Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-01-20


Democracy OF Mississippi, who now
would have the country believe that
they have been patient and long f0rbear'
, ing, but were fully aroused to uucOn-
! trollable anger by oppFessiors aud rob
. berries OF q Rep lblican State govern
! ment in 1865, boislGd the same bloody
flag, bearing like inscriptions, under
which they marched to y victory won
by the same weapons. The Dreteuse
that they had borne with the Rspubli-
can robberies and oppIe ssiOns until
fJTbesIance was no longer possible, and
that they had resorted to intimidation
and violence only when no Other reme-
dy was left, was q falsshOod the mon.
strosity of which is only equaled by
the auiacity Of its presumption uDon the
ignorance OF the nation, and l shall
show hereafter that all the real grounds
OF complaint which they had against
the Republican State government~in
Mississippi were trivial, almost con.
temptible, when compared with the
wickedness and enormitits which dis
tinRuished the government of that State
while in the hands Of the Democracy
before tbs war. Senator Morton referred
to the atrocities committed by the ku-
klux, aud said that the passage OF the
enforcement act, and the prosecutions
under it, had the effect to break up the
! kuklux organization throughout the
south, and gave comparative peace and
security in several OF the southern States
for two Gr three years. The suspension
of the writ of ha5eaS corpus by the Pres
| iGent in some Of tie c. udtiss in South
| Carolina had q magical influence, and
many Of the most desperate men in that
and other States Immediately ran away,
some If whom have but recent y
returned. The Wbite-liners in
that Safe, yielding to the only prinCi-
! pies they recognize, force and fear, sus-
| pended their operations, and have only
recovered their courage siDcs the revo-
luton in Mississippi, which they are
now declaring it is their purpose to
| repeat, and make the basis Of their
canvass in 1876. It seems never to havs
occurred 10 those who attempt to justify
theT wrongs upon the score of Rspubli-
can misgovernment in the south that
the prescriptions and violence that have
been precticed there are in themselves
calculated to beget corruption and disor-
ders in the government. Where me1
sIe prosecuted, not for their crimss, but
for their opinions, and are male Outcast
from society and the common erjoy-
ments OF life, they have but little induce
ment to be honest and the temptation
TO fraud and corruption is increased ten
fold. It is a lesson of history in every
age that when men are treated as viii
lsIns and vagabonds, and subj scted TO
wicked oppression from society on az
count Of their race, religious or political
opinions, they are sometimes thereby
N Ide VILLAINS and vagsbonds. The
question OF amnesty, which has re-
Gently excited so much attention, is in,
terestiDg SIS a matter Of jus ice, of feel
ing and example. The national ques-
ton Of paramount interest is the politl-
cal, social and industrial condition of
the south, the violation of the political,
civil and social rights OF millions OF cit
izsns, and the subversion of the will of
the majority by violence and intimida-
tion. We stand ia the presence of q
great danger overhADgiDg the southern
States, in which those of the north are
powerfully, and / may say equally, in
terested. In many Cf the southern States
the policy is openly avowed OF seizing
all power into the hands of the white
race, and depriving the colored people
of their political and civil rights. With
this policy, commonly known as the
white line, it is believed The Democracy
sympathiZe in every southern State,
and fear to considerable extent in the |
northern States. State after State has |
oeen conquered from the msj0rity by |
violence, and We are no longer left in |
doubt as to their purpose thus to estab- !
lish solid south ia the interest of the !
Democratic party, and when they shall |
have obtained control OF the national |
government 10 rec Onstruct the south |
ern States upon the white mans basis |
To tfn l,
making it impossible for men OF Rspub. |
lican principles to e1ioy and express |
their opinions in peace and safety; then, |
as before the rebellion, the Republican |
party will be banished from the south, |
aud II viii be to them = a foreign coun- |
try. When we consider how feariully |
rapid progress has bseD in that direction, |
even under q Republican administration, |
We can understand how it might be &C. |
celeTateG and cOnsummated with a |
Democratic Presid ,nt, elected chiefly |
by the southern Democracy and neces- |
sarily sympathiZiDg with them in their |
aspirations. Let il not be said that | |
do Injustice to the northern Democracy. |
bag leave to remind the senate that be- |
fore the war the northern Democracy |
not only connived at expressions upon |
the Republican party and its eXclu sion |
from the southern States, but made |
merry over, and defended outrages COM
mitted 10 the south upon Abolitionists, !
and that Eow, aud even since the WEr,
the Democratic party either deny, jUsi.
fy or excuse the dreadful atrocities COM |
mitted upo the white aud black Repub-
licans in the southern States. A neces- |
sRry concOmitant Of the system OF mur- |
der and violence and prescription in the |
southern States are IA sahood and per- |
jury. The men VITO commit these |
crimes will, as matter of course, COM |
nit perjury to conceal or justify them !
In the kukluX Investigations or trials, |
the most wonderful and disgusting ex- |
hiDitiODs OF perjury were witnessed. |
Many men, who had before the kukIux |
com mittee or on examination in court |
as witnesses, testified to no knowledge |
Of the organization or its crimes, were /
afterWard proven TO be members of it |
and guilty. The victims OF their iDfl- |
nous crimes were covered with the foul |
est calumnies, and scarcely an |
outrage was Investigated that was
not denied under oath, but was
justified by falsahoods against the |
sufferers. A monstrous system OF false
hood has been practiced, not only in Mis-
sissippi, but in every southera State, by |
HLiCu luC VI luS OnllGu
States is constantly charged with the |
grossest and most wicked oppression of |
the southern people. The Republican
State and county governments are as
sailed with charges of corruption and
oppression which, in most cases, are ut
terry false or grossly exaggerated. Many
very ignorant people of the south have
thus been made to believe that they are
sorely oppressed by the government OF
the United States-and that is charged
by distinguished Mississippian, now a
member Of congress, 10 be the most ty-
ranpical government on the face of the |
earth-snd yet, il they were called upon
to specify in what they have suffered,
they could not do it, even il their lives
depended on it. The charges of coIrup-
tion against Governor Ames, and evtry
Republican State or county official in
Mississ ppi, have been so violent and
persistent that very many OF the
ignorant have been made to be-
lieve them, and thus been hound.
ed into madness and crime.
Senator Morton concluded as follows:
Many well.meaning people deplore any
reference to the ouuages committed In
the south, az inimical to reconstruction
nd |