Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-05-10
I'm, P,,si,leni,s Proclamation.

The Presidents Pror!"n'1'son.
The proclamation of President Grant
calling tho attention Of tho people to
the Ku,Klux bill, and declaring his
purpose TO enforce its provisions, may |
well DO regarded as an extraordinary |
document. The occasion for its ap |
pearanee is equally extraordinary
lie demands the suppression OF insur-
rection and the dispersion OF mobs In
a country throughout whose whole
extent rcigns profound peace Tho
"extraordinary public importance Of
the law tho President alleges rs his
inducement to issne this proclamation.
But in the course of the country's his.
tory, other laws Of equal moment have
not needed the cmphasisof prcslden
tial manifesto, aites,ed by the Sccrc
tary of State, to enforce the attention
of the people 1t required no procla
nation to prevent the people from
forgetting this infamous enactment
and the partisan necessities to which
its birth is due, AS long as tho re-
public shall exist the memory of the
law will "ncvcr out" But tho proc.
Iamation is not issnod for tho informa-
ton of the people since the President
does not mako the slightest allusion
to its provisions. His manifesto is
simply a menace. The President in
forms the public that the law is apl
plicablc to all parts Of tho United
States. This statement was also quite
unnecessary for the instruction Of tho
people, for they are already fully con-
versant with the hnmiliating and pain
ful fact that tho law gives him power
to declare martial law and suspend
tho writ Of habeds corpus in every
State in the Union.
In periods of insurreclion and vio-
lence former presidents have deemed
it proper to wait until an occasion
might arise before issuing their pro
carnations. Such WAS the case 10 the
Whiskcy lnsurrcction, and in the
time of South Carolina notification.
These presidents found the lawlcss
parties and described The localities
IN which insnrreciion existed. But
Grant'sproclamalion savague menace
against the entire people Of the coun.
try 1t is an insoent parade of the
despotic power with which he has
been clothed.
Tho President speaks Of "thc per
% sistont violations of the rights of
citizens OF the United States by law.
% less and disaflccted persons in Ger.
" tain localities lately the theatre of
insurreclion aud military conflict" "
This q blow at the diaphanous spectre
Of the Ku klux. Where IN tho south
exists the condition which the Presi.
dent attempts to picture In a pro.
camaiion, apparently designed to
warn the lawlcss and violent, and TO
compel the dispersion Of unlawful
combinations, if designed for any use
ful purpose whatever, it would have
been well to describe the localities, so
as TO make the admonition salutary
and effective. The phrase "eertain
localities is too vague and deceptive
for an official proclamation against in.
surrcction. II the Ku klux were not
a more harmless myth than the head.
less borseman of the Valley Of the
Mohawk in the experience OF lchabod
Crane, he would find a local habita-
ton and a name. This 10 its gcner-
ality will apply to Virginia as we'll ms
20 Florida, to Pennsylvania rs well us
Nevada. II is flourish Of the i'm
perial sword over the heads Of all the
people. What sort of a proclamation
against insurrection Is that which
/ speaks of "lawlessness and disailected
persons" and cannot describe them
or their whereabouts aud talks OF
.'certain localities without fxing them
within the bounds of a SlatcY
If any distinct aud definite mean.
ing can be gathered from the decep
tive phraseology Of this proclamation
/ it is that Grant considers the whole
south in a state Of insurrection. The
remarkable sentence quoted above
shows that "certain localities mean
"the entire theatre of insurrection and
military conflict" aud this includes
all the States lately in rebellion, aud
some others besides Thus at one fell
swoop the military power snatcbcs
up the States OF the South, and under
construction OF the Ku.klux bill do
clares them 10 "a state Of insunection
No other proclamation is to succeed
/ this one, but whenever the executive
may deem it expedicnt he may invoke
the power Of the law, declare the writ
Of haJeds corpus suspended, and con.
vert the States of the south into mill
tary satrapics, nullifying their olcc.
tions and subvcrting their civil gov.
ornmcnls. Under cover of this pro.
clamaton which assumes insurrection
already to exist the whole hideou'
work Of reconstruction is to be recon.
menccd whenever party cxigcncics
may demand the overthrow OF State
/ There is a thin veneering of phrase.
about peace and good will which ILL.,
conceal the truculcnt purpose This
/ proclamation is TO serve once for all
until the close of the next presidential
campaign, and whenever the slightest
pretext may offer tho ballotboxcs
will be seized and martial law declar
ed in every State which may manifest
a disposition to throw on the Radical
yoke. If any doubt has existed IN
regard to the monstrous unconstitu
tional power which tho Force Bill con.
fcrs on the President, il will be en-.
tirely removed by his manifesto
Harrisburg Patriot
A Coon LAw.-Tho State Senate
has passed an act authorizing the