The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1872-05-08
Putting 1t Mildly.

/
an incorrect Impression may be
derived from tho Presidents Ku Kluz
message, unless its text il oarcfull,
'crntinized. Tho state Of facts there
portrayed is not the existing one. I,
is a history Of events reported to have
taken place as far back as last Octo.
Der and it is given at this late day
in response to House call ofthc 25tl
Of January. We do not understand d
Why thi. reply was delayed for noar.
y three. months after it could havo
boen made. Instead of referring to
the Ku Klux operations, as investiga.
tod aud set forth by Attorncy.Genor
al Akerman six months ago, in the
past tense exclusively, the President
goes on to say that these ombinations
embrace at least two.thirds of tho
active white men Of those counties
(nine counties arc named,) and havo
the sympathy and countenance Of the
majority Of the other third ("
that "they nro organized and armed :"
"etfect their objects by personal vic
lence often extended to murder" &C.,
go. The upshot Of all this is that
persons not Informed to the contrary,
trusting to these Statements, would
be led to suppose that Ku KIux at.
roclties abound in a part of South
Carolina.
We do not charge tho President
with deeignedly uisrcpresenting tho
facts, for it often happens in the
haste OF writing that the present terse
get itself substituted for the past.
But interruptions politicians, desiring
to make strong points for the cam
pa1gn, will refer to his nssc, tions as
The highest and best evidence that
the ku Klux horrors are even now
III full blast at the South, and that
she richly Go'erves the pains and pen
alties of armed occupation aud mar
tail law. Significantly, on the heels
of this message, eomcs the special
order in tho Senate to day, providing
for continued suspension of habens
corpus frnlu the close Of this session
to the end Of tho present Congress-
covering, of course, the whole PrcSi.
deh'ial campaign. No better card
for the Presidential party could be
put out at this time, When much fanlt
has been found by Liberal Republ.
cams with tho denial Of geueral am.
nesty to the Southern States. We
appeal to the South Carolina and
other Southern p,pors Of all plrties
in refutntion of the story that Ku
K'ux disorders prevail j chc coun-
ties mentioned, or in an other o"un.
ties of South, Carolina. According
to the testimony!of tho press, which,
a' IL whole, give, the most complete
picture of society at the South, there
has not been time since the war. Of
such excellent order aud profound
quiet as the present. What remain.
ed of dangerous combinations in DC.
tober, 1871, seems to havo almost
died out ; or, if it lives, makes 10
>ign that need cause serious alarm or
provoke renewed measures of severity
from tho Government. We regret
that by u slip Of the psn--so wo will
cbaritabIy call the Iapse.-thc Presi~
dent sh' uld Appear to give currency
to reports not correctly depicting tho
South Carolina Of April 1872.
Methodist General Conference.
Ths General Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church will
meet in regular quadrennial session at
Brooklyn on the lst Of May. This
body is the highest Legislative and
judicial power of tbs church in which
every State and Territory in the
Onivn, and also Germany. Switzer-
land, India and China will bo regular
ly represented Canada, England and
Ireland will be represented by frater.
nal delegates. For tho first timo in
the history of the church the laity
will be present to take part in the
deliberations Of the Conference.
NlaHy mat, ers Of interest will engage
its attention, including tho election
of five or six bishops to fill vacancies
by death or disability proposed
change in the presiding elder syste M;
the question Of the pastoral term, and
the fnal settlement Of the Book Con.
Germ controversy. The book com.
mittoo have for some days boen en-
gagged in New York in attempts to har.
monize tho majority and minority
reports. The former finds the charges
OF fraud not sustained, and the
latter asserts that tho gravest allega-
tions arc sustained, and states that
the course Of DR.. Lanahan was emi-
nen,ly inconsistent with the best in.
terest If the Book Concern. .rhe
New York papers say it is not proba.
bic that the committee will agree to q
report to present to the General Con.
ference next week. 1t is reported
that an effort will bo made to try Dr.
Lanahsn for scandal. The total
number of delegates to the convention
il four hundred and eighty four,
representing moro than ono million
five hundred thousand of the followers
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