Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-02-23
REIGN OK FTIE NORTHERN CARPET
BAGGER AND SOUTXIERN NEGRO.
TWO HUNDRED MILLIONS STO-
LEN IN FOUR YEARS.
THE KL-KLUX INVESTIGATION!
MINORITY REPORT FROM THE SELECT
COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS.
Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun

Especial Dispatch TO the Baltimore SUM-
WASHINGTON, February 1S.-Senators
Blair and Bayard, and Representatives Cox,
Beck, Van Trump, Waddell, Robinson and
Hanks, constituting the minority Of the
committee, will submit their report 10 Con
gTeSS tomorrow.
The report deals with every question that
came under the consideration OF the COM
mittce, and gives terrible picture of the
existing condition Of affairs in the South
Speaking of the existence of KIl-klUX III
the Southern States, the minority report
says ''Whle we do not intend TO deny
that bodies of disguised men have, in seve-
raj Of the States OF the South been guilty Of
the most tlagrant crilnes-crimes which we
neither seek to palliate nor excuse, for the
commission Of which the wrong doors
should, when ascertained and duly cCnvic-
ted, suffer speedy and cOndign punishment,
we deny that these men have any general
organization OF political Significance, or
that their conduct is endorsed by any con-
siderable number of the White people in
any State on the contrary, the men and
the bands by which such OutraCcs are per
petrated are almost universally regarded by
the intelligent people Of the several States
as the worst enemies of the South. as they
furnish the men now III power at Washing
ton the only excuse left To maintain war
upon them, and TO continue the system Of
robbery and oppression which they have
inaugurated-a system which is destructive
not only Of their peace and prosperity, but
is intended TO blacken and malign their
character as men before the country and
the world. We will show, by testimony
incontrOveltible. that in no one of the six
States Of North and South Carolina
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and
Florida, has there at any time eX-
iSted combinations OF laWlesS men in one
tenth part OF any OF said States. These six
States have, in the aggregate, a population
Of 1873, 13S, and the total number OF their
counties exceeds 420. We do not fear Sic
cessful contradiction when we say that
there never was a disguised band in one
tenth part Of them, or in over 10 Of these
420 counties; simply in county here and
there, or ut most i'll one Or two counties to-
gether in several Of these States, have such
bands committed depredatiOns, and We will
show to all men not blinded with preju-
dice passion that the klu-kluX bill and
conduct of majority Of this committee as in
augurated, continued and reported, is the
gFOSSGSt outrage, the fOuleSt calumny, ever
perpetratcd or Gil culated upon or against
helpless people by their rulers-Who ought,
for that reason, if no other, to be their
friends instead of being their relentless enc
mics and calumniators. The state of so
ciety at the close OF the war and the over
running of the country by an army of adj
venturers, is thus drawn:
Before even breathing time was allowed
them a set of haIpies, most OF whom had
shilkad the dangers Of the battlefield,
camp-fOllOw hOrse-hOlders, cowboys
plunderels from both sides during all the
years Of strife, rushed down siugly and i'll
squads on that people, thus PROSTATE and
4 (QinnOp1pGS nd
gains, seized and carried of VI hatCVer could
be found worth scizng in that country.
! All rcmonStrance or resistance as stitied
and crushed out by the cry ii disloyalty
and treason they raised against The South
I ern people, and 10y the prcteucc that the
+ plunderclS were prosecuted because Of their
loyalty and devotion to the l. Mon, and es-
pcciaIIy to- the Republican party and it's
continued supremacy
I The charge that Northern men who
went South with the intention to reside and
transact business We're driven out. is en-
. tircly cOntradictcd by the testimony on
! the contrary, the sworn evidence Of Wit
4 nesses of irTep1oachablc character, proves
that men who went South ia good faith TO
settle amongst the people are as kindly
treated and are as likely to be promoted to
official position as they would if they
moved from one Northern State to an
/
affairs of these States reveals the existence
OF fraud and corruption Of the most as
founding nature. The record Of the diff
+ ferent Governors is not unintercsting, and
the report gives it ill a concise way. p.
The public records 81 the country show
that Gov. Holden. Of North Carolina, has
been successfully impeached for high
crimes and snisdemealors, Republicans
uniting n so doing. Reed, Of Florida, has
just been impeached by lis own Legisla-
ture. Bullock fed from Georgia TO es-
cape certain conviction. Smith, of Ala
bama. was sSIilty of issuing at least S6,OOO,-
900 of the bonds OF that State fraudulently
to the managers of the Alabama and Chat.
tanoOca railroad. Brownlow, while il
Tennessee, tyranized over the people ii
the most shameless manner, being equalcc
in that regard only by Davis, Of Texas
Scott, Of South Carolina, barely escapcC
impeachment evenfrofA his corrupt Legis
,lature We will forbear in this rcpor
from speaking Of the present status Of War
moth, of Louisiana, and Clayton, of Ar