Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-03-30
How the Rebel south Obtained
From the Republic

i
sidious, has been made evident from
the conduct of the Democratic major
ity in the present House of Repre-
sentatives.
1t is a noteworthy, as well as
alarming fact, to observe that since
the ex,rebel States have been read
mitted to representation i'm Congress
but two men have been elected there
TO by Southern Democratic votes,
who were in any way identified
with the Union cause. These are
| Andrew Johnson, elected to- the
! United States Senate by a Democrat
| ic Legislature, though in the main
opposed by its ex-rebel members,
and Representative John Hancock,
| of Texas, who held Brigadier's
commission in the Union service.
The manner, too, in which the
Confederate Democracy have almost
| wholly obtained control Of all the
Southern States Is in keeping with
the spirit which inaugurated the
Shareholders, rebellion. The ex rebel
States returned fiffy-six Democrats
and seventeen Republicans TO the
present House; while in the Senate
they are now represented by eleven
! Democrats and ten Republicans. tone
seat being vacautl, or the Demo-
cratic Senators, six l6J were rebel
army officers, and judicial officer,
and one other, tCaperton, of West
Virginia was Senator in the Con-
! federate Congress. One Republican
/ Senator tAlcoFnl was in the rebel
/ State service, and another tRobert-
| sonl resided South during the prog
4 ress Of the civil war. In the House
OF the iifty-six t56l Democrats, forty
one t4l) held prominent positions
/ In the Confederacy; thirty-three be-
/ ing military officers, seven being in
/ the Confederate Congress, one being
/ its Vice President, and another a
member Of the rebel Cabinet. 9th
ars occupied State positions Of inn
p0rtance. The remaining eX-confcd-
crates are from Missouri and Ken
tucky.
The manner in which the South
has been possessed by the counter
rebellion ought To be wolf understood
by this time. Yet there are those
who dispute the truth OF history. OF
the siXty-three representatives now
in Congress from the States that re-
beiled, at least twenty-five t22l of
them bold such seats in consequence
Of organized socid ustracisn, SiG-
I lence, nna murder. Tie malfas-
auce Of Mr. Beiknap is q crime com
mitted by one lnau, for which when
proven severe punishment l. Justly
H a q. L.. Il -,
/ fender. Bus how much greater il
that Ofleuse through which men,
/ three at least, hold seats from the
/ state Of Mississippi in the National
/ House Of Representatives by reason
! of an organized system of intiniida-
ton, outrage, aud assassination, gen
eral and personal, set III motion for
| political purposes, and carried out 81
/ n marty measure by the pbedient and
willing members Of The Southern De
mOcracy. Belkuap's net was person
al and not partisan. The system Of
| organized demonstrations by which
The Confederate Democrats obtain
seats in Congress, and IN 80 doing
destroy the rights Of citizens, is Il
national outrage und ntrOCtous crime
against liberty. The twenty-five
SEATS now fraudulently occupied off.
set lhe honest representation from
the States OF Connecticut, tG,) Rhode
Island, (2,) New Hampshire, 3D.
Massachusetts,, (ll0 ia all, twenty
two members. The processes by
which this has been accomplished
were recently reviewed by Senator
Morton. Every statement made by
that Senator l. under, not overdrawn.
On the authority OF General Sheri-
dan, il has been stated that IN L0uis-
lana alone there were oi persons
killed aud wounded for political rea.
-ous. since 1866, and up 10 February
\. 1875, not less than 4, ,2jG, of whom
2,lll were killed. This statement u
TO be found in tho report made To the
Eorty-third Congress by committee
nf which the Hon. G.. +. Hoar, Of
Massachusetts,, was chairman. An
other committee reported from AL =
baIna list Of several hundred simi.
lar outrages. The Joint Committee
on the ku-Klux, in 1870, returned
5ickoning list Of such crimes, length
eniug into the thousands. Under the
enforcement act OF 1871, $50 persons
were indicted In Mississippi; In
North Carolina, $40; In South Caro-
| lima. l,Is6; in Florida, u; In Ala
bama. h3J; in Georgia, 23j; In Ten
ne.see, 10, in Kentucky, 30; In all,
4.s65. A large number were con.
yicted but unsentenced several
score were sent to the pehitentiary /;
ALL have since been psrdoned, the
object being to break up shameful
and wicked conspiracy, for which q
considerable proportion OF the south
| ern community, rather than indivld-
uAls. were mainly responsible. IL
was, and IL regarded "A social and
politiraI, rather than as an individual
Offnnse.
Yet by this system Of terrorism
Southern Republican States nave
been ovprthrown, their governments
aud national representation seized,
and the rights Of the majority Put IN
periI. 1t Is by this system that the
.layeho!ders' Confederacy, --once sup
,o.ed To be destroyed, has revived,
| md IL now encnmpad within the
| Na.honal Capitol. They occupy Its
southern wing let us see to IL that
The loyal men, North and South. vote
f..A a Ia nj ~