Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-28
TIE KU.KLUX WAR ON THE
SOUTH.

The churchmen used to accuse Voltaire
of writing to confrere: ellie constant
", lie consistently; the truth may follow,
but some residuum will remain. Throw
mud; some of it is sure to stick" Some
thing like this is the programme of the
Radicals in their present crusade against
the South. From the sedate Senator
Sherman, down to the refugee miscegen-
stor from Mississippi, all Radicalism,
of every grade and faction, join in the
chorus of calumny. The power of the
press and the speed of the telegraph are
enlisted, wiile the railroad brings 'fswift
witnesses" from any quarter desired.
Every engine of modern civilization is
prostituted to this dirty partisan work.
What can we do2 How can we meet
and stem this torrent of unwarranted
sbuse? Throughout the South, in almost
every neighborhood, there are Northern
men, residents and visitors, whose pres
ence and prosperity are proof positive
that we are cslumniated. And almost
everywhere may be found some honest
Republicans, whose interests are identical
with the community. We seriously
question whether the Democracy of the
Northern States could be trsduced as we
are. With their admirable organization,
each groundless story would De promptly
refuted; the press and the telegraph would
be brought into requisition, and the lie
would be exposed on the floor of Con-
gress before it was cold. The answer
from the South seems TO come too slow;
the lie has generally done its mischief
before its refutation arrives. A ne
gro, for instance, is made msil-agent
in Kentucky, over half a dozen
applications from ex Federal soldiers;
q threatening demonstration is made on
this negro mail agent; and it is weeks
after the mails have been stopped in con-
sequence, that we learn who the asssil
ant of the negro was: one of the ex-
Federal applicants. A revenue assessor
fees from Mississippi to Washington with
horrible story of the Ku-Klux interfer-
ing with the revenue laws and mobbing
him; some days after we learn that he
was merely chGrTUaried in a boisterous
fashion on the occasion of his taking a
negro wench blide. We may yet learn
that his friends alone were concerned in
the affair. And to this hour we are left
without any connected, ineligible &C.
count of the recent disturbances in South
Carolina. This is not as it might be. Diff.
cult as the task is to answer calumny with
its thousand tongues, yet much might be
done, and ii would seem to be our duty
in the present emergency to do all that is
in our power. We have throughout the
South, in proportion to population, press
as numerous and as able as the North.
But the press cannot do all, without the
aid of the people. With thorough organ
izstion we might have in every county
and precinct committee specially charged
with maintaining the good reputation of
heir district for law and order. The af-
fidavits of Northern residents and even
of Radical officials in many instances
might be speedily forwarded to Washing
ton, and every unfortunate occurrence
placed in its true light by unquestionable
evidence. This may seem an endless task;
but until some system is inaugurated
equally were organized as Radicalism,
our people and their good name will be at
the mercy of these psr:izan hirelings.