The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-07-20

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right, although no further steps are taken,
or for intimidating, or attempting to in-
timidate any person entitled to vote, from
freely and uniterruptedly exercising such
right. 81
The sixth section of the Act makes
it a felony for two or more persons
to band or conspire together with
intent to violate any of the provisions OF
this Act, or to injure, Cypress, threaten
or intimidate any citizen with intent to
prevent or hinder his free exercise and
enjoyment of any right or privilege
granted or secured to him by the Consti-
tuition or laws of the United States, or
because of his having exercised the same.
To constitute this ofense, two or more
persons must have eeRspired together to
do the act forbidden, and the ohense is
complete 50 soon as the conspiracy Is
formed, without any further attempt at
its execution. 1t is not necessary that
they be disguised to create the ohense-
But it is also made a felony for two or
more persons to 90 in disguise upon the
public highway, or upon the premises OF
another, with intent to commit any OF
the acts above named, although nothing
further is done, or attempted to be done.
The reason for making the one class of
offenses felony, instead of mlsde-
meanor, as in the other, is, that these
unlawful combinations and conspIracies
are more dangerous to the peace Of the
country and rights of the citizens, than
when only one person is engaged in it.
The fifteenth section makes it a mis-
demeanor for any person disqualified to
hold Office under the third article of the
Fourteenth Amendment, to accept or
hold such Office that is, when such per-
son before the rebellion had held an
office which required him to take an oath
to support the Constitution of the United
States, and afterwards violated the same
by engaging in the rebellion against the
United States, unless he has been relieved
of such disability. The sixteenth sec
ton provides "That all persons within
the jurisdiction Of the United States shall
have the same rights in every State and
Territory in the United States, to make
and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties,
give evidence, and to the full and equal
benefit of all laws and proceedings, for
the security of person and property, ae
is enioyed by white citizens, and shall be
subject to like pains, penalties, and nom
otber-apv law, statute, ordinance, reg
ulation or custom to the contrary not:
withstanding. And the seventeenth secs
ton makes it misdemeanor for any per-
son under color of any such law, ETC.,
to deprive any inhabitant of such State
or Territory of any such privileges, or to
subject him to such punishment on ac-
count of his being an alien, or of his race
or color.
This is a re-enactment of the civil rights
law, but extending it to aliens, which the
former law did not do. Other provisions
of this Act make it a misdemeanor for
any one not qualified to vote for members
of Congress to do so; for officers know
ingly to receive Illegal votes, or knowingly
to refuse to receive legal votes, etc. You
will, however, have the Act before you,
which it is your duty to examine carefully,
and if any of its provisions have beer
violated since its passage, to present the
offender, but acts committed before its
passage can not be presented.
In the last place / will call your atten-
to the provisions of what is known as the
Ku KIux law, approved May, 1871.
This Act is intended to give still furth-
err security and protection to all the
citizens Of the United States, in their
rights, under the Constitution and laws
Of the United States wherever they may
be regardless of race, color, or birth.
The second section is mainly directed
against those conspiracies and combina-
tons found to exist in different localities,
the purpose of which is to oppose the
proper enforcement of the laws Of the
United States, and the free and volunta-
nv exercise of the duties of its officers,
and the free and unembarrassed exercise
and enjoyment of the rights, privileges
and immunities, of the citizens as guar
anteed by the Constitution and laws
thereof, and to which your attention is
specially directed.
LIST. If any two or more persons, with
in any State or Territory of the United
States, shall conspire together to over
throw or put down the Government, or
to destroy by force the government of
the Uuited States, or to levy war against
the United States, or to oppose by force
the authority of the Government of the
United States, or by force, intimidation,
or threat to prevent, hinder, or delay the
execution of any law of the United States
or by force to seize, take orpossess any
of the property of the United States,
contrary to the authority thereof, or by
force intimidation or threat to prevent
any person from accepting or holding
any Office of trust or place of confidence
under the United States, or from dis
charging the duties thereof, or by force, /.
intimidation or threat, to induce any
officer of the United States. to leave any
State District or place where his duties
as such officer might lawfully be per-
formed, or to iniure him in his person,
or property, while engaged in the lawful
discharge of the duties of his Office, or
to injure his property, SO as to modest,
hinder, interfere with or impede him in
the discharge of his official duty, or by
force, intimidation or threat to deter any
party or witness in any Court of the
United States from attending such
Courts, or from testifying in any matter
pending in such Court, fully and truth
fully, or to injure any such party or wit
ness in his person, or property on ac-
count of his having SO attended, OF testi-
field or by force, intimidation, or threat
to influence his verdict, presentment 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 his being or
having been such juror, the offense
thus created is the conspiracy of any two
or more persons, to do any of the I'M
lawful acts mentioned, although no
further steps may be taken towards the
accomplishments of the proposed object.
Secondly, If two or more persons shall
conspire together, to 60 on the premises
Of another, or upon the highway for the
purpose of directly or indirectly depriv-