New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-01

The whole matter can be briefly aud clearly PFC.
sented In speaking Of this subject the reihlio" u
Che negroes TO the politics of. the Soutnsrn o'S
Intelligent men in the South always pegin vi"
praise of the remarkable loyalty ana kiDuiy ia''"
{nlness of the slaves during the great clVii war
AIoeet throughout the South the whole aDe-oouieu
ahi,A nonrIst;on was 10 the army. The homes the
,,,onortv tbs. women and children Of the south
erners were all IN the power Of the negroes ana at
THAR mercy Had they been disposed 10 eVll or IL"
snry they could have filled the country Win horIois
NOT surpassed in history. But they worked an
gently. and afecti0nately guarded almost "i'nou'
exception, the homes and interests comhiiINu ~
their care. Southern men everywhere say 'noy ioS
lovingly grateful for all this When the war enueu
md slavery was abolished there was rush VI
events and crowding changes The negroes were
.,.nerallv excited and felt uncertain about Tue
reality and security of their new freedom many
of them moved about in troops, expecting sOlno
graa, dramatic or spectacular intervention OF the
Yankees or Of Providence, for their dement,. Du'
many soon went to work. aud things connected WIN
the condition of the negroes were becoming settleu
in some portions of the country while ID o'ners n
intoxieaton Of the emancipated negroes over 'nei,
liberty and the absence Of all restraint Unnamed
nv indictments FROM base white men In some cases
led TO the commission Of horrible ana ihueseiio"'0
outragcs | ami assured by many OF the best peop'o
of the South, men aud women. and by both "ni'es
and blacks that III many cases women were suo-
iscted 10 public insult. and outrage. aud the most
dreadful excuses and enormites were comnitIeu'
The negroes every where say that these accounts
are true There WAS also almost everywhere nore
or less of crime and disorder among whi'e mo''
which often mado property ard life In whole us
+rc4s insecups There WAS then no law; there were
no courts no officers. Society had oeeh III sie"'
measure dissolved. and the functions u ci'n gov,
crnment suspended. In this time oil peru anu
roverlessness the Confederate officers IN many
places requested the Union officers who were sun III
command IN the South 10 aid them IN maintaining
order until the machinery of government couid DC
put in operation. In many cases the reply was
SOrganize company of good men, OF retain your
military organization, and the Union officers VIII
furnish you needed arms and anhumuon lily
criminals and punish them or expel them from your
communities" 1 have seen some oil these letters
from Union commanders authorizing such action on
the part of prominent Southerners WHO hao just
laid down their arms.
RISE OF THE KU-KLUx KAN.
INST here was the birth of the famous hu-hiux
Khan What melodrap.atic fool first suggested the
machinery of disguise the masks. the silly embeihs
and pretences aud whence lac derived this grotesque
idiocy it is now too late to inquire 1t seems 10 me
there is a weakness III Southern character OIL TINS
kind. Many men here too fond N posing Even
the leaders of the Confederacy sometimes atu'uu-
niZpQ Tor aHe-Stflckcn NOliu w eVO UNIV e"N"
thoroughly serious men do. Probably the In
yentor of those fripperies was some young eutor
who had never seen service as soldier Al any
rate the idea of disguise was cowardiy one, and Its
praetical working proved in every way unfortu-
nate The testimony is universal III those parts OF
the South which have visited, that what came TO
be called the " Ku-Klux Khan was at hrst meant
for good and not for evil for the suppression and
not the commission of crimes of violence. for the
IL ,..s,,r .nVAh aCfTnP n
weak and helpless. But here the fatal folly and
mischief of the element Of disguise became manifest
The opportunity which this masked movement and
method afforded for the unrecognzed aud secure
qualification of private personal spite and malice
was too obvious and tempting not TO be useu ana
-enjoyed. Old Quarrels and grudges were revived,
and new feuds arose out of slight reasons, because
1t was now convenient and apparently so SAFE 10
quarrel Masks were often worn on both sides, and
the @Ku-Klukers." as the negroes say, Killed each
other off contests in which neither SIDE hau any
real claim upon the sympathy Of good men.
For some time there political element IN
these outrages and retaliations But the spirit
of the chase was aroused In large numbers OF white
men of the lower and worst class of those who had
suryiyed the war Nothing else will so exactly rep
resent the feeling which was now developed In
some regions of the Soutb-judgng from the ac-
counts of the matter given by all classes directly
suit and capture OF destruction of his game. Tho
negroes became its chief objects, not as it seems to
me No much because anybody hated the negro as
because the negroes the weakest. most helpless
rlass the class that could most safely be hunted
EThe hunt was up" and the blOOd-fury OF the
rhase came mostly upon the negroes in many cases.
do not mean that this represents or describes any
thing that existed generally or throughout the
kouth Ii appears to be certain that the history OF
h. u, ahnunds m x
eggeratiOns might be expected In any similar
condition of things ] satisfied myself in several
instances by strict inquiry that particular outrages
had not only been greatly magnifed IN the trans
1nisscn Of descriptions OF them through succession
of narrators but that the OF place OF the same
putrage WAS sometimes located in several different
Regions. There enough-there was much-oi
horrible wrong and outrage OF the helpless and IN
pocent. Nobody that can find iii the South seems
10 have the least disposition to deny conceal OF e&-
cuse these outrages this part OF the work OF the
EKlann 1t is generally admitted. defended.
But everybody says alike, and intelligent negroes
most emphatcaly of ALL that the published stories
md general Northern idea Of the Khan outrages
were distorted and exaggerated
THE nAN " IN POLITICS
After some tune the methods of the Khan came to
be used in connection with politics and elections IL
was n method Of clectoneering by terrorizing the
voters of the opposite party. Bat the method had
fts awkward features Everywhere the hunted
negroes gradually learned self-defence. and, in
many instances even retaliation and. MS a negro
In Alabama said TO me /" 1t made the Kuklukers
begin TO feel sorter solemn when the niggers tuck
TO Kpklukin thesa." The disorder and violence OF
regions became ntolerabe to the leading cltl-
ens aud Democratic judges and juries and sheriiis