Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-01-08
KU-KLUx IN North CAROLINA.

Those who have sneered at the asser-
ton of the existence of the Ku-Klux, or
who have excused it upon the ground
that in so disturbed region and under
such miserable governments there must
be some kind of voluntary organization
against offenders, will be interested in !,
the correspondence between certain
prominent citizens of North Carolina
and Judge Bond. At the end of Sep
TENDER ten noted gentlemen, among
whom was Mr.. Bragg, formerly Govern
or and Senator of the State, wrote to
Judge Bond, asking that the further
prosecution of those who were charged
with Ku-Klux offenses should be post
poned until November. These gentle
men admit that ''the fact that secret,
unlawful organization called the Ku-
Klux, or Invisible Empire, exist in GER
tain parts Of the State has been mani
court over which you preside" They
denounce them, and declare 1t to be the
duty of all good citizens to suppress them,
adding that no man can deny or palliate
their crimes If the trials were adjourn
ed, they thought they could enlist all
good citizens to make an earnest effort
to restore good order, and obliterate an
evil which brings nothing but calamity.
They conclude by solemnly protesting
that the violation of order and justice
must cease.
The judge, in reply, thanked them for
their letter, but as the city was full of
witnesses who had been staying at large
cost, and could not probably be required
to go home and return with nothing done
to make their journey safe, he declined
to postpone the trials. He adds, that
gentlemen who have expressed so warm
o wish to relieve North Carolina of so
disgraceful and infamous an association
will not remit their labors to suppress it
because the court sit for week or two
longer to help them. The letter of the
eminent gentlemen, however, proposes
an extraordinary method of dealing with
what they call criminals. If the courts
will close, they think that they can en-
list the ''law-loving citizens to suppress
the organization. But whether they
will try, if the court does not postpone
the trials, or by what means outside of
the law they intend to deal with the
criminals, they do not say.
There is but one presumption from
such letter. The Ku-Klux is an or
ganization of political terrorism. It's
crimes and the calamities it causes are
undeniable. But these gentlemen be-
lieve that they can prevail upon the
criminals to stop. They must intend to
prevail by moral suasion. But could
they hope to prevail except upon men,
bers of their. own party? and all the
gentlemen are democrats. 1t is foolish
TO deny in the presence of such facts that
there is a ku-Klux, and that it is a DO
litical organization to prevent, by terror,
by scourging, and murder, the exercise
of their political rights by republican
citizens. And why, it would be inter-
esting to know, have ex-senator Bragg,
and Attorney General Ship, and ex-
Minister to Spain Barringer, and ex-
Judge Battle, and the other gentlemen
who sign-why have they waited until
there was some prospect of bringing of
tenders to justice before they began their
efforts to suppress the crimes of organic
ations so notorious every where else in
the country? and why do they make the
suspension of the trials the condition Of
their efforts ? Or was the first knowl-
edge which these gentlemen had of the
Ku-k lux derived from the trials !? The
President was upon the point of enforc.
ing the law against the criminals before
these worthy gentlemen had discovered
that there was any trouble They found
fortunately, however, that in writing tt
Judge Bond they were not writing to the
marines. The judge, in the excellen
Irish phrase, was able for them anC
promised to their vigorous efforts to sup
press the Invisible Empire" the sup
port of his court. How far. as Artemu
Ward might have said, these excellen
] gentlemen have got in their suppression
does not appear But, jesting aside, i
such gentlemen are in earnest, and ever,
where in the Southern States would, il
their words, ''use all the means in gu
power to absolutely suppress this organ
0 ization, they would show spirit whicl
4 they might be very sure would be recog
Y nized and appreciated every where
| Haaper's Weehly.
Kentucky papers announce that Dl
Robert J. Breckenridge is so rapidly fail
I ing in health that he cannot long SUI
vivn He is now snvnntv-ona wars q