Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-12-08

force Of former discipline, heed their admo.
nitions Tho conference was held. All Of
these gentlemen deprecated acts of violence,
but denied the existence of the ku Klux or.
ganization in South Carolina, while some Of
them indirectly sought to extcnuato ucts OF
violence that they could not well dcny, by
referring thcm to what they wero falsely
pleased to term "ncgro rule"
They allodgcd numerous acts Of inoendiar.
ism by negroes, which allegations, derived
from the opposition press, and often repeated,
have been proved base tabrications, in tho
main, desiGrcd to effect or palliato tho burn.
in2 OF aehool houses erected for the in
strnction OF culored children
These gentlemen, however, promised me
their 90 operation to tho end in view. and
believed them. | am not advised thut any
effort was uade to fulfil those promises. Ger.
tMny they effected nuthinY. Having ex.
hau>tcd all the civil power under my ooutrol
TO suppress this nsurrcction against the oou.
ss>tutel authorities, mndc application, in
scror'lance with tho Constitution Of the
United St,tcs, to the National Government
TO protect the State ''ayaiust domestic
violence"
The magnitude of this organized system
Of crime was made apparent to Congress, the
evidence III possession of the government
showing that the ku klux hands in South
Carolina, were ''hut parts of a stupcndDus
whole" having q broader scope than the ro-
dress Of u mere local grievance Congress,
''by appropriate legislation" having granted
! tho necessary powers, h;s Exocllcnry tho
| President of the Uaitcd States, on the l7sh
day OF October, 1871, suspended she writ Of
| hth'ns corpus III the Counties Of Spartan.
| hurg, York, Marion, Chester, I.ourens, New
| berry. F,i,Hrll, Lancaster and Chesterfield.
The Comfy Of Marion was subsequently
excepted from this list, aud the County of
Union very properly substituted therefor
Marion having boen originally embraced,
instead Of ('nion in the first proclamation
Of the President, through clerical error.
| An adequate force OF United States troops is
now in the State, and, under the direction Of
| an energetic and discreet commanding officer,
| they are actively engaged in arresing the
l[lu klux criminals wherever legal tcsimo
ny Of guilt IS furnished.
Many prrspns Of thu suspected class have
fed from tho upper counties, while at the
same time protesting the: inuocenco Of crime.
Flight from arrest by officers OF the law i, not
generally reg s,rdod as furnishings very strong
| legal presumption Of innocence. 1t would
| be far better, however, Sor the State, that
all of this class should abandon it forever,
than thnt even one industrious lahorcr shoul!
be murdered or drivru away from the pur
F., suits Of useful industry. Tho former are
! usually dr9nrs in the human hive, while
upon the products OF The tui!ins mass ro
pose the whole wealth and prosperity Of the
State.
am officially informed that thus far abnnt
six hundred arrests have been ,u:,dn IL this
State, under the act OF Congress. Ihc per.
| SONS arrested, aaI no%, Tor the srOst part,
held for ttill, represent almost every class in
>nrirty, from the humble lahorcr and S,nall
f"rncr to the wealthy planter and prsctioing
physician and lawyer
have cnaravorcd 10 be historically c1act
in recnn!ng whnt muSt pass into history is "a,
rcprrnch 10 American civilization, and is now
known OF all men as tbs ah"ms Of ..,c state.
It. pres"ntS the most extraordinary spectacle
OF complete collapse trom civilization ittn
harhriisnl known in the aunuls Of mnuE;ul;
SURPRISING IN its actr0city the "tlUsSm' OF
India. Tor the Thug alr.rcs woman aud the
| aged, hut the klu NtnS cXemrtS none Ftn'u
hia vengeance. in his c!F,r. to strange Re
publ;cnni,ni Ii any impartial tnnn, jr.nn-
.! the honor 0t his kind ha,ita;cS tp believe
such things possible in Il civilized commun-
~, let him visit the j'il in this city. fl,
will thnre fad scors Of the vtr!tabIa aoi,rs
In thcac deeds Ut blood, many OF whom have
voluntarily confessed their crimes ns ku
kuy, these las being poor, dt!uIol iu0u,
to whom trust tho utmost closuonay Of TIE
National Executive will be cxtunncd, ior
they are but the blinded yictiius OF their
cultivated !o,dcrs.
Soae Of them, but rcnentIy, showed or Of.
fcrcd to show, their Scared backs to Il dis
tingnislici Unitol States Sruu,or from Rhode
Island, (Mr. Sprngue,) they having been
l,sbod by order OF officers OF their own khan
because, when ordered to shoot men ,lnrl q.
for murder, they had, ont Of nature. pity,
'oniy whipped the intended victims.
Those who, with an air OF indignation.
aud with we'll affected concern Tor const
uutiunri liberty aud state Sovcrcigrty'
demand who has caused the military inter
ycntion Of the Unite States in the lif,i,s Of
the State, may be justly referred to tho ku-
Klux and their organizers and abet.ors, for
their answer
In the foregoing remarks, have rcluc.
tantly used political designations, contrary to
what deem proper custom in q messag.
OF the Chief Magistrate Of the State, vino, in
bis official capacity, should know no party
But found this unavoidable, in eating Of
these great crimes, that sprany solely from
political causes. Nor can | regard men 10y
al to the government who set its laws ut def
ance, and use every means in their power to
destroy its existence