New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-07-04
A False Assumption Of the Gincin-
natl Platform.

Local sell-goyemment with impartial sui
fiage, will guard all rights more securely than
any civilized power" This is the language
of the Cincinnati platform on which stands
Horace Greeley. Its aim is to make os!lous
the law for thc suppression of the ku-hiuX
Klans enacted by Congress, ana enforced by
United States courts. This portion of the
platform was adopted i'll face of the fact APP
parent to every intelligent person North or
South, that it was impossible to convict
member of the ku-kluX Khan in any of the
local governments Of the South, through the
operation Of those local governments.
reign of terror overwhelmed the South in
many parts of it to be suspected of being a
Union man was certain death by bullet OF
the Ku-Ilux, and the members of this muir
derous organization were encouraged by the
shielding against punishment afforded by
what is called the respectable classes in the
South. Judges and iurics belonged to the
Khan, and were oath bound to stand By and
shield each other from harm. Though inn
partial suffrage was the law, black men and
Union white men had no protection against
outrage through the local governments. This
Horace Greeley knew a year or more ago
when he urged the passage of the Ku-kluX
act, and the passage of which he declared to
be "a great point gained" Why was it a
great point gained" The answer is obvious
that the local governments, not guarding
all rights, il was necessary that the general
government should interfere, or be. as Horace
Greeley expresses it, "a sham" The opera
tons of the Ku-KluX Klans at the South,
their immunity from punishment under the
State governments, the denial OF rights to
cOlored men, women, and children, citizens
of the United States, on railroads, steam
boats, iuries, witness-stand, in schools where
where local self-government exists with i'm
partial suffrage and amnesty all show the
utter falsity of the assumption of the Cincin-
natl platform. OF what avail is impartial
suffrage to the black man in Kentucky where
he is outnumbcred by white men who deny
him the right of testifying in courts of justice,
who deny him IN impartial jury trial, who
deny every right but such as are protected
by the United States the centralized
power" as the Cincinnati platform has it,.
Kentucky certainly has local self-govemment,
so have Maryland and Delaware, yet in these
States equality before the law does not exist.
In these States rights are denied TO those
who were true to the Union when these
States attempted to destroy it, and the main
reason for the denial of rights is the loyalty
to the general government, of those to whom
rights are denied. How should this denial Of
rights be considered by the general govern
ment, but as a sort of warfare upon it; es-
pecally as the object of the denial is to
wreak vengeance upon the nations defend
ers? And surely the general government
has a right to defend itself by protecting its
friends to whom it must look for aid in time
of danger. If this be true how far removed
is he from being an enemy to his country,
who arraigns ii for doing what it had a right
to do, and for which il would have been
criminal in refusing to do: