The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1872-09-14
1--WE RISE TO EXPLAIN
Some Facts in Defense Of a Late
Statement Of Gen. Butler.
what the Election Of Horace Greeley
Mems.
rom the BOSTON Concrega,ionalist.]

From the boston Consregationalist.l
- A Few persons. aud, curiously enough, one
OF two who have spoken through the Boston
Post are among the number, seem to be very
much exercised lestkc should damage the
high character of the sclisions press by hav-
irg indorssd A lac remark of Gen. Butler.
We have nercr been ;artisans OF the honorable
sepres ,ntatyc from the Fifth District. and
are therefore ihe more ead to give him credit
y hen it is his s'ne. Ala speech in the town
OF Mi fad, he lately said: "G6 cast you
votes for the Niaiato on 81 women, the burn
ing of schaui houses, the lesecEa,on Of
Churches, or fir Horace Greeley for il all
mea one ami the same thing" This struck
us as being terse Re we'll as true and
said e. much. 1t was Que say ing this which
troubles our friends above referred to. They
think such a remark is an awful one for a
religious newspaper to make, and they call
upon US to explain and justify it, or take il
back. We ara quite willing to accommodate
them. We are sorry to say that the facts in
ease, however, leave us no alternative but to
explain and justify, which we proceed to do.
As matter of CO rise, his remark did not
have its natural application to New Eue land,
or to any portion of the county which was
loyal during the rebe lion. its truth will he
established if, in the late insurrec;ionary
States'-to use the phrase which Congress
has applcd-the success of the party having
Mr.. Greeley for its candidate wculd, in oil
human probability, produce the resnl!s
named. Now we maintain that, during the
tao sections of country, and the blacks and
whites-the former slaves and their former
masteIs-hay, been left to readjust their
social and civil relations, in very many sec
lions CT the South ohenses against property,
life, and libert, have been frequent; in many
places have been systematic on the part OF
portion of the ex rebels toward the negroes,
and such whites as had been loyal and as ad
vocated the existing policy Of he government.
Ii IS notorious that these tffenses became
so in,olera5le as to demand special legis,a-
ton on the part Of Congress, ard special
interpositien On the part Of the President. for
the protection Of the suffering classes What
are known as the kr-knx statutes were the
result, aud it was only after Fe .cral bayonets
had enforced sespcc: to this legislation that
the offenses ceased.
II, nnY, TO elect Mr.. Greeley would be 10
restore power to the very ha nds which the
hu-kius laws restrain. having Tie power
there could be no question that it would be
p uspd. usej there aan bn IA, l;,tl, onact;o,,
that the old euirages wouii be resumed, if not
fearfully increased. IL we then examine the
Immediate past. and see what that element
/" hict vote FOR Mr.. Greeley is a vote to Sc.
free was in the habit of doing when it was
Tree; remembering that this element is now n
unit for his election, and without taking t:,e
trouble 10 conceal The fact that it goes for him
IN the expectation through him of re-aining
power, we can see what The legitimate ten
dcncy OF such vote must be. Nor have we.
Tor this examination, to take the exaggerated
and unautheuticated rumors of the partisan
press. There is at hand plenty Of sworn
testimony, taken by atpecial joint committee
of the national Senate and House, of which
Senator Scott was chairman and Hens Frank
Blair and Sunset Cox were members. Our
glance at the result Of their investigation sha Il
be of the brisfest possible that will fairly con
vey its spirit. And for convenience, We fol-
low III our examination the order of ofienses
cha-sed 10y Gen. Butler, who, az member Of
that committee, knew very well what he was
talking about.
r. N
nature OF the case such wrongs as these
grievons as they may be, can be touched bu
lightly in a public Journal. Suffice it to say
that he who reads carefully report No. Al Of
the Forty second Congress, second session
will find that cases Of stripping women naked
and whipping them; of rape; of abuse of the
most outrageous description, causing prema,
ture chll birth, and o. "orutai.y too revolt.
ing in its detail To- Publication, ;" were shown
10 have taken ri ice again and again in South
Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi
and elsewhere. tSec PIP. 81, 65, $685. S6c, etc.
2. The burning of school houses. Tht
testimony before the committee demonstrates
that in numberless cases school Iouses hat
been fired BY the Ku-Klux, while the teachers
were insnlted, brutally whipped. and in SOM
instances murdered. [See PIP. Al, Y, 70, 70
50, 80, etc., Note particularly the case O
Cornelius Mcbride, young Scotchmar
who taught colored school near Sparta
| Chickasaw County, Miss, a rcighbosi,oo
| where the whites were friendly to edrcatio,
| and to him, and where he, therefore, though
| IT safe 10 stay, while the school houses O
others were burned and they abused But i,
| the last week OF March, 1871, the Ku- klu,
| came. Tley took him off into the Il lis, bca
| him with their pistols and sahcrs, knocke
him down, stripped him, and then whippe,
! (wi,h "b.aok- gum switches, which sting an
| raise the flesh wher. they l.it'') to the exten
| Of near two hundred iaslles, before lie cou,
make his escape with the blood running COW
his back. TIE mural remark with which thi
was accompanied was (.ijll oaths which "
/ eau not Seaertl, "Dont you know that TIL
| IS w!ii'e mans countrY r Inn. II, 79.l
3 The &C. teraiaii tf Churches. in
| sing'e district IN A;ab,m. six churches yer
barnea four of them ,tllia :hre. weeks pre-
! y, Il
occurred with faithful frequency, while i,
some portions of the South the outrases com
mit'ed upon the ministers were dreadful
Ten were whipped, shot in tie pulpit. murder
ed, CIR driven away in a single district 4
North Alabima. !p. II The organize
persecution Of tie ministers of tie Method il
Episcopal Church as distinguished from th
Netha.is; Church South was made eirs-tus
by many stripes as wei. az " It'll the dae.,e
and the pistol. lip. 70, -
General Eutler, had lie chosen to n ak
The most of the subject, might have gone O
to charge the dsadliast crimes against life j
the same category. The dwellings of peace
able and uuuiTending citizens, black and whit!
| (loyai), have been burned or togn down fri
q, Al, so, while murders in cold blood hay
been so common in many parts OF the la,
insurrectionary States as almost 10 surpas