The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-09-11

The sheer moral granduer Of such a
deed gives the lie to the assertion.
The truth Of history is, that. as ori-
ginally organized and led, the ku Klux
Klan was the sole guardian of civil
ization in the south from 1867 to 1870
and its members were the salt of the
earth.
Every hope of relief for the south
had been crushed. The assassination or
Lincoln had so crazed the masses of
the north that the radical wing of
the party in power could propose no
outrage too monstrOus for the con-
sideration Of congress. Even bill to
tear from the starving southern peo-
pie the remnant of their property left
by the war and give ii to the negroes
and camp followers of the army was
introduced in the house of representa-
lives by Thaddeus Stevens, the re-
sponsblc leader of the government.
and boldly champoned by this great
man with the audacity of genius and
the faith of fanatic.
The negro had been made the ruler
of his former master who was dis
franchsed and disarmed The hand of
the thief and ruffian clutched at every
mans throat. The negro controlled
the state, county, city and town
governments Their insolence grew
apace. Their women were taught to
insult their old mistresses and mock
their poverty as they passed in their
faded dresses. A black driver in a
town near mine, struck child of six
with a whip and when the mother
protested she was arrested by ne
gro policeman and fined ten dollars
by negro magistrate for insulting
a freedman!
Thieves looted the treasury Of every
state ana county. and taxes mounted
until as many as $500 homesteads of
white men, many Of whom could not
vote, We're sold for taxes in a single
county
The negro and his ally the carpet
bag adventurer had attained undis-
putod control Of society through the
secret oath-bound order known as
| The Union League"
The white people Of the south at
first secuted the idea that the ne
groes, who had been faithful through
the war, could now be used as their
deadlicst foes in the new order Of So
ciety, But for the signs. grip, pass
words, and mysterious blue flaming
altar Of The Union League" the
whites could have held the friendship
of their former slaves As a rule the
ties which bound them were based
ON real affection. But the League did
its work we'll by promises to the
slaves Of forty acres Of the land OF
/ their former masters linked with the
widest theories of equality and domin-
1 ion over those who once ruled them,
/ by drill in arms and the backing of
/ trained garrisOnS, a gulf between the
white man Of the south and the ne.
gro was dug which time can never
bridge. It's passions have become part
of the very heart beat # both races.
The Union League of America was
organized in Cleveland. Ohio. during
the war by the friends Of Thaddeus
Stevens. the radical leader of congress
It's prime object was the confisCa'
ton Of the property Of the south. The
chief obstacle to this program was
Abraham Lincoln Hence the firs,
work Of the league was to form a con
spracy to destroy Lincoln and pre-
vent his denomination for second
term.
They accordingly nominated John
G. Fremont for president before the
convention met in Baltimore to name
Lincoln's successor, and bodily pro
claimed war to the knife against the
president. They figured on Fremonts
prestige as the first formidable can
didate Of their party his record as q
pathfinder and his grievances against
the administration, hut they forgot
that he was born in South Carolina
Fremont himself gave the league q
mortal blow in its first political pro
gram by boldly repudiating their plat
form Of vengeance and confiscation
They then turned on their own can.
didate. cursed him as a fool, and help
ed nominate and elect Lincoln as the
lesser of two evils.
Upon the assassination OF the pres
] lQtHAs l lliultlN F0ANNtIN NlNNtillN pt
came dictator Of the nation, and tn,
Union League grew rapidly into q rest
less political power. within two years
almost every negro in the south hat
been admitted to membership, drillet
in its anarchistic program and In In,
manual of arms.
When the time was ripe. Mr.. Stey
la, tSC- hn gsut. u,xs
ernmcnts in the south which had beer
established by President Johnson. per
mitting the former slave to vote 1,
enfranchise himself and disfranchis,
his master AZ the same election. liz
divided the territory from the Jane
TO the Rio Grandc into five military
strips and sent the armies back int,
the south to enforce compliance witt
negro rule. In short, ne placed n bal
lot in the hands OF every negro an,
bayonet at the breast Of every whit
man.
The south felt that no people ha,
ever been so basely betrayed or 81
/ wantonly Inundated.
Judge Albion W. Tourgec. autho
of "a Fools Errand," which Is tn
carpet .bagger's story OF the klar
pays tribute In this book 10 tn
organizers OF the Invisible Empire,
} which is very remarkable, when We re
member that he was writing ot enc
mics who had on more than one oc
cason sought his life.
, He says: such, however. was tn
indomitable spirit of the southern pee
pie that they scorned to yield to wha
they deemed oppression. protesting
. with Indignation, denouncIng with rag
, and fierccly submitting almost wit
, tears. No conquered Zoe ever passes
under the yoke. which they conceive
to mean servitudc and infamy wit