Wilmington journal., 1871-06-30
Carpet-8aggers and Settlers.


We observe that ez Gov. Humphreys {
Mississippi has been interviewed by Eey
York Herald reporter. ard are struck Will
what he is reported as saying about th
.disposition of the Southern people 10
wards Northern men who come among
them. He makes the distinction betweer
the mercenary carpet bagger and the hon
est settler, which all right-minded South
ern people make, and which seems SO diff
emit for Northern people 10 understand
His language is forcible and clear. Here
Ia what lie SAYS:
''HoW can the people Cf the North ex-
peCt that the 'ember5 Of 1he rebellion Will
ever be quercted as long as they pile that
foul mass of 'driftwood' from the Ncr.h
known as carpet. .baggers, on these embers?
Wi,hdraw that 'drlftwood' an3 restore
local self-government to the people Of the
South is all that is needed to QueDch The
enbers Of rebellion forever.
''Yo2 speak, Governor. Ct the hatred OF
Northern men toward the South. Is there
not an Intensified hatred still existing with
the Southern people for the people of the
North ?"
'The Southern people, sir, hat3 the
carpet-bag official because he is meaa, cor
tup+, low; he comes 1ere to fatten on the
epoils Of his ctlice, aud not to live among
ard be one IF rs. They haze meanness,
whether of native CT Northern growth;
bat ;ha5 they i sEise and spurn the man
of Nor: ern birfh who is known to be
fs.'s3 and u.trna. If he comes as the
'r.oo.:tu nutmeg ve1der comcs-as the
'ou11 mel' jInes 10 pIander aad pnlage;
ii ae comes as .he horde Of camp-followers
ald professional rfice-seekers come-to
gather lie sptis OF victory and rob the
tre4surits cE ouc people, then he always
ba8 and always will receive the
sco:n. contempt and hatred Of al!
c!s.s SIS IN tie South. Bot if he comes
Gs the peerless Pientiss Game ii lie comes
the grand Old Kuicker5ocke~, John An
th0ny Qu!tmaD, came !; if he comes as that
noble Roman. Charles Clark. aud thou
sands Of our oldest and bes5 ci'iz-ns came,
to make our sunny land their home, to de-
velop the r,83u3ces and build up til3 ma
teriai wealth Of the county. to share our
burdens as weii as oar pro speri-y anu
glory, then they have and ever will receive
t1e light hand Of f9llo vstip. he introduced
IL our Iso lltabla homes. uE} cordially
promoted 20 tae h;gles. t. aocisl and pc
itlci places of honor nnd truss"
Govar4or Hun 1phrey : remarks upon the
Ia .Aiux are also WORTHY Of atteu'ion. The
reps 7 o. contiuues
Just before closing the interview said
to the Governor that had been told the
day before by . gentleman in this city
th"s aJout two sears ago lie vas asked by
the Great Grand G. clUpj Of the In Klux
Klan to become the Grand Cyc!ops OF the
Kan IN this STATE, AID asked bin If he
thought there had ever been regularly
orsapizad body Of the ord"r.
IS No. fir,'' he said, Il do not think
there Les ever ben such thing as gen
erl Organization, nor do L believe
there has ever en- al organic alton of the
kird at all A f,w lawless men now and
then baud themselves temporarily together
and commit these oufrages, bat there IS 20
organization"
This gsntlsman 20 whom I refer" I
continued, "aeened to think the Klan
was organized 10 frigh:en the negroes
from their midnight deprs dltions upon
stock pens, chicken roosts, Sc. Do you
tbirk there evor was en organization for
this purpose"
"No fir-at least no general orgaoiza-
tion though something Of the kind might
not have been cntira!y wrong, and it cer-
tainly would have had its bands full. l
think if We are now permitted to escape
from our present local government and to
elect our own officers all such klans and
associations will disappear entirely and be
no longer heard Of"