The Republican journal., 1875-05-20
The Outrage Business.

The Outrage Business.
We mentioned last week that one Perrin
4 radical member Of the Alabama Leois-
lature had made some damaging confess
SiOns concerning the manner in which the
In kluX eXcitements We're gotten up. His
revelations are 50 curious that they merit
more than passing attention, especially as
one fruit of his labors was the election of
the present radical L S. Senator from that
state, Geo. f. Spencer. In course of his
confessions, Perrin let the cat out of the
bag in this style
! Troops We're retained in Alabama before the
election on the requl,iiiOn of myself and others.
| ii having been understood that spencer had ar
ranged for troops to be put at the disposal of
! the revenue officers where intimidation WAS
! necessary. These troops. accompanied by
| United States Marshals, who had fictitious
| warrants with citizens names prominently dis
| played, and shown to persons who would in
form them were paradcd in various counties.
! shot hole iii my hat and reported that had
| been attacked by the ku kluX, and | sent
| troops 10 arrest the mythical ASSISTANTS. kept
| troops as long ;ts could use them political
| machine. our purpose was to secure the Leg
slature 1T all hazards and elect Spencer A
number Of witnesses testify to the use Of money
| 10 effect the same purposes.
| 1t Will he remembered that ut the time
and also in 1874, the Democratic, Liberal
and Independent press of the country,
charged that all the ''outrages' So called,
in the South, were mere lictions intended
first 1" deceive the voters of the North,
and second to furnish Il prcteNt for using
the army in tne Southern States to over
awe and intimilatc the Democratic and
Conservative voters, and keep the THEY
ing carpet-baggers in power.
1t will also be remembered how vgor-
ously these statements We're denied by the
Radlca! press and officials especially by
Attomey-General Williams, the man who
was at the bottom Of all this villany. 1t
was the habit of Mr. Williams to load
down the Associated Press dispatches, and
furnish the special correspondents, with
the most minute and circumstantal de
tails of ku kluN and White League out
RACES and acts of intimidation. Mr.. Per-
nm S case was given as one of these bloody
outrages that made it necessary to overrun
Alabama with Federal soldiers, who act
ed under the command of deputy United
States Marshals.
Mi Perrin now tells which side was in
Inundated The deputy Marshals who
swarmed in every village and county, with
squads OF soldiers at their backs, made out
fictitious warrants containing the names
of prominent citizens which they display
ed, so that the whole community knew
who were to be arrested and dragged hun
dreds of miles from home, upon charges
they knew not what, to be thrown into
Jail where they would remain for months
Cor until after the elcction) and then be
discharged without even the mockery of
trial. Very naturally. these citizens
when thus threatened fled from their home
or concealed themselves
This was precisely what the carpet-bag-
0Ni' "AhbSu, lol CNClN Ilstll lllllS lullllll-
dated helped the prospects of the carpet
baggers at the election Not having
enough troops to suit his purposes. Mr.
Perrin Shot Il hole through his hat and
thus manufactured a Ku Klux outrage of
more than ordinary dimensions Fresh
troops were ordered to the scene of the
outrage, and Mr.. Perrin says that he sent
them in quest OF his mythical assailants.
Of course, they overrun all the territory
round about, painting for the blood of the
hu kluX and threatening to arrest any
Democrat who might come in their way.
We rather suspect that there was a sud-
den exodus Of Democrats at the coming
of Perrin and his Philistines. They did
not feel like being dragged in handouts
to Mobile. preterring rather to lose their
votes 1t is true that these citizens of Ala
bama had the right to arm themselves and
shoot down the man who were thus har-
assing, intimidatng and DISTINGUISHING
them, and they also had the numerical
strength to do it, But they were too wise
and discreet even to exercise their legal
rights, preierring to await justice for their
wrongs by the slower process OF the
change in public opinion. 70 have de-
tended their own firesides and their own
persons, would only have called down up-
them the wrath of an Administration that
thought no more of shedding blood than
OF spillng water. They waited, and a
revolution of public opinion rescued them
from the oppression they suffered so many
years.