the sequel of appomattox-第40章

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ion　laws；　however；　had　nothing　to　do　with　the　Ku　Klux　movement；　for　by　1870　the　better　class　of　members　had　withdrawn　from　the　secret　orders。　But　though　the　enforcement　acts　checked　these　irregularities　to　a　considerable　extent；　they　nevertheless　failed　to　hold　the　South　for　the　radicals　and　essential　parts　of　them　were　declared　unconstitutional　a　few　years　later。

In　order　to　justify　the　passage　of　the　enforcement　acts　and　to　obtain　campaign　material　for　use　in　1872；　Congress　appointed　a　committee；　organized　on　the　very　day　when　the　Ku　Klux　Act　was　approved；　to　investigate　conditions　in　the　Southern　States。　From　June　to　August　1871；　the　committee　took　testimony　in　Washington；　and　in　the　fall　subcommittees　visited　several　Southern　States。　Tennessee；　Virginia；　Arkansas；　Louisiana；　and　Texas　were；　however；　omitted　from　the　investigation。　Notwithstanding　the　partisan　purpose　and　methods　of　the　investigation；　the　report　of　the　committee　and　the　accompanying　testimony　constituted　a　Democratic　rather　than　a　Republican　document。　It　is　a　veritable　mine　of　information　about　the　South　between　1865　and　1871。　The　Democratic　minority　members　made　skillful　use　of　their　opportunity　to　expose　conditions　in　the　South。　They　were　less　concerned　to　meet　the　charges　made　against　the　Ku　Klux　Klan　than　to　show　why　such　movements　came　about。　The　Republicans；　concerned　mainly　about　material　for　the　presidential　campaign；　neglected　the　broader　phases　of　the　situation。

Opposition　to　the　effects　of　reconstruction　did　not　come　to　an　end　with　the　dissolution　of　the　more　famous　orders。　On　the　contrary；　it　now　became　public　and　open　and　resulted　in　the　organization；　after　1872；　of　the　White　League；　the　Mississippi　Shot　Gun　Plan；　the　White　Man's　Party　in　Alabama；　and　the　Rifle　Clubs　in　South　Carolina。　The　later　movements　were　distinctly　but　cautiously　anti…Negro。　There　was　most　irritation　in　the　white　counties　where　there　were　large　numbers　of　Negroes。　Negro　schools　and　churches　were　burned　because　they　served　as　meeting　places　for　Negro　political　organizations。　The　color　line　began　to　be　more　and　more　sharply　drawn。　Social　and　business　ostracism　continued　to　be　employed　against　white　radicals；　while　the　Negroes　were　discharged　from　employment　or　were　driven　from　their　rented　farms。

The　Ku　Klux　movement；　it　is　to　be　noted　in　retrospect；　originated　as　an　effort　to　restore　order　in　the　war…stricken　Southern　States。　The　secrecy　of　its　methods　appealed　to　the　imagination　and　caused　its　rapid　expansion；　and　this　secrecy　was　inevitable　because　opposition　to　reconstruction　was　not　lawful。　As　the　reconstruction　policies　were　put　into　operation；　the　movement　became　political　and　used　violence　when　appeals　to　superstitious　fears　ceased　to　be　effective。　The　Ku　Klux　Klan　centered；　directed；　and　crystallized　public　opinion；　and　united　the　whites　upon　a　platform　of　white　supremacy。　The　Southern　politicians　stood　aloof　from　the　movement　but　accepted　the　results　of　its　work。　It　frightened　the　Negroes　and　bad　whites　into　better　conduct；　and　it　encouraged　the　conservatives　and　aided　them　to　regain　control　of　society；　for　without　the　operations　of　the　Klan　the　black　districts　would　never　have　come　again　under　white　control。　Towards　the　end；　however；　its　methods　frequently　became　unnecessarily　violent　and　did　great　harm　to　Southern　society。　The　Ku　Klux　system　of　regulating　society　is　as　old　as　history；　it　had　often　been　used　before；　it　may　even　be　used　again。　When　a　people　find　themselves　persecuted　by　aliens　under　legal　forms；　they　will　invent　some　means　outside　the　law　for　protecting　themselves；　and　such　experiences　will　inevitably　result　in　a　weakening　of　respect　for　law　and　in　a　return　to　more　primitive　methods　of　justice。



CHAPTER　XII。　THE　CHANGING　SOUTH

〃The　bottom　rail　is　on　top〃　was　a　phrase　which　had　flashed　throughout　the　late　Confederate　States。　It　had　been　coined　by　the　Negroes　in　1867　to　express　their　view　of　the　situation；　but　its　aptness　had　been　recognized　by　all。　After　ten　years　of　social　and　economic　revolution；　however；　it　was　not　so　clear　that　the　phrase　of　1867　correctly　described　the　new　situation。　〃The　white　man　made　free〃　would　have　been　a　more　accurate　epitome；　for　the　white　man　had　been　able；　in　spite　of　his　temporary　disabilities；　to　compete　with　the　Negro　in　all　industries。

