New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-02

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Had ~ - = d.ee.os =
ida lit ta.k - : 81 egi1tsnc1
in portions 81 ~ county, the recsn1
conduct ofsa Unised: States 6eeator y
open senate If correctly reported mus
convincs The lav-abiding people Of evrJ
section that ku-kluxism has real exist
ence.
The conduct Of Senator Davis, Of KenI
lucky, as reported by telegraph, il the
incarnation of ku-kluxism in the very
presence Of the higher branch Of the lawI
making power Of the country, and although
the gentleman may not be aware Of it, We
can assure him the language imputed to
him in the course of his speech in answer
to Senator Sherman. is deeply charged
with the very spirit Of hatred that ami
mates the men who, under the
mysterious guise Of ku-kluxim. de-
family assail the peace Of society wher-
ever they appear. It is this malignant
political feeling, entertained bya COM
paratively few, that instigates the bloody
outrages the government is called upon
to suppress in the South. And if Con-
gress finally concludes to pass the Ku-
Klux bin, the Southern people, who de-
sire peace and prosperity instead of an
archy and bloodshed, will not re-
gard the action as unftiendly to them.
The law is not intended to Cypress any
one. Its objects win be to repress crime
and insure submission to the laws; to
insure safety to person and property. It
should be matter Of indifference to
the people whether the State or federal
government does this, so long as it is
done. And the object in making addi-
tional law upon the subject is to further au-
thorize the President, in case of the
inability of State to enforce the laws, to
use federal force for that purpose. No
one opposed to violence can reasonably
object to this. It is true, the men who
have banded together for the purpose Of
gaining by violence what they could NOT
lawfully and peaceably obtain may de-
nounce such law a. oppressive, because
it will have the effect to check and abate
their high-handed expressions upon peace
full and law-abiding fellow-citizens ; be-
cause it will deprive them Of the means Of
reaching . political ascendency in State
and federal politics that they can not
hope to reach in . peaceful and lawful
way through the choice of the people.
Weare very well aware :..s. . very large
majority Of the Southern people have long
since come to the conclusion that the con-
duct Of such men has been great curse
to the South, and that its peace and pros
perity never can be fully restored until
there is an end to political violence. Men
have got to be taught that it is just as
much . crime to kill from political mo-
tives as to kill from pecuniary or other
motives; that it is even as heinous an Of
Tense to band together and go about in
disguise numbering political opponents as
to waylay a man and murder him for his
money. When political murders are thus
regarded, then their practice win cease,
for the people, viewing their perpetratorS
with the same adherence that they view
other murderers, will aid in their arrest,
instead Of screening them from justice.
When this is the case, there will be no
federal interference, for there will be no
necessity for federal aid in the enforce
ment of protection to life and property.
And wherever this is not the case, it is
certainly the bcunden duty of the federal
government to interpose its power in de-
Tense Of life and property throughout its
territorial limits. stA2
It is unnecessary to say Senator Davis
reported remarks ct the conclusion of his
speech in answer to Senator Sherman's
charge Of violence in the South, and his
conduct toward q member of Congress
upon that occasion, are substantial proofs
of the spirit of hatred that has prompted
the outrages that are complained Of The
fact that this gentleman. who has long
since lost the fiery passion Of youth, could
not restrain his violence in the Senate
chamber, when faced BY political oppo-
nent Of distinction, must have its effect in
convincing many that that same spirit
has an existence outside the Senate cham
Der. In regard to this violence mani
tested by the Senator, the telegraph says:
Mr.. Davis, growing FESTIVE and speaking
with his usual warmth and earnestness,
suddenly faced Mr.. Butler and, continuing
his argument against the credibility of ex-
aggerated Ku-Klux stories, said: ''These
fictitious charges are originated by parties
to affect the coming elections. The legis-
latures to be elected are to choose one-third
of the members of this Senate, and it is with
these disbslical and devilish ends that these
vile and slander0us stories Of 0utrages
emanate from the brains of political scoun-
drels and rufians." Nr
But the Senator was not content with
this amount of violence, in the shape Of
language poured forth upon the heads Of
men who dared to complain of the das-
tardly acts of ku-kluxism in the South.
He turns upon Mr.. Butler, of Massachu-
sets, who was present from the lower
house to hear the debate, and who was
naturally attentive to what the gray
headed Senator had to say, and fiercely
addressed him in the following very un-