Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1871 — A Case in Point. [ARTICLE]

A Case in Point.

The Democratic papers, and hybrid concerns that don't quite belong to either party, insist that the South could and would exterminate the Ku-Klux if the administration would keep its hands off, and hand the matter over to the “ true people of the South.” There is, however, one Southern State where the Democracy are thoroughly in power—a State that has never been in Republican hands, and has never been reconstructed—Kentucky. The Governor is a Democrat The Legislature is Democratic. The sheriffs and officers of the law are Democrats. During the last two years, the Ku-Klux have made a hell of its domain. Negroes have been murdered in every county. Republicans have been assassinated and driven out No man has been punished for a partisan crime. The Legislature has been in session all winter, and the loyal press of the State has entreated it to pass some law for the suppression of Democratic outrages and the maintenance of order. It has done nothing, and adjourned. The Louisville Courier-Journal— the leading Democratic paper of the South —says: “But what shall we say of its treatment of the Ku-Klnx bill? It piddled from first to last, and dared not act. Its timidity served to encourage violence which increased Its audacity. Outlawry went on unchallenged under Its very elbow, ft paid no attention to the North Benson affair, which rang all over the country. It did not so much as rebuke the raid upon Frankfort. But it was quick to revenge itself upon an anonymous correspondent of a weak and unlnfluentlal newspaper who had offended its dignity. “In the matter of the Ku-Klnx we see bow its non-action baa embarrassed ns at Washington. Our Senators and Representatives are weaponless. They can say nothing. The Legislature haspnt the weapons in the hands of the enemy. When Mr. Sherman taunts ns with having done nothing, and bases bis argument in favor of Federal interference on tbe fact that we have done nothing, we are dumb. Tbe idle gabble that tbe Ku-Klux are all Radicals in disguise 1b even weaker than the silly platitude that there is no such thing as tbe Ku-Klux at all. If the Ku-Klux are Radicals, the more reason to put them down. If there is no such order, there Is outlawry which calls for extraordinary appliances. These appliances Our Governor recommended. The press urged them. But the Legislature stood with a cigar in its month and a champagne glass in its hand, and would do nothing. “Who will contradict this? We state only facta, and regretfully. The Legislature is dead. It can heed us no longer. It doesn’t care what we say. It has had Its day. But we remain and have to hold the bag. We entreated it to fill that bag with sound Democratic measures. We entreated it to give ns arguments with which we might go to the people. But it refused. It tossed us the bag to hold, and we find it filled only with empty wine bottles and cigar stumps.” After this who will declare that Congress ought not to act for the preservation of peace and the enforcement of law in a State that has virtually voted Itself into the hands of the Democratic assassins and insured them of immunity ’ Shall human life be sacrificed, and a large section of the country be given over to anarchy at the behoof of mere guerrillas ? Has the Federal Government no duty in the protection of inoffensive travelers?— Chicago Poti.