The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-11-20
tror the plspaich.I


This remarkable work has had 0 large
and almos, unprecedented circulation " tne
North, and. after careful perusal, we are
compelled TO admit that II Is well written,
and that Il contains a commingliog OF tfutn
and falsehood 80 blended az Is well caicu'
l,ted TO deceive the average reader, and 10
fix upon his mind impressions which are
yrieyous SANDER upon The southern people.
h is perfectly evident before ten pages nave
been read that the author (Judge Tourgeel
was csmp-foliower and carpet-oagger, ana
was possessed with an idea when seems
general N the North that we OF the Sohtb
felt degraded by the war, and that II was
our duty to bow the suppliant knee 70 our
conauerors, and that the mere TACT that We
were allowed to live was gratuity on the
part Of the successful party. Tor which
we ought TO be duly thankfu; that
we had 40 rights whatever, either political
or local, and that at one fell swoop they
could free seryile and degraded race, sold
10 US mainly by their ancestry, and place
them in an instant upon terms alike OF po-
litical, legal, and social equality; that ihey
could tear away IN moment the CHERISHED
traditions OF centuries and supplant new
and Pnrilanic civilization OF townships
and sewing socie les; that they could change
not only the whole theory oi our Govern
mcni, but the very current OF our Thoughts;
and that all this could be done and ought TO
be done at once was tie opinion OF Judge
Toursee and his motley crew. Among the
crusaders who attempted this granc re-
formation Judge lOargee mentions certain
tender-hearted northern ma,dens who came
South ss school mormS 10 teach The
Young African The inestieable value
OF education; and he bitterly critlclzes
the solihern ladies' because they did
not take ia tbeir bosOms these advance
cauriers 81 modern civiliZi iOn. The
worthy aud puissant Judge descants with
elegant Rhetoric upon he noble aDd praise
worthy spirit which aciuated these norih-
ern ladies. Judge Tour2ee does not press
this idea very far, as Il Is evident that he
lived long enough in the South to know
that an ASSOCIATION Of DOrthern women with
negroes made gulf between them and the
southern people rs wide and impossible as
that which divides Lazarus in heaven from
Dives in the internal regions.
IL the deiineatioDs OF negro character the
author is not fortunate. aud Overdraws his
fscts-notably so in the case Of "Uncle
jerry
The true secret OF the success OF the book
arises from the unfortunate fact that some
Of the incidents related OF The "kukluX
Kan" are in the main true, apd | candldly
admit that they are shocking alike To ciNlli-
zation and humanity, and deserve all the
blame the author so freely besto"s on them.
Without meaning in anV way to paIllaie or
excuse the atrocities Of the tx ukluX," II
but fair 10 give their own reasons Tor t1elr
justification. a VirgiDian by birth, VINO
had resided for forty years in SJmter coun'
ty, Ala, informed the writer that II was aD'
solutely incnnceivablc, and would stagger
belief 10 relate, the atrocities when were
inflicted upon the southern whites aitef
the war by the negroes. Everywbere they
outnumbered them IN the proportion OF TWO
TO one, and being suddenly free ana en-
thused with the idea that the southern peo-
pie were fheir enemies and Oppress0rS,
whom they ought 10 injure in every con-
ceiyIble manner, and that they would be
protected by the Government IN 80 DONG
under such influences assaS>lnatI0nS became
tequeLt-thcft OF every KIND so
common as utterly To destroy The value OF
movable personal property, and, what was
lar worse than this unprotected southern
ladies were not only bruiaiIy l0sultec, Dut
in number Of instances we've sui lectcd TO
q horrible and unmPntiOnlble airocity. his
" as true not in Alabama, but III all Inc
cotton States. The notorious Judge Busted.
whose claim 10 an immortality OF lDiamY
rests upon a sure and 6rO founda'l0n, TO-
geiher with Others OF similar Tx, presided
over the Federal courts. We cannot deny
bat there was Il horrible state OF anarchy,
Welnigh iUtOlerIOlc by the fact
that this seryile aud degraded race. which
had been suddenly freed, were Intoxicated
With blind passion. and under the teach
nes OF such fanatics and wCud-be reform
er, as TOurgPe, they entered upon an I'M
Bird ed career OF crime and licentlousness.
W hat were The southern whites 10 DOR
ibis was grave and serious question.
rhey could not appeal 10 hostile Govern
nent which looked upon them as rebels
aud traitors. and they were not made OF The
,tuff which would permit them to be re-
juced to The degraded condition OF Poland
and ireland.
Urder these terrible circumstances. with
The courage Of despair they ATTEMPTED their
own seli-preservation. cannot justify the
means which they used, but ii is due to
hem 10 give the causes bich led to their
Use before we visit upon them indiSerlmi-
nate blame. There Is no dOnbl whatever but
bat they did wrong and committed many
crimes for which they have been frarfullv
ma properly punished. Bur it is unqueS.
.iOnably true that the "KukluX KAN
EN- bracrd in lis organization vast minor
ty of the southern people, and one Of the
rilest SANDERS of judge Tourgee'S book is
he Of.tOld tale that they constituted
he majority Of the population. Con-
current testimony and the fullest
nvesti aiions OF the courts have alike
proved il 10 be false. There was never any
organization Of the sort in Virginia. and in
many Of the southern States it existed only
IN Isolated lOcllitie>. The remedy when
Judge Tourgee offers for The many evils he
describes Is purely Utopian. He proposes
10 DO away with Stae lines and 10 place the
south under military power, and, perhaps,
20 confscate her lands. 1t is not at all likely
hat eli Der he or any OF MS northern breth
rem whose bOsoms are inspired with such
lei ocious bate OF ourselves and our institu.
ions will live to see the contamination of
what they would consider such an auspi- |
;iOus result.
The book, on the whole, is readable, but |
t is not in any sense o valuable cOnirlbu- |
ion to the literature of the day, and it is |
likely TO have only an ephemeral existence. |
II is the desparng wall Of disappointed |
anatIc, who is FESTIVE not only from the |
ear OF sOld South, bur who bitterly re-
yrels that the stawart Republicans, in the |
peDilude OF their power, neglected the use |
IF cruel ana barbarOus punisnment>. by |
which he tanks they might have broken |
be spirit Of the South. In this. as in the |
most OF his conclusions, Judge Tourgee is |
wrong. The slalwort Republicans never at |
my time bad it in their power 10 use such |
means. We won the RI hi Of beIligerents |
nd the right to exchange prisoners al the |
point of the bayonet, and thus Obtained |