New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-03
NEW ORLEANS, FRIDAY NOVEMBER g. 1871
THE SOUTHERN kU.kLUx.

THE SOUTHERN KU-kLUx.
: Impsrsane Information Obtained hv n
Congressional Cemmittee- bl
Designs Of the Order Of the Invisl
bic EDpire.
[From the New York Herald1
WARRINGTON. October 26.-The Ku.Klu,
joint committee Of investigation will NEE
in this city on the seventh proximo
but . subcommittee, charged with mall
ing digest Of the financial conilitiO,
Of the Southern States, Of which Senate
Poole is chairman, will meet on the frs,
proximo. This subcommittee have ar
ranged plan under which, if the State au
obtain . full exhibit Of theiseveral State
'eSss' NJ Poole. fes circular malejthe tollovin,
inquiries as to State indebtedness in .Julv
1861; at the surrender in 1876, when the
present governments were inaqgurated, and
On the first Of January, 1871:
"F0r how much was the State responsible
as indorser or otherwise. in 1857 For wha,
was it then prOspectively liable? Also,
what part of the increase Of the indebted.
ness since 1865 arose from the collateral re-
sponsibility Of 1861! What from the con.
tingent or prospective liability of 1861 ?
What from accrued interest unpaid upon
the old debt! What from the necessities
created by the loss during the rebellion Of
public funds dedicated to specific purposes,
and of which the State or its authorized
agents had the management
The committee ask that items be given
| separately with the laws under which thew
were incurred and the political composition
Of the Legislature passing the same; also. as
| to what specific public funds, if any. were
lost to the State through the rebellion and
how. Whether any considerable losses have
been incurred since 1865 by defalcatiOns.
frauds and otherwise Also, what was the
county taxation in 1860 and in 1907 What
the The State expenses were in 1858, 1859 and
1860, and in 1868, 1869, 1870, and if anv in
crease, what are the reasons therefor?
Other questions are prOpOunded relative
to the manner of holding elections at the
several periods named, the object being to
ascertain the condition in l86O-6l; the con
ditiOn ut the surrender in 1866; the condi.
tiOn at the Inauguration OF the present gov
eminent under the reconstruction acts, and
to compare each with the other and With
the condition at present. The answers are
being sent to the several members of the
subcommittee, and in general are quite full
on the points suggested. This digest will
be one Of the most valuable documents in
the voluminOus report to be made to Con.
gress.
At the meeting of the full committee the
necessary steps will be authorized for the
presentation to the Senate Of q number of
cOntumaciOus witnesses. among them being
General Forrest, Of Tennessee, and w. A.
Saunder, OF North Carolina, the latter
being we'll known to be chief of the inyis-
ible empire Of that State. There are a
dozen OF those witnesses in all, most of
them having absented themselves from the
city after being summoned and reporting
here. One OF the runaways is reported to
be living at st. GATHERINGS. Canada
The testimony already taken by the Ku-
klux committee is in general of the most
will fill about fourteen hundred octave
pages, and covers the testimony of more
than four hundred witnesses, chiefly from |
the States of North and South Carolina. |
Mississippi and Alabama, with few from |
Georgia and Tennessee. A subcommittee |
is now at work in the Carolinas, Georgia |
and Florida, while second is investigating |
Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. Prob |
ably these two subcommittee will examine |
at least three hundred witnesses, whose eyi-
dence, when printed, will cover one thou
sand more printed pages.
The evidence taken before the United |
States Circuit Court at Raleigh in the recent
trials there is now being transcribed from
notes for the department Of
Justice. There is very little doubt but that
Congress will call for this and print it with
the reports to be made BY the inves-
tigating committee. Those who are
familiar with the nature Of the testi-
nony taken by the ku-klnx commit
zee, declare that much as has been said
~ the press on that subject, the country
will not realize the horrible condition of the |
south, and the terrible nature of the Ku-
AUX or invisible empire until this report is
pread before it.
All sorts of persons have been examined,
md abundant proof afforded BY the open
Of its members az we'll as
y the evasions and even perjuries of those
Who are among its leaders to prove that it is
} formidable, wide-sprea organization. ex-
sting in every Southern State, from the
'otomac to the Rio Grande, though most
etive in the States of North and South
;arolina. The central parts of Georgia,
alabama, the middle and northern portions
+ Mississippi, and the central and western
ounties Of Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas
nd Louisiana are comparatively free from
ts active operations. though proof is in the
ands Of the executive to show that it only
eeds an occasion to put in active appear-
nee in the States named. Florida has oc-
asiOnal manifestations, while Texas shows
lany proofs of its activity.
The testimony taken, by the investigat-
ng committee is, much of it. of horrible |
haracter. The cruel outrages perpetrated {
y these bands are diversified BY acts I
Inch would shame the Apache Indians.
Instances BY the hundred Of manning and
lutllating before and after death are
le Ku-Klux toward Northern Methodist 6
to school teachers and school .
ouses. In South Carolina their efforts
ave been directed specially against the
fcials mostly cOlored, and in all places /
le large majority Of Outrages have been I
aicted on colored people.
The percentage of direct murder can not
less than ten in hundred while as many
e a1terward from the abuse received. 1t
as seldom that the whippings were unac- I
,mpanied by some bestiai act or manning I
!, the assailed persons. All the evidence =,
Ken establishes the political character of
70 conspiracy, and it is made clear that Z
purpose is to destroy the reconstructed d
ate governments and crush out the pOliti- g.
! party which sustains them.
This ls the result Of the congressional in
'stlgatlon. but the facts in possession Of =
executive departments prove q more y
'ngero4s design than this as being. pur- G
ed Dy the as yet unknown supreme chiefs e.
ID councils Of this order. 1t is established h
yond doubt. according to this evidence, =
at no one who served in the federal army = =
civil service, no matter what his politics n
~ be, is admitted.
Ihe great body Of Ku-Klux membership
out reorganization of the confederate T
my, reinforced by the young men and =
Us VINO nave grown up to a serviceable .e
9 since the surrender Of Lee. The testi- tt
my in possession Of the government es- D.
Diishes membership Of from four to five
ndred thousand, of whom one-half may
relied upon to carry out the reasonable ..