New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-28
HENTER.
closures.

HESTER
hester seems quite discouraged. Elsewhere
we print extracts from letter lately written
by him and addressed to a friend in Alabama
They indicate mental depression. Being just
now ont of business on account of bis recent
discharge from the Government service he has
plenty of tirc to sit down and look the future
in the face. 1t is not perhaps to be wondered
at that he sees snakes. Other men who have
had active political careers and found them
selves suddenly without employment, have
had the same experience, though none of them
that We now recall has ever described q specific
snake in the eloquent and glowing language
in which he depicts "the Ku Klux serpent"
which he confidently expects to see "crawl
cont at full length q few days before the
"polIs are opened" at the next election, and
"run all the negroes into the swamps, and
"swell up so that it will he plainly visible
over in New England and the NorthW West"
And YET Hester, with this snake in his eye
and possibly all in his cye--is not without
hope. "Perhaps'-he says-ah, pregnant per-
haps-this will awake mp the slumboring lion
'of American liberty all the loyal
States, who will snatch once more, as
ain 1850, the scepier from the traitors
"hand, whittier ii now seems to be drifting
Consider for moment Hester with this Ku-
Klux serpent in his eye, waiting for it to
swell mp until it shon,d wake the slumbering
lion of American liberty over all the loyal
States. View him as be contempacs with the
other eye the scepter drifting into the traitors
hands, and waits for the slumherng lion of
American liberty to snatch it away. The stu
alton is a little mixed. but nothing could be
more impressive OF poetical. And it is cheer
ing reflection, too. that Hester, being cut OF
business, has nothing in the world to do but sit
right still and keep his eye on the snake.
IL will be observed that what with snakes
and drifting sceptcrs and slumbering lions and
the failure Of the Force bill, Hester takes u
gloomy view of the prospects Of Southern Re-
publicans, lightened only by an occasional ray
of hope when he considers The slumbering lion.
The Southern Republicans, he says, need not
expect any protection from Government. Since
the failure of the FOrco bill, he plain
lively remarks, "a general apathy seems
"to pervade all the Departments Of the
Government" And he has little con-
fidence in his own party either. He speaks of
them as men stained with the results of their
" former corruption and frauds in Credit Mo-
"bilier, SanbOrn contracts, and the like" and as
towards who were inundated by the last
Fall elections )" also as men who wanted to
"apologize for their former acts of loyalty to
"the Government" and things Of that sort.
Singllarly happy faculty of description. Hester
has. No man could have described moro faith
fully the politicians who did the very best,
and the most, in their power, to keep such
"A, Inr, rttr
at top. 1t does not seem to be quite the
thing that Hester should, in the words of the
worldly, ago back on them. IL is TO be re-
GREETED, too, that Hester has 80 poor an Opin-
ion of the people of tho South. He says
that in the Southern States perjury is a
"p1stme, and cruelty, persecution and crime
delightful amusements, and receive the
"sanction Of the church and the approval of
"socieiy,s ana then no adds. in the
largo way that becomes philanthrOpist
and philosopher, that in such state
of society Justice must necessarily become
"a mockoiy.' These are Testers views
calmly and distinctly stated They be-
come Hester, and they are worthy a detective
covered more w,kcdncss and deprayily in
Alabama IN inc UO1lH pft'fulng 'Ht ldpt L III
election than tho people of Alabama had
dreamed of in twenty five years previous.
Hester has II clear vision of Ku-Klux
Demon" which will shortly "spread its dark
"wings and breathe it, fiery breath and clutch
:" its deadly claws over the dome OF the National
"Capitol.n IIo portrays the condition when
this shall happen, and describes it ms the
"Ku-Klux millennium" II seems too bad that
the people cannot be aroused to this impending
condition. And worse than all it is to he
hmcnted that the people having heard
of Hester in connection with the Outrages
upon which the last Fall elections were at
tempted to be carried and having understood
that Hester was at one time u Confederate
sailor OF marine under command of Admiral
Semmes of the Alabama, will read his
thrilling little anecdotes with u slowly winking
eve and an nncommonly skeptical mind.
And yet no ought to be read. For he is
publishing book. And read with unusual
care.