The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-05-11
THE KU-KLUx.
PrOcIamaaIOa- bE-ahe- Tyrant Presi.
dent-The First aNapOIeODIc Step To-
ward EIectinS Himself
W4sHiNeroKJ D. C, May 4, lS7.

ssY WAsHiNGToEy ID G., May 4, 1871.
By the Presidel. q Lhs Fste5 stStss st America:
"A PROCLAMATION.
WHEREAS, The act Of Congress entitled
an " act to enforce the provisions of the
Fourteenth Amendment to the Gonstitu-s
ton of the United States" and for other
purposes, approved April 2Oth, A. d.
1871, being law Of extraordinary pub
lie Importance, consider it my duty to
issue this my proclamation, calling the at
tention of the people of the United States
thereto, enjoining upon all good citizens,
and especially upon public officers to be
Jealous in the enforcement thereof, and
warning all persons to abstain from com
mitting any acts thereby prohibited. The
law ef Congress applies to all parts Of the
United States, and will be enforced every
where to the extent or the powers vested
in the Executive But inasmueh as the
necessity is well known to have been
caused chiefly by the persistent violations
Of the rights of citizens Of the United
States by combinations OF lawless and
disaffected persons IN certain localities
lately the theateri of insurrection and
military conflict DO particularly exhort
the people, of those, parts Of the country
to suppress all such combinations by their
own voluntary efforts through the agency
of local laws and to maintain the rights
of all citizens of the United States, and
to secure to all-saeh=eitizens the equal
protection OF the laws. Feeling sensible
Of the responsibility imposed upon the
Executive by act of Congress to which
lspublic attention is nov called, and raluc-
tant to. call into exercise any of the e1-
traordipary powers thereby conferred
upon me except in cases Of imperative
necessity, l do Revertheiess deem it my
| duty to make known that viii not hesi-
tate to exhaust the power thus vested in
the Executive whenever and wherever it
shall become necessary to do so for the
purpose of securing to all citizens Of the
/ United States the peaceful enjoyment OF
the rights guaranteed to them by the
| Constitution and laws. It is my earnest
wish that.peaee- and cheerful obedience
to the law may prevail throughout the
| land, and that all traces of our late un-
happy civil strife may be speedily re
moved. These ends can be easily reached
by aequiescenee in the results of the con-
! fict now written in our Constitution, and
by the due and proper enforcement oi
| equal, lust and impartial laws in every
part of our country. The failure Of the
local communities TO furnish such means
for the attainment of results so earnestly
desired imposed upon the national Gov
ernment the duty of putting forth all its
energies for the protection Of citizens ol
every race and color, and for the restora-
ton Of peace and order throughout the
| country. ~.
In testimony whereof 1 have hereuntc
set my hand and caused the seal Of the
United States to be affixed
Done at the City of Washington this
Sd day of May, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and seventy
one, and of the Independence Of the
United States the ninety-fourth
! q. S. GRANT.
BY the President: HAMILTON FISH.
Secretary of State.