Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-11-08
SOUTHLAND STORIES
"reminiscences Of One Who Observed
and Remembered. '''h'
HOW NEGRO RULE WAS OVERTHROW
Whites Rose in Their Might and Gave
Close Attention to Political condi-
tions--ku Klux Performed Their
Part-BaIlot Boxes were Stuffed to
Such Extent as Was Necessary.
BY II. LarrY CAN'T.

Such Extent as Was Necessary.
By T. Larry CAN'T.
The assassination of President Lin
coln after the surrender was the
greatest calamity that could have pos
sibly occurred for the south. 1t left
unchecked in control of the govern
ment three Of the bitterest enemies
OF the south, Thad Stephens, who was
inflamed over the burning Of his iron
works by Confederate soldiers in their
march through Pennsylvania; Benja-
min F. Butler. renegade Democrat
and who was delegate to the Char
lesion convention; and Charles Sum-
ner who was chatting under the Gaming
given him by Preston Brooks of South
! Carolina, for insults heaped upon his
aged uncle. The north was irffiamed
over the assassination Of Lincoln by
fanatic, and cried aloud for vengeance
against the whole southern people two
years after their armies had laid down
their arms and our people were hard
at work trying to restore peace and
resurrect their impoverished and de-
vastated land. The negro was en-
franchised, and, in order to place
these ignorant blacks in control Of the
state government of the south horde
of INSCRIPTIONS and greedy adven-
turers from the north were sent
| among us to organize and infame
these blacks against their former own
ers. And to insure their rule con-
gress disfranchised every man who
had borne arms in the Confederate
army or sympathized with the So
called rebellion" These laws, of
course, were simply the placing Of
| black heels on white necks, and as the
leaders in Washington thought, per-
petuated 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 1t was a 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.@It is too recent history
to he rccountcd 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 n youth, 1 have seen long
lines of those shrouded riders filing
along the road on horseback, silent
ard ghostlike, striking terror into the
hearts of ignorant and superstitious
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 in
visible army" brought order out of
chaos and paved the way for conquest
of the different state governments by
the Democrats. Every candid man
must confess that the X. X. K. saved
the south. But unlike Col. Simmons
society, it only made war on thieves
and outlaws, and in its ranks were
found Protestants, Roman Catholics,
Jews and Gentiles all marching side
by side with the same high and pa
triotic object in view.'
But my intent in this sketch is to
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 Caro-
lima. Florida, and Louisiana were still
under the rule of carpet -baggers
scallawags and negroes. In the for
mer state there was negro majority
of over 10000, and all the election
machinery was in their hands But
somehow Georgia was never made to
submit to the degradations of most
other southern states, for her people,
even when they had Federal bay
onets to face, never submitted to ne
GRO rule except in a few counties. In
Elbert county, for instance the whites
held control and even organized a ku
KluX klan of their own before the one
formed by Ger. Forrest. The whites
at once determined that they would
have no negro rule or interference
with their local affairs by outsiders.
/ Amos T. Ackerman, attorney general
under President Grant, a northerner.
taught school in Elbert county before
the war and joined the state militia.
Shortly after the surrender L heard
Mr.. Alderman deliver an address In
the court house at Elberton. He had
Joined the Republican party and this
did not at ali sit on the stomach OF
Elbert county Democrats. In his ad-
dress Alderman stated that the south
was conquered and the negro eman-
cipatcd. He advised his hearers to
accept the situation and make of the
negro their peasantry and laborer'
At that time the negro had not been
given the ballot. There was nothing
Objectionable that | could see in Ack-
erman's speech. but Wien he left the
court room Col. Heard an old and
highly respected citizen. began to be-
labor Alderman with his walking cane
and kept it up until he (Ackerman)
,.,r,,-o -, tho hotel