the sequel of appomattox-第37章

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the　Late　Insurrectionary　States　were　nearly　always　ready　with　reports　to　establish　the　necessity　of　intervention。

Besides　the　army　there　was　in　every　state　a　powerful　group　of　Federal　officials　who　formed　a　〃ring〃　for　the　direction　of　all　good　radicals。　These　marshals；　deputies；　postmasters；　district　attorneys；　and　customhouse　officials　were　in　close　touch　with　Washington　and　frequently　dictated　nominations　and　platforms。　At　New　Orleans　the　officials　acted　as　a　committee　on　credentials　and　held　all　the　state　conventions　under　their　control　in　the　customhouse。

Such　was　the　machinery　used　to　sustain　a　party　which；　with　the　gradual　defection　of　the　whites；　became　throughout　the　South　almost　uniformly　black。　At　first　few　Negroes　asked　for　offices；　but　soon　the　carpetbaggers　found　it　necessary　to　divide　with　the　rapidly　growing　number　of　Negro　politicians。　No　Negro　was　elected　governor；　though　several　reached　the　office　of　lieutenant　governor；　secretary　of　state；　auditor；　superintendent　of　education；　justice　of　the　state　supreme　court；　and　fifteen　were　elected　to　Congress。*　It　would　not　be　correct　to　say　that　the　Negro　race　was　malicious　or　on　evil　bent。　Unless　deliberately　stirred　up　by　white　leaders；　few　Negroes　showed　signs　of　mean　spirit。　Few　even　made　exorbitant　demands。　They　wanted　〃something〃schools　and　freedom　and　〃something　else；〃　they　knew　not　what。　Deprived　of　the　leadership　of　the　best　whites；　they　could　not　possibly　act　with　the　scalawagstheir　traditional　enemies。　Nothing　was　left　for　them　but　to　follow　the　carpetbagger。

*　Revels；　Lynch；　and　Bruce　represent　the　better　Negro　officeholders；　Pinchback；　Rainey；　and　Nash；　the　less　respectable　ones；　and　below　these　were　the　rascals　whose　ambition　was　to　equal　their　white　preceptors　in　corruption。



CHAPTER　XI。　THE　KU　KLUX　MOVEMENT

The　Ku　Klux　movement；　which　took　the　form　of　secret　revolutionary　societies；　grew　out　of　a　general　conviction　among　the　whites　that　the　reconstruction　policies　were　impossible　and　not　to　be　endured。　Somers；　an　English　traveler；　says　that　at　this　time　〃nearly　every　respectable　white　man　in　the　Southern　States　was　not　only　disfranchised　but　under　fear　of　arrest　or　confiscation；　the　old　foundations　of　authority　were　utterly　razed　before　any　new　ones　had　yet　been　laid；　and　in　the　dark　and　benighted　interval　the　remains　of　the　Confederate　armiesswept　after　a　long　and　heroic　day　of　fair　fight　from　the　fieldflitted　before　the　eyes　of　the　people　in　this　weird　and　midnight　shape　of　a　Ku　Klux　Klan。〃　Ryland　Randolph；　an　Alabama　editor　who　was　also　an　official　of　the　Klan；　stated　in　his　paper　that　〃the　origin　of　Ku　Klux　Klan　is　in　the　galling　despotism　that　broods　like　a　nightmare　over　these　Southern　Statesa　fungus　growth　of　military　tyranny　superinduced　by　the　fostering　of　Loyal　Leagues；　the　abrogation　of　our　civil　laws；　the　habitual　violation　of　our　national　Constitution；　and　a　persistent　prostitution　of　all　government；　all　resources　and　all　powers；　to　degrade　the　white　man　by　the　establishment　of　Negro　supremacy。〃

The　secret　orders；　regardless　of　their　original　purposes；　were　all　finally　to　be　found　opposing　radical　reconstruction。　Everywhere　their　objects　were　the　same：　to　recover　for　the　white　race　their　former　control　of　society　and　government；　and　to　destroy　the　baneful　influence　of　the　alien　among　the　blacks。　The　people　of　the　South　were　by　law　helpless　to　take　steps　towards　setting　up　any　kind　of　government　in　a　land　infested　by　a　vicious　elementFederal　and　Confederate　deserters；　bushwhackers；　outlaws　of　every　description；　and　Negroes；　some　of　whom　proved　insolent　and　violent　in　their　newly　found　freedom。　Nowhere　was　property　or　person　safe；　and　for　a　time　many　feared　a　Negro　insurrection。　General　Hardee　said　to　his　neighbors；　〃I　advise　you　to　get　ready　for　what　may　come。　We　are　standing　over　a　sleeping　volcano。〃

