Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-12-22

Total Republican vote in 1S6S. ,s;E5
Total Republican vote in 1870 .......1l, ,lO2
Bear in mind that | ana merely copying
he official returns as printed by the Ra'tl-
nj State government of South Carolina.
<otrc that the inundated Republicans
IcalIy doubled their votes. Now let us see
rw it was with tire Democrats:
;otai Democratic vote in 1~t;S. l0,2Go
Total Democratic vote i'll 1S1o-........... 9,S0l
You will thus perceive that in these six
icbeiolls and insurrcctionary counties the
Radical vote increased 6.267, while the
Democratic vote decreased 1913. But [ am
not done yet. Read the following figures
raretully:
Combined Republican and Democratic
rS E?'f nmmTrr IN II"' Of voters in same counties 800
More votes than there were votcrs....,. "a
The CORES pondcut of the T,'jJ;U1c goes
on in lis letter to explain the coH$es Of XII
kluxism, and of all the other evils which
Dll!ict the South. The great underlying
cause" he says, ''is the unwilliIgness Of the
.peopIc to practically accept the changed
condition o the negro, and to recognize
his free right to exercise his new privileges
Of citizenship. He proceeds;
Hcu's natures are not changed by acts of
congress, and it will require something more
liluh constitutional amendment to make
4 South Carolina planter believe that his
former slave is now righttully his political
equal The amendment must first be made
in the constitution of the man himself. The
!|JpcfuI feature i'll the case, however, is that
lhC Host sensible men are honestly trying
to accept the situation, and begin to believe
That the prosperity Of the South depends
Of the war. The great majority Of the
whit" population have not the good sense
20 realize this fact, and are still trying to
"put the niggers down, as they express
IT, This is white mdne government, \"
- the whole gospel of the Ku-KlaX klan.
NJ matter how ignorant and stupid a mem
5el' of the Khan may be, he never fails to
comprehend that the purpose of the Order
IS to put in force this maxim.
y reluctance to obey the new require
uchto If the Constitution, and determin-
alton to make the rights conferred upon the
blacks Of no benefit to them, are therefore
The primary causes of the ku-KluX disord
cr wherever it exists iii the South There
ale, besides, local causes. In South Caro-
lima there are d cowardly and corrupt State
Government, incapable, ignorant and
worthless local officers, and a weak, vacil-
iating Judiciary.
The State officers command nobodys re-
>iect. They are third-rate men, intellectU-
ally and morally, who could not have OBJ
tanned any office of trust in an intelligent
Northern community. Their time has been
largely occupied i'll devising selfish and
questionable schemes for their own profit,
and they have lacked the courage to make
any determined effort to suppress disorder
and punish crime. Some Of them have ac-
:lired sudden wealth upon small salaries,
and their apparent dishonesty has brought
all the others into disrepute. If the State
officers had been thoroughly honest men,
with some dignity Of character and knOwl-
"a e OF public affairs, and if the State En-
tive had commanded the respect of the
community by tImneSS, consistency, and
truth, and a courageous determination to
enforce the laws and maintain order at any
PERSONAL risk OF lcrifCe, the kII-KluX never
WOULD have found toothold in the State
But even with Inefficient and bad State Off
GERS, good Judiciary could have done
huch to limit, and perhaps suppress the
c' H. 1htS Is shown by the fact that there
T one Judicial district where the Ku-Kllx
.Hfa9es are unknown. although the char
'ctef ol the population is identical with
mat Ot the worst infected counties. This
IS Judge OITs District, and includes the
I'VE northwestern counties Of the State.
N'iN'' N''tIiiijo. NTIc0llN lie. DOItlclS
upon Sparanburg, and while the latter has
been oYerrun by the ku-Klux during the
past year, the former has been entirely
Deaccable
We would remark on this that the diff
Guilty i'll South Carolina is not the -unwil-
In9ncss to accord rights to the negro but
all mwillingness to be J1ied by him. Every
overture has been made by the whites OF
Ihat State to the negroes but the latter
VIII hear of nothing short Of the absolute
control of the State government, and of the
local administrations. They possess all the
power, and the whites are simply at thei
mercy. They constitute twO-thirds of the
Legislature. The Lieutenant Governor is
negro The members of Congress, with
one exception, are negroes. The Governor
Is a calpet-bagger. The courts are in the
hands Of the carpet-baggers and negroes
lie magistrates, sheriffs, and police, are
constituted in the same way.
Now add what is admitted by the Tri-
o"'eS correspondent namely, ''a coward
and corrupt State Government incapa-
oie, ignorant, and worthless local officers
ana a weak, yacillating Judiciary" Add