Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-02-07
AMNESTY.

granting full and kcomplete annesty I
and pardon for . large number OF Of 7
fences of various kinds, committed since
The close of the war, in the State OF
North Carolina, has passed the Senate
and. is now pending before the House
Of Representatives. We sincerely trust
the bill will speedily become law and
for the simple reason given therefor In |
its preamble, to wit that 'itis believed |
That a strict enforcement of the GRIM |
inal law in reference to many offences
within the limits OF the |
State. since the close of the late civil |
war. would result in greater detriment
to the State of North Carolina than a
policy based upon mercy and forgive
ness" If this belief be well founded,
the bill ought to pass if it be not well
founded, the bill ought to be rejected.
The single question for the Legislature
to decide, is whether the peace, pros
perity and welfare of North Carolina
will be better promoted by arigid, rig
orous enforcement of the criminal law
OF by extending an act of amnesty and
pardon.
Upon this point there can be no
doubt in the mind of any legislator
who brings to the decision OF the
question a determination to be guided
solely by unselfish and patriotic con-
siderations.
The offences to which the bill propo-
ses to extend amnesty and pardon were
committed by the secret organizations
popularity known as Ku-Klux, the Loyal
League, &c. It will scarcely be denied
that these organizations were the fruit
of the changed condition of the
country consequent upon the conquest
of the South by the North, after a
long and bloody struggle, and the sub
sequent emancipation of the slaves.
Disorder followed conquest and eman-
cipation, secret organizations, of vari-
Gus characters and for various pur-
poses. followed disorder, and violations
of the law, of every conceivable kind
and degree, followed in the wake of
these organizations. 1t is alleged by
many that these organizations were
of purely political character, and
perfectly harmless in their inception.
| It is alleged by others that some of
them. at least, were simply self-pro-
tecting associations, both justifable
and necessary, to preserve life, prop
erty and person in certain sections in
North Carolina. 1t is alleged by
others that these organizations, no
matter what their purpose was, were
wholly illegal and criminal from the
outset.
Which view Of the case is the correct
one, it is not our purpose now to
, enquire. This much is certain There
/ is a dispute as to the character and
purposes Of these organizations, and
there is Il dispute as to the necessity
and justification for their formation,
while there is no dispute as to the time
when, or the scenes amid which,
| they hourished It is said that every
negro voter in the State belonged to
! the Union League. 1t is said that the
ku-kiux Alan numbered forty thou.
sand white voters e4pong its members.
The disorders that followed conquest
and emancipation have WEI pigl
passed away, and with them the organ:
izations they gave rise to. At least
it seems to he certainly true that the
Ku-klux have disappeared. No mar
now fears them.
VIII it, then, be better for the State
to bring all these disputes to settle
ment in the Courts, OF to say LEI
by-gones be by-gones" If the Law
is to be rigidly and impair
tally enfored the result will be, inc
vitality, stirring up OF bad blood and
possibly, renewal of strife. Thou
sands of able bodied men will be com
PEELED to spend years in hiding from the
officers Of the law or, with their fami
hes, gill he compelled to leave the
State Gag Ehe State afford to lose sc
many Of her people3
! If it be true, as stated, that Il ere
We're forty thousand Ku-Klux ip the
State, and if that be good law which
was declared by the Judges of the SUI
preMe Court, that every man is respon
sible for every ssat of every other mar
Of these organizations, iaassfRl if single
homicide was committed by a.ny one OF
them, there are forty Thousand white
men in North Carolina guilty OF homi
eide, the same is true also Of tbs
| members of the Union League. Il
| this be good law, and if it be true, as
! held by more than one Radical Judge
in the State, that Grand Juries are
| obliged to take the law fEcM tAe E2nrt,
| and the facts from the Solicitor, then
| are all these people at the haercy OF
l Nt1ltN-llNe ultu Ill NOTlu CdFOlll1d,
| wit: the Judges and Solicitors in the
seYefal Judicial Districts in the State
and Governor Caldwell. Is it right
that this great power should be per-
mitted to rest in the hands of these
| twenty-five men, many, if not most OF
whom, have given the strongest evil
dences of the bitterest partisan hate
and mahgnity? Is it safe or wise to
clothe such men with the power of life
| and death over so many of their
fellow-beings? The Senator from
Orange stsated, in his speech the other
day, that a fa>re@S , la4aa1 issued from a
high Judicial source that '".ICrsnee
county sEi0tld see hell" If this be
true, It is, indeed. high time to take
| steps for the protection o: t94St long
suffering people. Ii it is the avs~ed
! policy of our Judges, or of any one Of
them, to make the people of North Caro-