The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-03-11

peasons ana property were secure 10 the State
cini, Iio LIE In two aspects:-Eirst. is the
snd nn';s a,oequste to protect those wropeed
cr;mep S.oo .uose who are guilty of these
oiiuo'. SECOND, TO what extent does tb;s ~
ganzatlon STILL exist and commit ac1s ns Or
lence The com nitee here review Of u I VIZ
Gov Holden's official course, his decar,,iopS t 20
martlai Jaw 10 A'amance and Caswell coup-
ties, his pending impeachment trial, and ann
up the testimony as clearly establishing. first
that the Ku Klux organization does exist bas,
a political purpose and is composed of mem
bels of the Dem )cratic or Conservative party
and that it has sought to carry out its purpose
by murders, lntimidatlOns and violence against
its opponents; second, that ir not only binds
its memoers to carry out its DEGREES of crime
but protects them against conviction and pun
ishment, first by disguise, and secondly by per-
jury if necessary upOn the witness stand and
in the jury box. Third, that of al the offend
ers against the law 10 this order, and they
must be many hundreds if not thousands, be-
cause these crimes are shown to be committed
by organized bands ranging from ten to seven
tv. five, not one has yet been convicted in the,
whole State. Such being the state of affairs it
is surely not necessary that the committee
should argue iDsufhciency of reasons given
for establishing an order which has led TO
such results. Whatever NAV have been the
original purpose of the Ku Klux or offeLces
OF those to c)rn eract VIII IN they ale9e Il 0
or Ter was established, it how has gone an Tar
as 70 prevent al issue between the government
ana anarchy, and ifit has not reached it is fast
approaching point wherein there can be no
neutrals. With such an army of criminals at
large, with no power 10 State tribunals to
bring them to justice. with an organization.
oaths and secrecy baffliog and defyine ali an
planes OF law, and bri lging them to each
others aid with the consciousness that thew
number enough 10 turn the scae of political
power in favor OF the party which they act with
so long, will other violence and intimidations
be successful against those whom they oppose
With these facts iii view he must have q Gre
dulOus nature who believes in any temporary
lull in its activity. Such an agency at once of
crime and OF power imDarts continued securi-
ty to those who must become either victims to
their crime or submissive suppliants to their
power.
The committee state that they have been I'm
able to examine all the witnesses desired, par
tcularly Chief Justice Pearson and other Off
Gals engaged in the impeachment trial at
Raleigh, but the testimony of so many of the
judicial officers of sbe State as we have taken
can leave DO doubt that against the violence of
this organization the authorities of the State
cannot secure to its ctizens life, liberty and
| the pursuit of happiness The resolutions do
not charge the committee with the duty of ex-
aiming into the power of Congress to afford
remedy for so great deprivation of their
rights suffered ny citizens OF the United States
have discharged their duty in reporting the
facts SO far as their investigations enabled them
to do so. and in the light of these facts whe cher
any or what remedy can be applied, must be
lett to the deliberations of Congress to deter
mine.
During the progress of the Investigation re-
ports of murders, outrages and violence have
been received from nearly all the other South
ern States, but into none of these could the
committee examine, considering it better to
make an inquiry thorough and complete in re-
gard to Que State, leaving the Senate to decide
whether the public interest require the inves-
tigatinn 70 be pursued further. Respectfully
| submitted.
(Signed),
JOHN ScoTT, 2. CHANDLER, HENRY WILSON
BENZ. f. RICE, JAMES W. NYE.