Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-19
"KU-KLUx.' TRIALS IN THE SOUTH.

"HU-kLAX'' TRIALS IN THE SOUTH.
To show how near upon sthe dangerous
edge Of things'' We have already drifted, we
copy the following article from the New
York San,r "a Radical journal: s7o /
The manner in which the North Caro-
lima Ku-Klux trials have been conducted,
looking at them in the most favorable light,
affords sufficient evidence of the danger
Gus character of the powers bestowed by
the Ku-Klux law upon United States Off
cials, who may be violent partisans, and
thus incapable of doing Justice. 1t
is likely that some of the per-
sons who have been convicted in
Judge Bonds Court have been guilty of all
that has been alleged against them; it may
be that all of those so convicted deserved
their fate; but it is certain that entirely in
nocent people, who, from personal maliceior
other cause, shoGd be wrongly accused of
participation il such offences, taking the
North Carolina trials as an example of the
. way in which the law is to be administered,
would have very little ground to hope that
their innocence would save them from con-
yiction and punishment.
''What is popularity known as the Ku-
KlUx law was passed for partisan purposes,
and il is administered in a partisan man
ner. While its oStensible object was to
suppress the Ku-Klux organization, it has
been so framed as to render it an instrIl.
ment under cover of which Gen. Grant may
use the most revolutionary means to force
his denomination and election; for it can
be applied to the North as well as the South,
and It's terTors may be brought
TO bear against political societies
in our own State, organized for
political purposes, as eflectually
as against the members of the Invisible En-
pire and kindred associations in the South.
IL North Carolina its execution has been
comparatively mild; yet even there whole
sale and indiscriminate arrests have been
made, often without warrant; people on
mere suspicion have been carried hundreds
of miles from their homes, denied bail, and
kept for months in prison without any op-
portunity being afforded them for defence;
and in many eases, afterlong imprisonment,
such suspected persons have been set free
without particle of evidence having been
brought forward to co&nect them with the
offences with which they had been charged.
"For the trials which recently took place
at Raleigh a special jury was summoned,
and it is not denied that its members were
selected ON account Of their political bias.
The counsel for the defence challenged the
whole jury on this ground, offering an aft
davit in support of the challenge, and addi-
tiOnal testimony to prove the allegation.
The Assistant District Attorney admitted
so says the Raleigh SentiRei-that he had
directed the Marshal what sort of men to
pick out: but the Court held that the ground
assigned was no of challenge, refusedto
hear any evidence bearing on the subject,
and disallOwed the motion. Judge Bond
himself according to all accounts, did not
even assume the virtue of impartiality, but
degraded his high position by acting in the
character Of prosecutor throughout the pro-
ceedings. With violeHt partisans as prose-
cutting officers. packed jury, and hostile
Court against them, it is no wonder that
these men were convicted by dozens. They
may all have received only their Just deserts
in the end but no one can pretend that the
manner of their conviction was anything
but mockery of justice and an outrage on
judicial prOpriety.'
As if the summary manner in which the
Ku-Klux law is administered in North Car
olina is not enough to satisfy the most vim
dictive and least forgiving Radical, such as
Gen. Grant has shown himself to be, that
person has issued his proclamation suspend
ing the writ of habeas corpus in nine eOun-
ties of South Carolina, that citizens of those
counties charged with being Ku-Klux may
be even more summarily and perhaps vigor-
ously dealt with them in the former State. 1t
is understood numerous arrests will be made
Immediately in those counties, and the ar
rested parties be tried by military court.
Where this exercise Of extraordinary power,
of doubtful authority-such as the Queen
of England would not dare enforce lis to
spd, no man can tell. There is every reason
TO believe that it is Grants inten-
ton to apply martial law to all of the
Southern States, and thus crush out all
opposition 10 him in the South. But will
he stop with the States in the South that
are opposed to him? He is determined to
elect himself for second term, and he will
stop at nothing which may stand in the
way of his ambitious designs. He is far
from being a statesman, but is ambitious,
and therefore a dangerous man to be en-
trusted with extraordinary powers. His
purpose in this "Ku-Klux" matter is plain;
and the North will be made to feel his
poyer If necessary to accomplish that OBJ
iect. In the event he succeeds, viii he be
satisfied with four more years of power?
But in the event he fails, will he peaceably
yield the reins of government?
THE EARTH ON FIRE.