Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-10-20
A Vain Struggle.

Under this heading the Fayetteville
Presbyterian has some timely and forcible
suggestions which should be needed By our
people. We believe that in some sections
of this State good men have been induced
f1om wel1-grounded fears for the safety OF
their lives and property, through comb1-
nations ofignorant negroes and white men
OF the very lowest instincts. upheld by the
corruptions of the judiciary, to form Nlgi-
lance Committees. known by different
names. AS we have O very Inadequate
knowledge OF the su1ferings and dangers
TO which these poople were subjected, we
cannot tell how far circumstances excused
these organizations, nor do we know fully
what the objects IF these combinations
we're 1t is, indeed, q most deplorable
condition of public affairs, which at any
tine crcases violation of The law TO cor
rect private grievances. It would have
been more manly and moro profitable t.
have exhausted every resource which the
civil law holds out, however great the in
justice done.
But we cannot alter the past; Ue must
deal with the future. There can. certainly,
be no shadow Of reason now TO resort to
private Injuries. Besides the iu-Wlu
engendered between neighbors, it affords
the petty and unprincipfed men, in whose
hands the General Government has conf
ded it's powers TO harrass and punish inno-
cent men. Spies, informers and parti-
san officials use the dangerous weapons
with which Congress has armed them to
modest the innocent, and to advance the
interests of their party, without regard to
the ends of Justice. 4 conspiracy has
bccn formed by these parties against lead
ing men, and nothing will be left undone,
even to eubOraing witnesses TO accomplish
their ends. This is sufficiently proved by
the course of Mr.. S. T. Phillips, in causing
the arrest of Mr.. TURNER Of the Sentinel
and his being bound over to appear before
the United States Court by q partisan Com
missioner, instigated by personal ilI-feel-
ings and chagrin at q most fragrant mis-
take of law in case before O civil magis-
trate, which he had Just committed.
This is a sad condition of affairs, but it
must be borne with patiently, and we must
seek redress in the civil courts. Certainly
the time is not far distant when the Ameri-
can people will recognize the dangers
which environ their rights of persons and
property, and the cncroachments which
are eapplng tho very life of republican
government. If not, then God help US.
for VIC are powerless to help ourselves.
But we must not despond. We have
become accustomed to lowering clouds
and the 1erco onset of tho storm. We.
at least, can 10 oil in our power to save
the government and uphold the law. Then,
whatever fate overtakes ono or the other,
we will be held blamoless. We have q du-
ty to perform, the moro incumbent upon
u3 on account of the great difficulty at
tending it's accomplishment.
But we intended rather to call attention
to the following extract from the Prcsdy-
terrain than write an article ourselves
AS our readers know we seldom enter in
to discourse upon the civil or political as
poets of tho times. A professedly re-
Iigious Journal is expected to say as little
about Caesar and his affairs as possible,
and even if it were otherwise, we have
but little inclination to NEEDLE with the
tangled slleln OF public matters Mt this
time.
Yet something by way of canton and
remOnstranco we have long wished to say.
We fear that our people are exhausting
their energies in political strife, and in
what will prove to be vain struggle with
manifest destiny" The city OF Raleigh
is filled ut this writing with citizens brought
from remote parts of the State to answer
before the United States government for
H. FL !
have been confined in Jail for weeks
or months. Many of them are doubtless
innocent of the charges mado against
them. But some eff them must be getiL7j
Ii is manifest that there is foundation tor
those ku-klux charges, and q paragraph
among our items of secular news this
week states that several Of these accused
persons at Raleigh have been convicted
before the y. S. Court Of the offences
charged. And what loss of time, waste
of money, and worse than all, what neigh
borhood ill-Will and evaporation and de-
moralization do these proceedings sug-
gest. What is to be the end of it all p
Make every allowance for these deeds of
violence,-say that the aggressors had
been riled, provoked, injured in every pos
Sible way, to the extreme verge of human
endurance. Allow that every provocation
was given. Still the question is, is it not
nObler, Drawer, wiser, to endure wrong
patiently than to repay malice with malice.
and blow With blow
We are ashamed of these Ku-klnx ex-
elements and trials. We are ashamed
that there is color of right or justice in
any of them. They show a disposition to
IaWlessness among our steady going peo-
pie that we never had dreamed of seeing.
And whether Justly OF not, they are COM
promising the good name of our State
abroad. And the instances in which some
grounds may be found for them, give also
color of justice to the prosecutions of good
and true men in other instances. We de- |
plore with heavy heart this state of bit |
ter feeling among the men, because it's