It　will　be　remembered　that　the　Negro　districts　were　least　exposed　to　the　destruction　of　war。　The　well…managed　plantation；　lying　near　the　highways　of　commerce；　with　its　division　of　labor；　nearly　or　quite　self…sufficing；　was　the　bulwark　of　the　Confederacy。　When　the　fighting　ended；　an　industrial　revolution　began　in　these　untouched　parts　of　the　Black　Belt。　The　problem　of　free　Negro　labor　now　appeared。　During　the　year　1865；　no　general　plan　for　a　labor　system　was　formulated　except　by　the　Freedmen's　Bureau。　That；　however；　was　not　a　success。　There　were　all　sorts　of　makeshifts；　such　as　cash　wages；　deferred　wages；　cooperation；　even　sharing　of　expense　and　product；　and　contracts；　either　oral　or　written。

The　employers　showed　a　disposition　to　treat　the　Negro　family　as　a　unit　in　making　contracts　for　labor；　wages；　food；　clothes；　and　care。*　In　general　these　early　arrangements　were　made　to　transform　slavery　with　its　mutual　duties　and　obligations　into　a　free　labor　system　with　wages　and　〃privileges。〃　The　〃privileges〃　of　slavery　could　not　be　destroyed；　in　fact；　they　have　never　yet　been　destroyed　in　numerous　places。　Curious　demands　were　made　by　the　Negroes：　here；　farm　bells　must　not　ring；　there；　overseers　or　managers　must　be　done　away　with；　in　some　places　plantation　courts　were　to　settle　matters　of　work；　rent；　and　conduct；　elsewhere；　agreements　were　made　that　on　Saturday　the　laborer　should　be　permitted　to　go　to　town　and；　perhaps；　ride　a　mule　or　horse。　In　South　Carolina　the　Sea　Island　Negroes　demanded　that　in　laying　out　work　the　old　〃tasks〃　or　〃stints〃　of　slavery　days　be　retained　as　the　standard。　The　farming　districts　at　the　edge　of　the　Black　Belt；　where　the　races　were　about　equal　in　numbers；　already　had　a　kind　of　〃share　system；〃　and　in　these　sections　the　economic　chaos　after　the　war　was　not　so　complete。　The　former　owners　worked　in　the　field　with　their　ex…slaves　and　thus　provided　steady　employment　for　many。　Farms　were　rented　for　a　fixed　sum　of　money；　or　for　a　part　of　the　crop；　or　on　〃shares。〃

*　J。　D。　B。　De　Bow；　the　economist；　testified　before　the　Joint　Committee　on　Reconstruction　that；　if　the　Negro　would　work；　free　labor　would　be　better　for　the　planters　than　slave　labor。　He　called　attention　to　the　fact；　however；　that　Negro　women　showed　a　desire　to　avoid　field　labor；　and　there　is　also　evidence　to　show　that　they　objected　to　domestic　service　and　other　menial　work。


The　white　districts；　which　had　previously　fought　a　losing　competition　with　the　efficiently　managed　and　inexpensive　slave　labor　of　the　Black　Belt；　were　affected　most　disastrously　by　war　and　its　aftermath。　They　were　distant　from　transportation　lines　and　markets；　they　employed　poor　farming　methods；　they　had　no　fertilizers；　they　raised　no　staple　crops　on　their　infertile　land；　and　in　addition　they　now　had　to　face　the　destitution　that　follows　fighting。　Yet　these　regions　had　formerly　been　almost　self…supporting；　although　the　farms　were　small　and　no　elaborate　labor　system　had　been　developed。　In　the　planting　districts　where　the　owner　was　land…poor；　he　made　an　attempt　to　bring　in　Northern　capital　and　Northern　or　foreign　labor。　In　the　belief　that　the　Negroes　would　work　better　for　a　Northern　man；　every　planter　who　could　do　so　secured　a　Northern　partner　or　manager；　frequently　a　soldier。　Nevertheless　these　imported　managers　nearly　always　failed　because　they　did　not　understand　cotton；　rice；　or　sugar　planting；　and　because　they　were　either　too　severe　or　too　easy　upon　the　blacks。

No　Northern　labor　was　to　be　had；　and　the　South　could　not　retain　even　all　its　own　native　whites。　Union　soldiers　and　others　seeking　to　better　their　prospects　moved　west　and　northwest　to　fill　the　newly　opened　lands；　while　the　Confederates；　kept　out　of　the　homestead　region　by　the　test　oath；　swarmed　into　Texas；　which　owned　its　own　public　lands；　or　went　North　to　other　occupations。　Nor　could　the　desperate　planters　hire　foreign　immigrants。　Several　states；　among　them　South