanding ION its apex; wna' 40 non
est to Won. il the essence of dishonesty W 'se"
Thew are strengthened in this by an intoier-
able malignance'
,uu,u TUE KU-KLUx TREASON AIMS AT.
The object of all their movements, he con-
t;nued. is to carry the election of 1872. That,
they mean to do it at any cost. The result
will probably depend on the electoral votes Of
some of the Southern States. There Is not one
that is not Republican IN politics, If the same
free agitation could be had in them that is found
in the Northern States. The Confederate army
is being reformed in evey essential parti cular
to carry these States, and overawe the Repub-
licans. Without protection from the Govern
ment for them they can easily do it, attacking
as they have already done In some instances
new State organizations in detail NOW IL IL
happens, continued my friend, that they sue
coed in electing Democratic fresideuI'-
| not one of the Hoffman band, but OF the BLAIR
stripe-by omen and fragrant Ku-kluk vlo-
| lance. known and understood of all men, ex-
erted in saw. South Carolina, Florida, Missis-
sippi, Arkansas and Louisiana,-what will be
the action of Congress and the balance of the
country? Clearly to refuse to count the cleo
toral votes of such States, where the liberty of
elections and action had been 30 overthrown.
This is exactly the contingency to phich the Ku-
Kzuz are looking. They ,Ciu at once resist such
action Of Congress By open and armed reuolu-
ton. For this they are preparing. According
to my informant, they are now in fact prepar-
| ed.
The gentleman whose views 1 am giving,
who is not man of wild or visionary charac-
ter, but one often hon0red by high station,
before as we'll as since the war, declares SOL
emily that in his judgment such is the con.
tingency towards which we are drifting; either
submission to the Inauguration of a semi.rebel
president forced upon us by systom of or
ganized violence and assassination, carried de-
liberately for ward under central and common
direction, or a refusal to recognize electora
votes given in pursuance of such system, ani
the consequent revolutionary movements tha
will follow.
l sYsTEMATIC REBEL CONTROL OF CHANNELS OF
| COMMUNICATIONS.
In support of such a view attention wa
called to the systematic manner In which al
| agencies and avenues of communication anG
IN telligence are being and have been for two
yeas past or more taken control of by thu
best known leaders of the Lost Cause ideas
Take the insurance agencies South. No mai
| 10 60; IN uo
that the placing of such names as jeff Davis
Blair, Forrest Hampton, Toe Johnston, Pagan
and score or more others known as soldier
and leaders during the last war at the head o
insurance societies and agencies has some
thing more than business purpose Forrest
for instance, is regarded as the organizing
head Of the Ku. Klux. he has direction o
certain insurance agencies and travels widely
in the South; whittier he has been is Away.
/ kno wn by an increased Ku-Klux activity
When G ov. Clayton OF Arkansas set to worl
to find out and crush the Ku-Klux in thai
State two years ago, he found that Gen. Fa
gan, well known Confederate cavalry officer
was its chief, and as travelling insurance agen
was busily engaged in organizing it. In every
attempt in North and South Carolina to ferre
out the organization it has been found that il
has been set in motion by these rebel insur
ance agents. The rage for tournaments il
another cloak for the Ku-Klux assemblage
and camps. 1t is noticeable also that these in
huences have obtained control of the Southern
agricultural and all similar societies. Leading
and active States Rights Democrats are put al
their head. Every effort is made to make sucE
1 ap,1J ott AZ. 49,
by getting some favorite officer or statesman
to appear as orator. 1t will be seen on exami
nation that such orations are but vailed and
euphemistic appeals for the maintenance of old
ideas and associations. The Southern railroad
managementis also largely if not wholly un
der control of these influences. The press is
OF course, in the same direction, while So
cially the pressure il fierce indeed. You escape
it nowhere, except as it was in 1860 in the very
few large cities of the South, where diversity
OF interests create safe eddies and currents Of
opinion on which men and women may safely
if not comfortably exist, out Of the general
drift. Other illustrations were mentioned BY
this Southern Cassandra, If you will, such as
the South being able to feed itself for the first
time in its history; also other pregnant facts
that the planter class have largely maintained
control of the land and that the cotton crop /!
now pretty nearly clear profit
THEssoUTHERN RAILROADS.
One other thing was mentioned. Men whit
studied practically the Southern military stu
alton saw during the war that the railroad
system of that section had been mainly plan
ned with a military forecast, T. e.,it was ar
ranged for interior lines of communication
separate from the system north of the Poto
mac and Ohio Rivers In the section east
the Mississippi and south Of the lines named
it will be well remembered that the railroad.
served us we'll but for two or three importan,
breaks, as though planned expressly thereto
the purpose of interior lines of defensive com.
munication, converging to certain interior To-
cal points of opinion and population and
reaching to the sea board and river borders
east and north likely to be made the base of at
tack and assailment If hostilities occurred, as
they actually did. Before 1861 there were NO
| through Northern and Southern routes control
led or regulated by Northern railroad enter
prise. There has been . considerable break in
fha Isv,n oc ~.