The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-06-26
General Forrest on the Condition of
The south ..#.

FORREST, OF tennessee, arrived on w ed
nesday, and made his headquarters al
the Ebbitt House Yesterday one ofthe
staff OF the Patriot, with a view to as,
certain from so popular a representa-.
tive OF the Southern people his opinion
in regard to reported acts Of violence
and the causes leading thereto, called
upon him at his rooms. The General
is man above the average height, oil
light, though wiry frame. His eye, a
small gray, bordering on blue, denotes
activity and nervousness. In his man,
ner he is cordial and courteous. He
talks distinctly, but slowly, and SEEM
ingly studies in his mind the propriety
of giving replies to interrogatories with
out proper reflection He is neat and
careful in his attire, and is.just such a
man as one would never think could be
General \. B. Forrest, Of Confederate
fame.
Having passed the saluta,ions OF the
day, we accosted the General as fol.
lows:
Reporter-General, having a desire 10
ascertain from representative Southern
men the condition of affairs in the
South so far as comes under their person
al knowledge, | have taken the liberty
to call upon you for the purpose OF Civ
ing to the people, through the press,
your views regarding the existence ofan
organization known as the Ku-Klux-
Khan.
General-Well, am charged as
being the organizer and leader of that
organization, but as yet | have failed to
ascertain that any such Khan exists,
except in the imaginations of those who,
for political purposes probably, would
like to see such body in the South.
Reporter-Are your opportunities for
observation such, that if there was an
armed band known as the Ku-Klux,
you would be cognizant of that fact?
General-Certainly; ! have, in my
business pursuits, travelled through all
portions of Alabama and Tennessee,
and the South generally.
Reporter-What, then, in your opin,
ion, is the cause of so many acts Of vio-
lence being reported and telegraphed
North as Ku-Klux outrages?
General-lt may arise from various
causes. Ny theory, however, is, that
a class OF men, who have not the well
fare OF the South at heart, come from
the North, and, knowing that the politi-
cal rights OF many Of the Southern peo-
pie are denied them, they operate with
the negroes to secure their votes to Gle.
vate them TO positions Of trust and re-
sponSibility. Secret leagues are form
ed; incendiary speeches, calculated to
do irreparable injury, are made; the
employer is denied the services of his
paid laborers, as they flock to these
leagues and are Observation-Disclosures.
The result is, that among the substan-
tial citizens OF the section OF country
wherein these men operate, they are re
gardcd with distrust and socially ostra.
cised. They secure lucrative offices, de-
fraud the people, and in all their acts
seemingly endeavor to excite public
opinion against them. AS a natural
consequence, at intervals, the indigna-
ton probably of an individual may be
aroused; and an individual assault
made which is soon magnified into a
Ku-Klux outrage Now, do not pre-
tend to deny that in some instances men
have been killed-not, however, indis.
criminately slaughtered. The same
motive that impels a man to kill his
brother in New York, Massachusetts,,
or Maine, applies as well in Ala
bama, North Carolina, or Tennessee,
the difference being that in the latter
States the victim, by his action and
conduct, tempts and goads the murderer
to his bloody work. These cases are
few, but of course, are credited as being
the work of the Ku-Klux, and hence
public opinion North is directed against
the whole Soutlfas a bloodthirsty peo-
pie. Again, bad men come South with
no fixed purpose in view. They seem
to float along, and, like Micawber, await
something to turn up. In their Idle
ness they operate among the negroes;
excite their superstitious feelings against
their employers and cause general
stagnation in agricultural pursuits.
When demonstrated with for such con-
duct, instead of allowing the planter to
peacefully pursue the even tenor OF his
way, they attempt to revive old sores,
and make assertions calculated to excite
anger and bad feeling. The result may
be that such men are ordered to leave,
or to pursue some vocation, just the
same q a vagrant may be locked up in
Washington, or suspicious character
ordered out of it. This, / presume, is
at once called Ku.Klux outrage.
Reporter-Would a Northern man
settling in the South, with the fixed
purpose OF developing its resources, be
molested, even though he entertained
strong Radical opinions? =,
General-Not at all, sir; he would
be welcomed. Let the people know
that he comes to be one of them, to live
among them, and by his labor or means
tend to build up the waste places, l care
not what his political faith may be, he
would be gladly received, and even as
sisted by the Southern people. !.
Reporter-You state, then, unquail-
fiedly, that your facilities for observation
are such that, if the Ku-klux existed
YOU would know of it, and that it does
not exist as an organization, having a
head and subordinate officers con-
trolling it2 a..- . 49,,
General-I do, My facilities for OBJ
servation particularly lead me to speak
knowingly OF Alabama and Tennessee
| have visited every town along the line
~ 49, go, fnnnnhis 10