Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-08
MISTAKES I'm REGARD TO THE

!. occasionally we ma cropping out IL
lekding Radical Journals in the North
some sensible suggestions touching the
position of Congress towards the South.
The Boston Advertiser, the leading RAJ
dicsl journal in New England has this 70
say, in its issue of March "a, on the sub
ject of 'qegislating in the dark
E '1f any member of Congress sees his
way clear to further legislation on the
Southern difficulties he is perfectly night |
in insisting that his associates shall stand |
by him till the strength of his plan has /
been tested by discussil n and vote. But |
if ten wears of almost continuous leglsla- |
tibn on this subject furnish no power to |
suppress and punish the fragrant viola |
tiops of law charged upon the Ku-Klux |
conspirators, Congress may well pause and
consider whether it is legislating in the |
right direction. 1t is at least bound to |
INQUIRE as to the causes of adisease which,
as the existing panic shows, their RENE |
dies have failed 80 reach.
That venerable and much abused docu-
nieni, the Constitution, aud the laws made
in pursuance of it, provide the means for
their enforcement. Is there occasion now
to go outside eff them for authority TO
suppress local disorders2 or is it desirable?
The political disorders at the South are
deeply seated and will continue, whatever
Federal interference there may be, for
some time to come. The reaction from
the ignorance and intrigue which came
to the surface after the war is now going
on. 1t was impossible that the inexper-
| fenced negroes and the Northtrn adven-
| turers who took advantage OF their OPP
portunity and. seized 80 many OF the
State and local governments should per-
nasnentiy hold them without en-
| countering both open and secret enc
mics. The powerful aid which the
| general government has given to them in
the distribution of its patronage, by its
moral support, has driven the worst OF
the opposition into secret combinations
whose crimes are the cause of these perl
| odical excitements. In all cases where
the State authorities desire the suppression
of these bands of brigsnds and sssassins
and have not the power, the resources OF
the general government are at their COM
mand. But what is to be done where
the State authorities have the power but
not the disposition to enforce order and
to punish crime2 The worst that could
happen in the end would be that the dis
orderly and violent neighborhoods would
be abandoned by peaceable citizens, and
the States which failed to protect them
would lose them altogether. Nothing
would sooner destroy the prosperity and
credit of State or so fatally cripple S
resources as therepetition of UNPUBLISHED
crimes like those reported in some parts
of North Carolina and Mississippi The
greater the violence of the outlaws the
sooner it would exhaust itself, or call
down upon them a vengeance as wild IS
their own
In all that the ultras in Congress pro
pose to do to ''quiet" the South, they
, ignore the facts which the Boston Ad-
, Uerti8er 30 candidly states as the results
of Federal interference in the local affairs
, of the Southern States. In the reorgani
cation of the State governments in the
South, the worst elements in our politics
: The carpet Dagger and the scs'awsg-
; were thrown to the surface and by The
5 aid of the Federal government they wert
: enabled TO seize upon the governments Of
t | these States and to control them for thell
own personal benefit. The great interest!
: of the States and the people were los
: sight of entirely; indeed they received NJ
thought from the rings by which these
r States were controlled. This fact il
forcibly illustrated at this very momen
D in North and South Carolina. In tht
former, one of the worst men in the Stat,
was selected for its Governor, and tn,
evidence elected in the recent investigs
ton by Morton's outrage committe
: at Washing ton-slthough very partial
q having been closed before the Democrat
D could get all their important witnesse
before the committee showed that n
: ruled the State with an utter disregsr,
: of the Constitution and laws, sDt
n that he was most overbearing ant
r tyrannical toward his political op
ponents. This man has just beel
tried by the State Senate as a Cour
!, of Impeachment for high crimes and mis-
s demeanors, of which he was found gull
d ~, and has been deposed from Office an,
= rendered ineligible 10 hold any office il
: the State. He had q fair and impartia
e trial, and the sentence is regarded IS jus
o and proper. Yet he is defended an
: lionized by leading Radicals in Washing
\ ton, WIN clamor for more stringent law
{. through which the long suffering peopl
I of North Carolina may be further an
Il moved and harrassed. In South Carolin
A the rule of the csrpet-bsgger has bee
d with the view of enriching himself an
IS his favorites, while the interests of tn
y State were utterly neglected; indeed, Ia
= people were left TO take care of them
o selves as best they could. The only thin
IS about which the officials gave themseive
u any concern, outside Of their priVsi
Ie jobs and speculstione, was the collectio
1t of the taxes, rendered necessary to met
d the demands Of the cormorsnts VII
Is crowded the legislative and execuliN
~ departments. 1t is not matter fl
Ii. surprise that under such rule disorde
es sprung up in various portions of Il
10 S ate. And now this cGrpet-bsg Go
CO ernor, who has grown opulent throuG
w the adventurous circumstances whiC
lis placed power in his hands, processes
; be unable TO govern the people of Sou
Carolina, and appeals to Grant for troo
u to inaugurate reign of terror in the
terest of Radicalism. With good, co
scientious men in the various departmer
- of the State governments of North a
\, South Carolins, there need not, al
!. would not have been any trouble or Al