The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-13
THE KU-KLUX BILL.

| POSSEy WHiOu Woo PcToet " OSbC 'SSSt Pr
vides that any person who, under colon o.
any law, statute, ordinance, regulation
custom, or usage of any State, shall sub
ject, or cause to be subjected, any person
within the jurisdiction of the United
States to the deprivation of any rights,
privileges, or immunities secured by the
constitution of the United States, shall be
liable to the party injured in any action at
law, suit in equity, or other proceeding for
redress such proceeding to be prosecuted
in the several district or circuit 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 provisions of the
laws of the United States which are in
their nature applicable in such cases.
The second section provides that If two or
more persons within any State or Territory
of the United States shall coDspire 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, intimi
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, intimidas
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 discharging the duties there
of, or by force, intimidation or threat to in
a. g Ill III
any State, district or place, where his duties
as such officer might lawfully be performed, or
to injure him in his person or property on &C.
count of his lawful discharge of the duties of
his office, or to injure his person 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, in
timdation or threat to deter any party or
witness in any court of the United States from
attending such court, or from testifying in any
matter pending in such court, fully, freely and
truthfully, or to injure any such party or wit
ness in his person or property on account of
his having SO attended or testified, or by
force, intimidation or threat to influence the
verdict, pIesentment 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 such verdict, presentment or indictment |
lawfully assented to By him, or on account of |
his being or having been such juror, or shall |
conspire together, orgo 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 immunites under the laws,
or for the purpose of preventing or hinderng
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, hindering, obstructing, or
defeating the 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
of persons, to the equal protection of the laws, |
or by force, intimidation, or threat to prevent
any citizen OF the United States lawfully enti-
tied to vote from giving his support or advoca-
cy in a lawful manner towards or in favor of
as an elector of President or Vice President
Of the United States, or as q member of the
Congress of the United States, or to injure
any such citizen in his person or property on
account of such support or advocacy, each
and every person so offending shall be
upon conviction thereof in any district
Or circuit court of the United States or
district or supreme court of any territory of
The United States having jurisdiction of SINH
ar offences, shall be punished by a fine not less
han five hundred nor more than five thousand
dollars, or by Imprisonment, with or without
hard labor, as the court may determine, for a
period of not less thap six months nor more
han six years, as the court may determine, or
both such fine and Imprisonment as the court
'hall determine.
Section Q provides that whenever any such
violence, and unlawful combina-
ion, or conspiracy shall oppose or obstruct
he laws of the United States, or the due exc
,ution thereof, or impede or obstruct the due
course Of justice under the same, it shall be
awful for the President, and it shall be his
iuty to take such measures, by the employment
If the militia or the land and naval forces of
The United States, or of either, or by both
means, as he may deem necessary for the sup
preston of such insurrectiop, domestic violence
)r combinations.
Section authorizes the President in case of
to suspend the privileges of the
writ OF ha6eas corpus to the end that such res
)elllon may be overthrow Provided, That
he President shall first have made proclama-
ion, as now provided by law, commanding
uch insurgents to dispense: And provided
ttso, That the provisions of this section shall
lot be in force after the end of the next regu-
ar session of Congress.
The remaining sections provide that every
JUROR In courts OF the United States in cases |
lnder this act, shall, before entering upon any
UGH inquiry, hearing or trial, take and sub
cribe an oath in open court that he has never,
lirectly or indirectly, counseled, advised or
aided any such combination or con-
piracy, and each and every person who shall
axe this oath, and shallstherein swear falsely,
hall be guilty of perjury, and shall be subject
o the pains and penalties declared against that
rhine, &c.
The substitute adopted for the Sherman
amendment in the bill, by the new conference
Committee, provides that any person or persons
aving knowledge tn at any of the wrongs con-
PRED to be done and mentioned in the second
ection of this act are about to be committed,
nd having power to prevent or aid in prevents
ng the same shall neglect refuse to do, and
UGH wrongful act shall be committed, such
erson or persons shall be liable to the person
INJURED, or his legal representatives, for all {
amages caused by any such wrongful act
which such frst-named person or persons by Z
easonable diligence could have prevented,
nd such damages may be recovered in an ac-
ion on the case in the proper circuit court of
be United States, and any number of persons
utility of such wrongful neglect or refusal may
e Joined as defendants in such action; l
rovided that such action shall be COM
lenced within one year after such cause of ,,
ction shall have accrued, and if the death of !
ny person shall be caused by any such wrong
al act and neglect, the legal representative of
nch deceased person shall have such action I
g Y