This story is just too good not to share. Seems like there was this governor of the State of North Carolina who crusaded against the Ku Klux Klan and their violence toward freed slaves. Once the opposing party re-took control of the N.C. House and Senate, the opposition party members immediately sought to punish the governor for the temerity of protecting the black man. The opposition party filed an impeachment against Governor William Woods Holden. Can you believe it? One hundred and forty years ago North Carolina Republicans impeached the sitting Democratic governor of their state for trying to better the lives of the state's freed slaves.
Uhhhh, hold on there a minute Skippy. Although the foregoing story would fit nicely in the MSM narrative of mean Republicans, the facts are the exact opposite:
To combat the Ku Klux Klan, Holden hired two dozen detectives in 1869–70. The detective unit was not overly successful in limiting Klan activities, but Holden's efforts to suppress the Klan exceeded those of other Southern governors. He called out the militia against the Klan in 1870, imposed martial law in two counties, and suspended the writ of habeas corpus for accused leaders of the Klan in what became known as the Kirk-Holden war. The result was a political backlash that lost the Republicans the upcoming legislative election.
After the Democratic Party regained majorities in both houses of the state legislature, Governor Holden was impeached
by the North Carolina House of Representatives on December 14, 1870. Despite being defended by well-known attorneys such as Nathaniel Boyden and William Nathan Harrell Smith, he was convicted on six of the eight charges against him by the North Carolina Senate in straight party-line votes on March 22, 1871. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/William_Woods_HoldenNow, my children, why on earth would I think that this little forgotten incident in the history of the Old North State would be of any interest? Because the local media is sugar coating the participation of the Democrats in a pretty nasty part of our State's racist heritage. Check it:
In a move that could compel legislators to confront the state's racist past, the Senate wants to debate this week a resolution pardoning the late Republican Gov. William Woods Holden, who became the first governor removed from office in the United States on March 22, 1871. http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9309396/The State's racist past? How about the Democrat's racist past? And if the Democrats were so anxious about righting this little wrong from 140 years past, why did the political class wait until this week? Simple. As in simple math. For the first time since the impeachment of Republican Governor William Woods Holden, the Republican Party holds the majority in the NC House and NC Senate. It sure is sweet watching the local Repubs rubbing the Dems noses in their own sordid racist past.
