The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-11-01
STORIES OF OUR SOUTHLAND
Redeeming the South from Negro
Rule-Voting a Steer in Ebert
County, Georgia, and the
Tissue Ballot in S. c.

greatest calamity tnat cOuto Rave pos-
sibly occurred for the South. 1t lett
unchecked in control of the govern
ment three of the bitterest enemies
of the South, Thad Stephens, who was
infanaed over the burning of his iron
works by Confederate soldiers in their
marfh through Pennsylvania; BenJS-
min F. Butler, renegade Democrat
and who was delegate to the Char
lesion convention; and Charles Sum
ner. who was chafing under the
Gaming given him by Preston Brooks
Of South Carolina, for insults heapeo
upon his aged uncle. The North was
inHamed over the ASSASSINATION OF
Lincoln by a fanatic, and cried aloud
for vengeance against the wnoie
Southern people two years after their
armies had laid down their arms ana
our people were hard at work trying
to restore peace and resurrects their
IMPOVERISHED and devastated land
The negro was enfranchised, and III
order to place these ignorant blacks
IN control of the state governments
Of the South horde Of unscrupulous
and greedy adventurers from the
North were sent among as to organ
He and inaane these blacks against
their former owners. And to insure
their rule Congress disfranchised ev-
ery man who had borne arms IN the
Confederate army or sympathlzeo
with the se-called rebellion" These
laws, of course, were simply the plac-
ing of black heels on white necks'
and as the leaders IN Washington
thought, perpetuated the rule OF the
Republican party in the South.
Any old citizen who lived IN those
days can tell you of their horrors.
For the South it was frightful night
mare that will endure so long as mem
ory lasts. Backed by armed Federal
soldiers, including negro regiments:
such scenes of outrage were enacted
as no conquered country was ever
subjected to. 1t is too recent history
to be recountea by me.
This was the situation in the South
when the Ku Klux Klan was organized
by Gen. n. B. Forrest, and the move
ment quickly spread all over the
South. AS youth, | have seen long
lines of those shrouded riders fling
along the road on horseback, silent
and ghostlike, striking terror into the
hearts of ignorant and superstltlous
negroes and causing stampede back
home Of carpet-baggers, but with well
filed pockets of stolen money. In an
incredibly short space of time this
stinvisible army brought order out OF
chaos andSaved the way for conquest
of the different State governments by
the Democrats. Every candid man
must confess that the K. X. n.
saved the South. But unlike Col. SIM
! mons society, it only made war on
thieves and outlaws, and in it's ranks
J were found Protestants, Roman Cath
/ olics, Jews and Gentiles, all marching
. side by side with the same high and
! patriotic object in view.
But my intent in this sketch is to
j tell about the redemption OF our
State governments from negro and
! alien rule. Georgia was one Of the
| first States to be redeemed, but, South
Carolina, Florida and louisiana were
/ still under the rule of carpet-baggers
scallawags and negroes. In the for
mer State there was a negro majority
I of over 10000, and all the election
, machinery was in their hands. But
somehow Georgia was meyer made to
submit to the degradations Of most
other Southern States, for her peo-
pie, even when they had Federal bay
onets to face, never submitted to ne
gro rule except in a few counties. In
Ebert County, for instance, the
whites held control and even organ
lied Ku Klux Klan of their own be-
fore the one formed by Gen. For
rest. The whites at once determined
that they would have no negro rule
or interference with their local af-
fairs by outsiders. Amos T. Acker-
man, Attorney General under Presi-
dent Grant, a Northerner, taught
school in Ebert county before the
war and joined the State militia.
Shortly after the surrender I heard
Mr.. Ackerman deliver an address in
the court house in Elberton. He had
joined the Republican party and this
did not at all sit on the stomach of
Ebert county Democrats. In his ad-