Is the Rebellion Quelled?
By Jos. Clarke
The following is a letter from Hamilton Jay, Esq., who went to Florida, strong in the belief that there was nothing to be apprehended from the Ku Klux:— “Tallahassee, Fa., April 26, 1871. “My Dear General: Another one of our band has just been killed. Hon. John P. Mahoney was assassinated at Lake City this morning. He was a young, ardent Republican, a member of the Legislature from Columbia County. He was my personal friend, possessing many noble qualities. Congress must pass a strong Ku Klux bill, or we have no safety, for Republicanism in this State means death. This makes the fifth murder since I came here, all Republicans. “Very truly yours, Hamilton Jay,
“Gen. James F. Rusling, Trenton, N. J.” We also have below a letter from Senator Brownlow, of Tennessee, relative to the state of things in the South:— LETTER FROM SENATOR BROWNLOW—HIS OPINION OF SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS.
In a letter dated May 1, Senator Brownlow, of Tennessee, says: “The rebel party that we are dealing with are as bitter and insulting as they were in 1861, and are as haughty and overbearing as when in the field with arms in their hands.” We quote further:— “The truth is, this rebel party hate the old flag, and hate the Government of the United States. They have hopes of destroying it, and now seek to accomplish through legislation that which they failed to accomplish on the field of battle. They are sailing under the colors of Democracy and under false pretense of upholding the Constitution. The same Democracy furnished a Governor to each of the eleven seceded States just preceding the rebellion, hence their unanimity of voting themselves out of the Union. Their present plans and purposes are to elect a President, both branches of Congress, and to repeal all the reconstruction acts and grant pensions to the rebel soldiery. Also, to either have pay for their negroes or restore slavery, and by all means to do away with negro suffrage. Many of them openly avow that their toleration of negro suffrage and emancipation, is only an experiment, and if it don’t work to their notion, they will put it down. . . . It will be seen that I characterize the opposition to the Republicans as rebels. There are but two parties in this country. The one is the Union Republican party, that has saved the country thus far, and proposes to take care of it from this time forward. The other is the rebel party, which fought for four years to destroy the Government. The one is an army of patriots, the other an army of traitors. And the great mistake of the party in power was that they did not hang the leaders.” Can we long hope for quiet in this highly favored country, while such discordant elements exist? JOS. CLARKE.