The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-07-27

manifested an unreasonable preludic<
against all who went among them from
the North. Whether suferines, RESULTING
from prolonged and terrible confIict
are deserved or undsserved, they are surs
to produce exAsperation in the breasta oi
human beings, and tie manifestations o1
bitterness are sure 90 be, for q period
very indiscriminativs. But the lapee d
time works great chanees, and it is disAon,
est to for writer make hn readers belieye
that the popular feeling in any Southern
community 10 the same now that it was
soon after the close Of the war. It is un.
derstood that Judge Tourgee's Southern
home was in North CaroEina; and am
able to adduce fact which viii put the
treatment now received by Northern men
in that State in trne light. Two or
three years ago convention Of Northern
men residing in that part of the South
was held at Raleigh, n. G. Men from all
quarters of North ChsNlinA and from some
OF the upper counties Of South Carolina
attended the meeting. Only persons of
Northern birth participated in the pro-
ceedings. A long statement was drawn
up, embodying the declaration that the
subscribers to it had been treated with
the utmost kindness by the native popu-
lation around them, and this statement
was signed by the members of the con-
vention, who annexed to their signatures
the names of the Northern localities
from which they had removed, a. well g
OF the Southern localities in which they
had settled. Many other Northern men,
unable to be present personally, addressed
letters to the convention, conveying the
assurance that no Northern man, Whatever
his political convictions, need be deferred
from settling in North Carolina through
fear of social ostracism, Several of the
writers stated that they were well known
as ardent Republicans. Twenty thousand
copies Of the proceedings of that conven-
tion, with the statement and letters, were
published at the expense of the State
The truth is, that the influential men Of
North Carolina, as we'll as of nearly every
other Southern State, are ardeutly desir-
Gus of immigration from the North; and
public opinion demands that immigrants
shall be cordially welcomed. My own ex-
perience and observation, in several Of the
Southern States, have brought me to the
conclusion that, If a Northern man goes
to the South and fails to be treated as q
gentleman there, the simple explanation
of the fact is that he does not happen to be
gentleman.
The readers of GA FOOLS Errand are
permitted to infer that the course of the
authors political associates afforded no
ground of just complaint. Let us see how
much honesty there is in this. A year
ago, during q sojourn among the noun
tains of North Carolina, made q special
study of the recent political history of
that State, and win give . few of the
facts which then came to my knowledge.
At the election of 1868 over 10000 of the
best citizens were disqualified to vote.
The campaign work Of the Republicans
was nearly all done in the secret meetings
of the Union League. The organization
had become already the mightiest politi-
cal secret society the world ever saw.
The negroes throughout the South had
been gathered into it and bound by sol
emn oaths to obey the orders of its OFF,
GERS, who were, for the most part, unscru-
pulous adve nturers from the North. The
election took place, and the hallot-boxes
were sealed up and sent to the headquar-
ters of the military department at Charles
ton, South Carolina, from which place the
citizens of North Carolina were first In
formed of the results. The Legislature
chosen at that election consisted of
crowd of black men, who had precisely
the qualifications that slavery was adapt
ed to give, and q few very shrewd white
men wholly intent on pushing their
own fortunes. The session proved to
be q rich harvest for the thrifty legis-
lators. A few villains organized ring
and proposed to build railroads from
every quarter to every other quarter of
the State, and called for the issuance Of
State bonds in aid of their enterprises. The
first batch authorized amounted to some
IS, ,oOO, 900. These were sold in New York
at seventy cents on the dollar. This put
the ring in funds, with which to pay the
statesmen for voting another batch. Thus
the work went bravely on till evidences
of indebtedness were piled up against the
State to the amount Of 323, ,O0O, 900. No
one knows how much the ring realized
from the sale of the bonds; but it is
known that they never built Eve miles of
railroad with the proceeds. All other acts
of that Legislature were marked by an
equally enlightened regard for the public
interest.
The part of his work on which our au-
thor bestows his greatest strength il that
which relates to the Ku-Klux proceedings.
If he actually lived in North Carolina nc
the time of those disorders, he il willfnlly
dishonest in sscrihing them 10 political
motives. Remembering the accounts
which / have seen in the newspapers of
the day, availed myself Of every oppor-
tunity to learn the history Of that organi-
zation in North Carolina; and / kmop
that got At the truth. As authority for
what am about to state, / do not hesi-
tate to refer to Ex-Governor Vance, now
United States Senator, who was one Of
the persons with whom ! conxersed on
the subject.
1t 10 necessary to 60 back to the elec-
tion of 1863 Under the new censtitution
the Judiciary was elective. The old con-
stitution made it necessary for every or
cial, however Insignificant his ofice, to
take An oath to support the Consultation
Of the United States. Nearly every eau-
Gated person In the State, Id one way or
another, had given aid and comfort , to
persons engaged in rebellion: and all
such were, BY not of Congress, Fsndered
ineligible 70 ofkica Tie consequences was
that IN several Judicial distTicfs no citizen
could be feand who was at the eame time
eligible and possessed of quali6oations