To　cope　with　this　situation　ante…bellum　patrolsthe　〃patter…rollers〃　as　the　Negroes　called　themwere　often　secretly　reorganized。　In　each　community　for　several　months　after　the　Civil　War；　and　in　many　of　them　for　months　before　the　end　of　the　war；　there　were　informal　vigilance　committees。　Some　of　these　had　such　names　as　the　Black　Cavalry　and　Men　of　Justice　in　Alabama；　the　Home　Guards　in　many　other　places；　while　the　anti　Confederate　societies　of　the　war；　the　Heroes　of　America；　the　Red　Strings；　and　the　Peace　Societies；　transformed　themselves　in　certain　localities　into　regulatory　bodies。　Later　these　secret　societies　numbered　scores；　perhaps　hundreds；　varying　from　small　bodies　of　local　police　to　great　federated　bodies　which　covered　almost　the　entire　South　and　even　had　membership　in　the　North　and　West。　Other　important　organizations　were　the　Constitutional　Union　Guards；　the　Pale　Faces；　the　White　Brotherhood；　the　Council　of　Safety；　the　'76　Association；　the　Sons　of　'76；　the　Order　of　the　White　Rose；　and　the　White　Boys。　As　the　fight　against　reconstruction　became　bolder；　the　orders　threw　off　their　disguises　and　appeared　openly　as　armed　whites　fighting　for　the　control　of　society。　The　White　League　of　Louisiana；　the　White　Line　of　Mississippi；　the　White　Man's　party　of　Alabama；　and　the　Rifle　Clubs　of　South　Carolina；　were　later　manifestations　of　the　general　Ku　Klux　movement。

The　two　largest　secret　orders；　however；　were　the　Ku　Klux　Klan；　from　which　the　movement　took　its　name；　and　the　Knights　of　the　White　Camelia。　The　Ku　Klux　Klan　originated　at　Pulaski；　Tennessee；　in　the　autumn　of　1865；　as　a　local　organization　for　social　purposes。　The　founders　were　young　Confederates；　united　for　fun　and　mischief。　The　name　was　an　accidental　corruption　of　the　Greek　word　Kuklos；　a　circle。　The　officers　adopted　queer　sounding　titles　and　strange　disguises。　Weird　nightriders　in　ghostly　attire　thoroughly　frightened　the　superstitious　Negroes；　who　were　told　that　the　spirits　of　dead　Confederates　were　abroad。　This　terrorizing　of　the　blacks　successfully　provided　the　amusement　which　the　founders　desired；　and　there　were　many　applications　for　admission　to　the　society。　The　Pulaski　Club；　or　Den；　was　in　the　habit　of　parading　in　full　uniform　at　social　gatherings　of　the　whites　at　night；　much　to　the　delight　of　the　small　boys　and　girls。　Pulaski　was　near　the　Alabama　line；　and　many　of　the　young　men　of　Alabama　who　saw　these　parades　or　heard　of　them　organized　similar　Dens　in　the　towns　of　Northern　Alabama。　Nothing　but　horseplay；　however；　took　place　at　the　meetings。　In　1867　and　1868；　the　order　appeared　in　parade　in　the　towns　of　the　adjoining　states　and；　as　we　are　told；　〃cut　up　curious　gyrations〃　on　the　public　squares。

There　was　a　general　belief　outside　the　order　that　there　was　a　purpose　behind　all　the　ceremonial　and　frolic　of　the　Dens；　many　joined　the　order　convinced　that　its　object　was　serious；　others　saw　the　possibilities　of　using　it　as　a　means　of　terrorizing　the　Negroes。　After　men　discovered　the　power　of　the　Klan　over　the　Negroes；　indeed；　they　were　generally　inclined；　owing　to　the　disordered　conditions　of　the　time；　to　act　as　a　sort　of　police　patrol　and　to　hold　in　check　the　thieving　Negroes；　the　Union　League；　and　the　〃loyalists。〃　In　this　way；　from　being　merely　a　number　of　social　clubs　the　Dens　swiftly　became　bands　of　regulators；　taking　on　many　new　fantastic　qualities　along　with　their　new　seriousness　of　purpose。　Some　of　the　more　ardent　spirits　led　the　Dens　far　in　the　direction　of　violence　and　outrage。　Attempts　were　made　by　the　parent　Den　at　Pulaski　to　regulate　the　conduct　of　the　others；　but；　owing　to　the　loose　organization；　the　effort　met　with　little　success。　Some　of　the　Dens；　indeed；　lost　all　connection　with　the　original　order。

A　general　organization　of　these　societies　was　perfected　at　a　convention　held　in　Nashville　in　May　1867；　just　as　the　Reconstruction　Acts　were　being　put　into　operation。　A　constitution　called　the　Prescript　was　adopted　which　provided　for　a　national　organization。　The　former　slave　states；　except　Delaware；　constituted　the　Empire；　which　was　ruled　by　the　Grand　Wizard　（then　General　Forrest）　with　a　staff　of　ten　Genii；　each　State　was　a　realm　under　a　Grand　Dragon　and　eight　Hydras；　the　next　subdivision　was　a　Dominion；　consisting　of　several　counties；　ruled　by　a　Grand　Titan　and　six　Furies；　the　county　or　Province　was　governed　by　a　Grand　Giant　and　four　Goblins；　the　unit　was　the　De