The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-07-20
Gen. Chesnut's Testimony before the Ku Klux
Committee.

Gen. CheSnutS testimony DeIOrc Tie MI AltA
Committee.
The Columbia Phenic publishes the testimony
of Gen. James Chestnut before the sub-commit-
tee of the Ku Klux investigation, during its
session at Spartanburg. This testimony will
have its weight before the country, as Gen.
Chestnut is cool, impartial and dispassionate in
Judgment, and his truthful declarations will be
invested with great consideration:
In reply to questions, the General stated that
in relation to cases Of individual violence, such
as assaults and batteries, homicidcs, etc., he
admitted they were more numerous than they
had been before the war; and the reason was
obvious, namely before that time, and up to
the close of the war, the people of this State
were accustomed to well ordered civil liberty
and self-government Since then their whole
fabric-political and social-had been rudely
and suddenly subverted, and Government
placed over them in which they had no partic-
ipation-a Government composed chiefly OF do
mestic imbeciles and foreign rogues-a Gov
ernment notoriously ignorant, partial, vicious
and corrupt. The people of South Carolina
felt, and do now fee, a deep-seated discomfort
with this Government. Larcenies, lncendl-
arism, an undue and offensive assertion OF
those who were by force placed over them,
naturally rendered passionate and inconsider-
ate men violent and induced them to seek re-
dress for wrongs, real or supposed, by unlawful
measures-more especially when those whose
duty it was to cause the laws to be administer
ed were, in the main, feeble tardy, corrupt and
partial. But while admitting this increase OF
Individual violence-(e enough to make all good
men deplore it)-still he belived that If all
such cases committed for twelve months in this
State were brought together, they would not
exceed, either in number or atrocity, the crimes
reported for single month In New York or
Boston. The remedy was to return to good,
honest and impartial State Government, and
fair and rigid administration of the laws. In
cases of violence committed upon Republicans,
he did not believe they were inflicted on the
parties because they were Republicans, as such,
but because they were bad men, who had COM
mitted grievous wrongs, real or supposed. In
proof Of this, good and honest Republicans are
unframed and respected everywhere IN the
State. In relation to native white Carolinahs
who had gone over to the Radical party, he did
not admit that they were prosecuted, but that
they had incurred public obloquy he admitted,
and thought they deserved it-not that they
became honest Republicans, but because 1t was
believed they went over from corrupt motives,
as evidenced by the fact that they Immediately
waxed fat and began, from official station, to
kick their former brothers. The thinking pco
pie of the State had no irratiotal prejudice
against good, honest Northern men, but, on
the contrary, would be glad to receive such i'll
large numbers, with as much capital as they
could bring. They would be welcomed, as
would be immigrants from other parts of the
earth.
AS to secret associations and organized bodies
of men, who commit violence and break the
laws, he had no personal knowledge of them.
He did not know that he ever saw an individ-
ual belonging to such associations His infor-
nation in relation to them was derived from
current report and newspaper accounts. Never
theless, he believed they existed. Hc thought
such organizations were local and limited that
they did not pervade the State; he felt sure
they did not exist in his own County at all.
He had watched their progress as new phase
in the affairs Of this State. He did not think
such organizations sprung out of difference of
party creeds, but rather from social disorders.
He believed that they had their origin in the
anomalous condition, social and political, of
the State He did not sanction such assucla-
tions. He asked the committee to remember
that such associations naturally arise under all
despotic governments, and the more despotic
the government may be the greater will be the
number and violence of such bodies He re-
ferred to Poland, Italy, France, Ireland and
this country, asking them to remember that
the people of South Carolina lived under an
absolute and atrocious despotism, composed of
villainous men from the North and ignorant
and vicious men at home. He believed that
the State government was notoriously, mon
strously corrupt, as acknowledged by its own
adherents-so shamelessly corrupt that many
of the most prominent among them have, IN
their own minds, elevated rascality and roguery
and every species of public and private, vice to
the dignity of virtues. The only remedies for
all these are return to good, honest and
truly representative government, in which
property shall not be taxed without represen-
tation that the public money shall be used
only for public purposes; and, Ill the mean
time, an heroic forbearancc on the part of the
white population of the State with an effort to
preserve order and change legitimately the con-
dition of affairs. He thought that of late Gov.
Scott had done something to mitigate the evils,
and possibly would do more to soften aspcrities
and restore quite-which he believed the Gov
ernor was now inclined to do
The burning of barns, dwellings, &C., and
the unwise, not to say atrocious measure, OF
organizing and arming the negroes of the State,
and turning them loose to use their new-gained
power, and vent their wild passions as inclna-
ton might direct, the General thought were
the more immediate causes CT the outbreak OF
the secret organizations.
ANOTHER DOC SToRY-Bcechcr has told
another dog story. We ell remember how
much amusement he created fifteen years ago,
in the Fremont campaign, by the story he told
of dog and squirrel. That pointed q sarcas-
tic moral this is full of pathos that might
teach a lesson to human beings caught in
similar strait. 4 narrow log lay rs bridge
over ravinc. From the opposite ends of the
log, at the same moment, there started to cross
it big Newfoundland and a little Italian gray
hound. OF course they met in the middle; of
course there was not room for them to pass
neither could they go back. The height was
Il Z