Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-01-31


. lone widow, &c. These murders
were committed by persons from ad-
joining counties, but they were COM
mitted and the parties well deserved
the fate they met. HE said ,as far as he
could learn and as far as he knew, that
all organizations had been raised under
similar circumstances as those in
Orange, and now we are coldly told here
by members of the opposition that
such crimes as I have stated is just
cause for punishment, &c. - f.uI
The spt aker, after referring to the
Kirk war, the arrest of Col. Bingham,
and his immediate release or pardon
by Gov. Holden, and stating that Gov.
Holden, before the Kirk war, had ex-
pressed his desire to proclaim the
same pardon, now asked for in this
bill, he closed with an earnest appeal
for the immediate passage of the bill
Mr.. Grandy offered a substitute for
the preamble of the bill, which was, in
substance, that as members of the
various organizations, of which mem
bers of the Democratic party belonged
to, had committed crimes, &c, &C..
and proceeded at some length to ad-
vocate his substitute '.'.-.
He said that the original purpose of
the ku-klux-klan was to defeat the
reconstruction acts of Congress and to
prevent a faithful execution of the laws
of the United States He was sorry
that such organizations were counte-r
nanced by leading men of the Demo-
cratic party, who stood back in the
dark and hearkened on the young and
misguided men who performed the
damnable deeds OF crime Their
leaders were afraid to come out and
show themselves. but were satisfied to
urge others on, that they might not
have the responsibility to shoulder. It
was not his desire to wreak vengeance
Oh the perpetrators of these crimes
that belonged to the Almighty. He
would be glad to have the power to
/ bring out the leaders, that they may
be punished instead of the misguided
men who obeycd their instructions.
! He offered the substitute in good
faith. Question, by Mr.. Worth. Will
you support the bill if your substitute
! is adopted? Mr.. G-. No sir y
! He offered the substitute III order that
| the leaders in this measure might 60
on record. Why not ask the same
! pardon for Masons. Odd Fellows and
| other Societies as they did for the Ku-
| Klux-klan? He WAS surprised tohear
| the Senator from Orange say that both
white and black said Stevens had re-
ceivcd just fato-suprised that high
| toned, honorable gentlemen should
I paliiatC the crimes of these midnight
! mara1lders and assassins- He was or-
; posed to the bill. The blood of Out
! law and Stevens rise from the ground
aud appeal to his party to go against
| it. The infant children and widows
of these men appeal to the party also
men who had been whipped for opin-
! ion sake, &C., &c. He was for pardon
and amnesty, and would say here that
if the murderers of Stevens and Out
law were ferreted out, he would sign
his name asking for executive clenency.
| The speaker concluded with q strong
appeal to the Republican members to
stand firm i'll their opposition to the
! bill, &c.
! Mr.. Worth desired to submit few
| remarks liz regard to the bill. He was
in favor of its immediate passage. The
other side of the House seems to have
an abundance Of mercy in their pream-
bles, but blood and thunder in their
! speeches. The Senator from Beaufort,
| in his remarks yesterday, had occasion
sent General Assembly from a Repub-
/ hcan majority to Democratic majority
was caused by the Ku-klux Kan. Just
, here he was reminded of q serious
/ religious anecdote. A certain preacher,
/ who had charge of a church in certain
county, had tried in vain to prevail ON
! the SONS of pious old brother of his
church to turn from their wicked WAYS.
The boys, several i'll number, were no.
toriously wicked, and he never failed
to call On them when he came Oh his
round to the church. Going one day
| to the abode of the young men, he found
one on his knees prayihg devOutly and
called upon the minister to pray for him.
The minister asked brother of the
young man SO deeply affected, why the
sudden change in his brother? The
brother replied that a rattlesnake had
bitten him The preacher knelt down
and commenced his prayer with sup
phcatlon, for more rattle-snakes."
Now, he would say if the ku-Klux
gave us the majority and defeated the
Republican party in 1870, he would,
like the old preacher, pray for more
ku-klux. He was unwilling to lose SO
mach time considering this bill; it was
evident that the opposition intended to
make a party measure of it; then let us
stand together and make it party
measure too. lie was ready then and
there to vote for the bill
Mr.. Durham followed in favor of the
bill. He was surprised to see that
measure SO important to the general
interests of the whole State should be
made strictly partisan, and was more
over surprised at some of the scnti-
ments of members of the opposition
The Senator from Pasquotank says
that he is in favor of Furnishing the
leaders and partloning the yonng and
misguided, and whenever VIC give him
An opportunity to vote upon a bill
granting amnesty to all, he refuses.
Ho forgets that it is better that ninety
and nine guilty men should go I'M
punished than that one innocent per-
son should suffer. The objection of
the Republican, members, as they say,
Is that Q portion of the names mentioned !
in the bill arc loyal, and the others |
disloya1. He undertook TO sly
that there is not a linz in the proposed |
bill that in,putes crime to any organi-
cation. 1t does not say crimes have |
been committed by members of either |
organization. 1t simply assumes the !
possibility that crimes were committed !
and proceeds to give pardon. He |
advocated tAf ifiu, pot because Of its
benefit to one party Or ti.c other, but /
for the good of the whole people
Forty thousand men were said to be
members of this organization-not old,
decrepid men, but active, able bodied
young men, the very bone and sinew
of our State. They ask whether we
shall prosecute them to the bitter end,
put them to death, Incorporate them in
prison, OF grant them pardon :? He
would ask Senators if We were in a
condition to drive from our borders
~, 900 mon? The bill has II wider
scope than this; if these prosecutions
are to continue it will embrace 240, 600
instead of 10000; the wives, children,
fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters
If the 10000 will all feel the effects of
he punishment as well as those imme-
lately Interested He would AS, =.