The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-22
GENERAL NATuRE-No. lO.1


AN ACT to enforce the provisions Of the
fourteenth amendment to the constitu-
ton of the United States, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
OF Representatives of the United States
of America in Congress assem- bled, That
any person who, under coloi of any law,
statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or
usage Of any State, shall subject, or cause
to be subjected, any person within the jur-
isdiction of the United States to the depri-
walton of any rights, privileges, or immu-
mites secured by the constitution of the
United States, any such law, statute, ordi-
nance, regulation, custom, or usage of the
State to the contrary Notwithstanding,
shall be liable to the party injured in any
action at law, suit in equity, or other proper
proceeding for redress such proceeding to
be prosecuted In the several district or cir
cult courts of the United States, with and
subject to the same rights of appeal, review
upon error, and other remedies provided in
like cases in such courts, under the provi-
sions of the act of the ninth of April,
1866, entitled Gan act to protect all per-
sons in the United States in their civil
rights, aud to furnish the means of their
vindication and the other remedial laws
of the United States which are in their
nature applicable in such cases.
SEQ. 2. That if two or more persons
within any State or Territory of the
United States shall conspire together to
overthrow, or to put down, or to destroy by
force the government of the United States, or
to levy war against the United States, or to
oppose by force the authority of the govern
ment of the United States, or by force, intmi
dation or threat to prevent, hinder or delay
the execution of any law of the United States
or by force to seize, take, or possess any
property OF the United States contrary to
the authority thereof or by force, intimida<
ton or threat, to prevent any person from
accepting or holding any Office of trus
or place of confidence under the United
States, or from dischargipg the duties there
of, or by force, intimidation or threat to in
duce any officer of the United States to leave
any State, district or place, where his duties
as such officer might lawfully be performed, or
to injure him in bis person or property on &C.
count of his lawful discharge of the duties of
his office, or to injure his person W bile engaged
in the lawful discharge of the duties of his
office, or to injure his property so as to molest
hinder, interfere with or impede him in the
discharge of his official duty, or by force, in
witness in any court of the United States from
attending such court, or from testifyipg in any
matter pending in such court, fully, freely and
truthfully, or to injure any such party or wit
ness in bis person or property on account of
his having so attended or testified, or by
force, intimidation or threat to influence the
verdict, pTesentment or Indictment of any
juror or grand juror in any court
of the United States, or to injure such
juror in his person or property on account
of any verdict, presentment or indictment
lawfully assented to by him, or on account Of
his being or having been such juror, or shall
conspire together, or 60 in disguise upon the
public highway or upon the premises OF anoth
er for the purpose, either directly or indirect
ly, of depriving any person or any class of per-
sons of the equal protection of the laws, or of
equal privileges or immunities under the laws,
or for the purpose of preventing or hindering
the constituted authorities of any State from
giving or securing to all persons within such
State the equal protection of the laws, or shall
conspire together for the purpose of in any
manner impeding, hndering, obstructing, or
defeating the due course of justice in any State
or Territory, with intent to deny TO any
citizen of the United States the due and
equal protection of the laws, or to injure any
person in his person or bis property for lawfully
enforcing the right of any person or any class
ofpersons, to the equal protection Of the laws,