Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-07
SUPPRESSION OF THE KU-KLUX.

Senator Morton made an ffective..impromp-
tu reply to Bair's speech in the Senate on
Tuesday. The latter had enlarged upon the
corruption of the southern legislatures, in
answer to which Mr.. Morton said the Senator
Blair had also enlarged upon the corrup-
ton OF southern legislatures. Let him look
at the democratic city of New York, where
there was more fraud and corruption in one
year than all the States in the South since
the war. The New York legislature was a
paragon of corruption.
In reply to the allusion to the Tammany
society of New York as controlling the demo-
cratic party of New York and OF the country,
Mr.. Casserly rose and expressed surprise
that such an assertion should be seriously
made, and denied its correctness.
Mr.. Morton said he had understood the fact
to be that notorious democrats throughout the
country were certain always to appeal to
Tammany when they were in trouble, as in
the case in Connecticut the other day
Laughter. And wherever there was any
stealing, North or South, the democratic par
ty generally carried off the lions share. He
then referred to southern legislatures who
carry to success the various schemes Of plum
der, and to the effect of democratic speeches
against the reconstruction laws in inviting the
ku.Klux to continue their murderous work.
and proceeded: The democratic party can
only come into power by carrying all the
Southern States, in which case the southern
| democracy Will constitute majority of the
| party and be the controlling element. The
southern democracy will refuse to vote taxes
and appropriations for pensions, except upon
condition that the Confederate soldiers, their
widows and orphans, be put upon equal terms
with those on the Union side The southern
| democracy will never vote for taxes and ap-
| preparations to pay the national debt unless
| they are paid for their slaves. The nothern
| democracy, who were committed by endless
resolution and years of defamation to the
position that slavery was wrongfully and I'M
constitutionally abolished, would sustain
them. 1t would be eaiser to assume the pay
ment tor slaves than to repudiate the national
| debt for the reason that the payment must
come principally from the North, and they
were to be much more benefited by the pay
ment for slaves than by exemption from debt.
1t is improbable to suppose that the southern
democracy, when placed in power would vol
unfairly tax themselves to pay debt which
had been created for their suhiugation, while
! all they had invested in the Confederate debt
was lost, together with their slaves. That
| they will in that case make payment for their
slaves, condition upon which the national
| debt shall be paid no one can doubt. 1t
may be said, however, that the democratic
| party in the North will never consent to this
| My answer is They will consent when they
| find they can hold power on no other terms !;
besides, it will be only conserving TO prac-
teal application Of what they advocated all
the time. If they were in earnest when they
declared slavery abolished without the au-
thority of law and without any public neces-
sity, and that it wasSnost unjust toward the
owners of slaves, how can they when il
power refuse TO make the nation pay fol-
these slaves? The southern question will bt
the great issue in 1872, dwarfng into nsig
nificance every other. No merely economi
cal question can divide public attention witt
it. Shall reconstruction be maintained
Shall the constitutional amendments be up
held? Shall colored people be protected il
the enjoyment of equal rights? Shall the re
publicans of the southern States be protecte,
in life, liberty and property? These are tn,
great issues TO be settled in 1872. The ques
tons of tariff, currency and civil-service re
form will play subordinate part in all tn,
southern States. The republicans will strug
gle for life and for the privilege of living il
peace and security, while the democrats
party will struggle to regain their former
power, and, as experience has shown, will no
hesitate as TO any means to be used for tina
purpose. In view of the solemn fact tina
everything is at stake for which we struggled
and suffered through ten years of war ant
storm, let us bury all personal grievances
and, forgetting all past differences and al
selfish considerations. unite again as band o.
brothers, and with unbroken front move for
ward resolved to conquer for the right