Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-07-09
&c OUT.
What her Condition is-The Mistakes and
Misrepresentation Of the Philosopher
Of the Tribune.
Letter to Hon. Horace Greeley, Reviewing
his Speeches and Letters in Regard
TO the Southern States.


MEMPHIS, TENN., 1871.
Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sri will give you my YER
sion OF the Ku-Klux. No war Of any
magnitude and duration has ever Oe-
Cured in any country which did not
develop, If not geneTGte, a very large
class Of hardened vagabonds, thieves,
murderers and desperadOes. This is
the ease with both sections Of this
country, north as well as south. Are
not the papers Of every section filed
TO overlooking with daily recitais Of
startling crimes? Are not our jails
and penitentiaries gOrged with con-
vict5 as never before? We have had
our share Of these white desperadOes
in common with other sections. In
addition, we had thrown upon the
country, without guidance, four mil
lion OfignOFant slaves, suddenly made
free. As a general thing, the mass of
these people have behaved unexpee-
tedly well, but amongst them there
were many hardened villains, ever
ready for deeds Of violence. Many OF
them thought freedom meant freedom
from wOrk-and work they would
not. They must eat; as 8 consequence
they commenced, by night, a general
system Of stealing, rObbing hem
rOOsts, gardens, orchards, and killing
and eating the hogs and cattle Of the
country. In many sections Of the
country they cannot even now raise q
chicken, hog, sheep or calf. But
worse than all this, the North turned
loose upon US an immense horde OF
filthy, low, c0wardly, ignorant, de-
PRAYED men. These yer worse than
q war, a pestilence, or a famine. They
have, as a general thing, neither edn-
cation, manners, or good breeding.
They have the ayariee Of Shylock,
with the ambition of Cesar. They
eourted all the high places, offices and
hOnOrs Of the country, without the
first requisite qualification to fill one
of then. Think of such people filing
the high places heretofore occupied by
such men as Jackson, White, Grundy,
Polk, Bell, P0indexter, Crittenden,
Berrien, Calhoun, Butler, TazeWen,
and q host Of other heroes
and statesmen. Reverse the
picture, and suppose it possible
by some political CONFUSION
70 disiranehise your leading men in
the Northern States, and that our
meanest population, with gOur most
ignorant, were allowed to rule over
you; and that your high places, here
tOfOTe filed by a Clinton, Van Buren,,
Wright. Everett, Webster, DaIlfs, Blu
ehanan, and such men, were filed by
men who could not Dc elected c0nsta-
bles where known. Under similar cir
eumstances, how would you and your
citizens feel and aet2
These imported patriots about whom
so many unnecessary tears have been
shed, when they came South were
trumpet-tOngued about the Union
which they never turned a hand to
save; about their military services,
when in truth they neve saw the
fash Of a gun. As a general thing
they located where the most black
voters we're to be found. Finding
them an ignorant, un5u5Peeting race,
easily influenced and easily dnped,
they exclusively associated with them,
equalized themselves with them, and,
by fawning and syeophaney, by ap-
pealing to their worst passions, by en-
cOuraging them to hate their former
masters, by encouraging them Osteal,
rob and depredate generally, they
quickly acquired their confidence;
with their confidence, their votes:
with their votes, offices, and with
these offices, from the Senate to q con-
stables plaee-y0u know what else
has happened.
To restrain laWless white despera-
does, black thieves, imported scoun-
drels, gave rise to the formation, no
doubt, of the ka-Klux, under the i'm.
preston that the laws administered
by such people as we had over Us
would be found Insufficient Go check
crime and prevent thels. 1t would
be to disguise the truth to sayn no such
organization existed in various parts
of the country. That the object
of their formation and the extent of
their acts were grossly misrepresented
is equally untrue. Upon inquiring, it
will be found they heightened out Of
the country some laWless despeTadOes
some white and black IOgues, and a
few carpet-baggers, VINO could be
spared. This, / verify believe,
is the head and front of their offend
ing. Although the object of their
formation was such as | have de-
scribed, it was early fUreseen that such
organization, without restraint,
lead to improper results, and il
was abandoned three years ago. II,
now and then, disguised men are seen
the part Of Ka-Klux, they are
very different characters, and have
different objects in view, than the
original Ku-Kiux. The present XII |
it Is believed, have received
orders from Washington, and are
playing the role projected for purposes
Of political deception. 1t is not true
that lawlessness runs riot, and that
the State authorities are unable to
and punish crime. On the
contrary, there has not been a period
in forty years in which crime was
more certainly punished and laWless-
ness suppressed. Some Of the evils
under which we labOred are passing
away. The courts and offices of the
country are gradually being filed by
luT ablest jurists and best citizens.
The black. raee r finding out that
he strangers who came among
hem, with so many hOneyed words
and t~iattering eOndeseensiOns, had no
other object in view than to use them
Is stepping-stones to get into place
and power, that they might plumber.
them out, they have no
Onger any use for them. With them,
: OthellO's occupations gone" and
hey I leaving, with the universal
consent of every honest man. With
heir departure we shall have peace,
md all we have to ask Of you at the
is this: That when you take q
to spew up your trash Tor
emigration, that you will turn
-FOUR faces in some other direction
not southwark. If you have any
rood citizens desiring to emigrate,
Who expect 70 make their living in
n honest way, without regard to
heir politics, should they come