Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-27
MAYNARD As AN APOSTLE OF
HATE.


HATE.
THE Civil Rights candidate for Gov
ernor of Tennessee is reported by a
correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette
to have remarked in a speech at Knox
vile, on Aug. (, 1866, that "the loyal
men of Tennessee and the nation had
made up their minds that the men who
crushed the rebellion should control
the government, national and State.
This purpose they would carry out,
and let the consequences take care of
themselves. He admonished the Rebels
that after another war, the work of
reconstruction would be easy. We
would only want in the South a Sur
veyor General and some other officers"
This was said at time when a per-
feet reign of terror existed in East
Tennessee; when Rebels" were Ku-
Kluxed without mercy and without re-
gard to age or condition; when men
who had served in the Confederate
army and those who sympathized with
the South in the late civil war
were ''lost" in the woods or whipped in
a savage manner; when they were COM
PEELED to flee to other portions of the
State or to other States for safety, and
years elapsed before many of them re-
garded it as safe to return, while
great number of them never did re-
turn. 1t was Immediately preceding
this speech 10y Horace Maynard that
we have the first record of Ka-Klux in
this State. The following is a literal
copy of Ku-Klux order which one of
the truest and best men In Jefferson
county received In the mysterious man.
ner peculiar to the masked brother
hood:
Special order No
In the Woods near New Market Tenn,
July 9th I765
All damned rebels are hereby notified
to ieve at wonce if found here at the
expiration of ten days from the date
of this order. and no preparations to
lieve Thrashing machines will be set
at wonce enough to thrash all crops
with the usual tole hickory withs and
cowhides or any thing else that may be
required on the occasion We are work
ing by the order that You theving God
iorsaken hell deserving Rebels issued
four years ago Union men and rebels
cannot live together which we find not
altogether bogus.
We are vary respectfully
Old Sold ers.
1t may well be imagined that reign
of terror existed where menSwere re-
ceiving such documents as these with
out knowing whence they came; when
even preachers were taken out bymask-
ed parties and whipped; when unofend-
ing citizens were hunted and shot down
as wolves. OF course Rebels" and
Rebel sy mpathiscrs" sought safety in
fight. In the midst of this fierce
storm of passion Maynard came along
to add to the excitement by talking Of
the "Rebels" attempting another war,
when their land would be cOnfscated
and parceled out among the "'loyal."
The truth of history requires it to be
said there was no disposition on the
part of he Rebels" to make war
against the State or Federal govern
ment. So far as East Tennessee was
concerned, they were a hunted, perse-
cuted class, fleeing the land of their
birth to seek safety among strangers.
To show still more clearly the state of
feeling that existed in East Tennessee
at the time Maynard was thus insi-
diously infaming the popular mind,
the following which appeared in the
Cincinnati Gazette of about the middle
of August, 1866. is reproduced:
1--WE give an extract from business
letter sent to a gentleman in this city
by a correspondent at Athens, Tenn:
"''Our political horizon is so murky
and portentOus that l am at aloss what
to do. l sincerely trust that my ap-
prehensions will not be realized by CON-
ing events. We seem rapidly approx
mating that state Of affairs when we
must accept despOtism to secure the
preservation of law, order, life, proper
ty and personal liberty, or we 90 into
anarchy, where riot and mob violence
will equally prepare the way for rad
ical and permanent change Of our form
of government. To my mind the pres
ent aspect of affairs is appalling. l
think it probable l may shortly visit
Cincinnati, en- route to some locality to
which I may remove my family. If 1
only knew n place Of safety, and they
were In a condition to travel, / should
almost feel impelled to encounter the
risk of cholera, rather than to wait for
the bursting of the storm-cloud which |
overhangs u.s. 3"
How do the people of Tennessee like |
this picture of the Civil Rights candi- |
date for Governor, as he appeared in
his favorite role eight years ago?
a. II