Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-12-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
THE SOUTHERN DEMOCRACY IN ALLI.
ANCE WITH THE KUKLUX,
The Constitution of the Florida H uklux-
Proof of the Alliance Between Democracy
and Kuklux-SOme Interesting Facts.

|
The investigation recently made in Flor
| ida by the Congressional Committee,
| Of which Hon. Horace Maynard was
| chairman, disclosed the fact that in that
| State the kukluX organization has operat-
ed and been recognized under its proper
c0lors-the black flag of Democracy.
| One of the witnesses examined at Jack
| sonville, testified that he had belonged to
| q young Mems Democratic Club in one
of the counties of that State, and that from
| his connection with it, he knew it was
what was commonly known as kuklux.
| He produced copy of their constitution
and explained its provisions. He testified
| that the division known as the Secret Ser
/ vice Committee had q Seperate oath which
he did not remember, but which, in effect,
bound the aftiant to do any duty demand
| ed.
Another witness, the chairman of the
club at the Capital of the State, was asked
| to examine the constitution, produced as
| aforesaid, and said that it was the one un-
der which those clubs were organized. AL
| though in general terms he denied that it
was the kukluX, he admitted that one of
| the objects of the organization was to or
| der out, and to force out of the State if
necessary, obnoxious persons The
| club was to decide who was ''obnoXious."
have before me a copy of the
constitution referred to, and propose to
notice a few of its leading features.
Section six provides that 1.-THE President
and Vice Presidents and Executive Com
Inittee shall constitute Committee of OBJ
servation and Safety, of which the Presi
dent shall be Chairman" The next Sec
ton significantly reads "all matters per-
tanning to such service shall be referred to
this Committee of Observation and Safety
and the names and duties of the Secret Ser
9,ic O111911jff0o coo1l no IJ1OJgU D11TI N tho
said Committee and their various chiefs.
Now let us proceed one step further in
the examination of this remarkable instru-
ment. The eleventh section says (the
italics our own leach member SHALL on
admission to this club, subscribe the fol-
lowing OATH.
"In the presence of Almighty God and
these gentlemen, L do, hereby, sOlemnly
pledge my sacred honor that | will con-
form to all rules and regulations, bylaws
and edictS that may be legitimately adopt
ed by the organization that [ will always
conceal and never divulge any proceedings
of this club improper TO be made public
that [ will always recognize and never di-
vulge the words or signs of recognition and
distress that may hereafter be cOnfided to
me and, that should | ever hear the
mailing lCOrd of distress or see the sign
given, will instantly respond in person
power to the member speaking the word,
or giving the sign so help me God"
This obligation shall be administered by
the presiding officer, who shall previously
have explained the object of the "Young
Mems Democratic Club
The italics we have used will have serv-
ed to attract the readers attention to the
significant parts of this oath. The con-
Guiding paragraph of the section itself
cI,o &c Of OF i'm
ton does not disclose the COLLECTS" of the
organization. 1t is customary, we believe,
for such instruments to be preceded with a
preamble, setting forth at the very begin
ming to the person being initiated the O6
jectS of the association. But the paragraph
referred to disclOses that in this case the
"obect of the Young Mems Democratic
Club was carefully secreted in the breast
of the presiding officer 1t was too inn |
portant and confidential in its features to
be committed to paper-it was to be con-
fided to the initiated only by word of
mouth. Communicated in this way, it |
would always be subject to doubts and con- |
tradictions, nothing to which the organi- |
zation would be committed if the "eXigen-
cies" demanded explanation or denial. |
Look again. reader, if you will, at the sig
nificant terms used III the oath. What ne
cessity has ordinary legitimate political
organizations for a mailing word (?) of dis
tress"? Why need members ordinarily |
be pledged by solemn Oaths to dL,0dyS
recognize signs of distress" and prom
Use to respond in person. and render all
the assistance in their my power to |
thef member speaking the word or Civ
ing the sign? i
Section Six, as before shown, provided |
for committee of Conservation and Safe |
ty, and a further section that the names
and duties of the secret Serrice committee
i e., the committee of 0. and s., shall
be known only to the committee and their |
various Chiefs" This committee, by Sec |
ton thirteen, is empowered to g instruct
the chiefs (of fifties) in all their duties"
AS these duties are not otherwise eXclu-
sively defined this secret service commit |
tee prescribe such duties as they see
proper. The subordinates in turn are
bound to obey their Chiefs OF Fifties y
and Leaders of Tens,' so that, in fact,
the. Secret Service Committee is a sort |
of council with arbitrary power.
r 1t is further made their duty to insti-
tute signals to preserve the cOunsels, pur
poses, strength and integrity of the organ
ization, and shall create signs for commu-
nication and for assembling tens and fif-
ties and the whole organization"
Every intelligent reader will judge for |
himself what need bona fide, Legitimate |
association has for this secret service
committee signs of distress u "chiefs''
and Leaders, and why it is necessary to
confine within the breast of the presiding
officer ''the objects of the Young Mems
Democratic Club ;" but, we infer, most of
them, from these features, will read,
iIy believe the witness who exposed /
the organization, that it was nothing
more nor less than the infamous kukluX
organization that has perpetrated atrocities |
upon defenceless and unoffending victims |
without parallel in the history of crime,
and disgraced the South by the magnitude
of its operations and the period during
which it was .countenanced or even toler-
ated. E8sf EEa.E
But this creation of Democratic states
men and philosophers is remarkable for
certain other features. The Bour6ons OF
the South, who unquestionably either be
long to or sympathize with this chivalric?
have for years prided them /