The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-03-13

Conservative party-that it has sought to
carry out It's purposes by murders, whip
i ping, intimidationS and violence against
Its opponents.
Q. That not only binds lis members to
carry out the DEGREES Of crime, but pro-
tects them against conviction and punish.
ment first: by disguise and secrecy; Sec
i ondly, by perjury, II necessary, upon the
witness stand and in the jury box.
8. That Of all the offenders against law
in this order-and they must be many
hundreds, If not thousands, because these
crimes are shown to be committed by or
ganized bands, ranging from ten up to
seyenty-fve-not one has yet been con-
victed in the whole State. I......
Such being the state Of affairs, 1t is
surely not necessary that the committee
should argue the insuficiency Of the rca-
sons given for establishing an order which
has led to such results, Whatever may
have been the original purposes Of the
u.Nux, or the ottenscs Of those to coun.
teract which they allege the order was es-
tablished, 1t now has gone so far as to pre-.
sent an issue between government and
anarchy, and II it has not reached 1t Is fast
approaching o point where in that issue
there can be no neutrals.. With such an
army Of criminals at large, with no pow
er in the State tribunals to bring them to
Justice, with organization, oaths and &C.
crecy battling and defying oil the appli-
ances Of law and bringing them to each
others aid with the Consciousness that
they number enough to turn the scale OF
political power in favor Of tho party with
which they act, so long as their violence
and intimidation are successful against
those whom they oppose. With
these facts in view, he must have cred.
ulous nature who believes that any tenn.
porary lull in the activity Of such IN
agenCy-at once crime and power
imparts continued security to those who
must become either the victim Of their
crimes or submissive suppliants to their
power. The testimony taken covers o
large number Of the counties OF the State,
but not all. The time intervening be-
tween the appointment Of the committee
and the close Of the session has not enabled
US to examine all the witnesses VIC have
summoned, and who were In attendance.
The tendency Of the impeachment trial
at Raleigh has rendered It impossible TO
bring from there the Chief Justice and
other witnesses whom we deemed 1t i'm
portant to have before US, but the test.
mony Of SO many judicial officers Of the
State as wehave taken can leave no doubt
that, as against the violence OF this Ku.
Klux organization, the authorities Of the
State cannot secure 10 It's citizens life, lib.
lerty and the pursuit Of happiness. The
Resolutions do not charge the committee
with the duty OF examining into the
power OF Congress to afford q remedy for
so great a deprivation Of their rights as
Is suffered by citizens Of the United States
under the government Of State. They
have discharged their duty in reporting
the facts so far as their Investigations
have enabled them to do so, and in the
light of these facts, whether any, and
what remedy can DO applied, must BIO left
to tho deliberations Of Congress to deter
mine. ' n
The testimony taken on cross-examina.
ton shows the existence Of Ku-Klux or.
CARNATIONS in Lenolr and Greene coun.
ties in April, 1860; that tho death Of
Sheriff Colgrove was voted In one Of their
meetings, because he assisted TO arrest one
Hines, q member u that order; that he
was murdered In pursuance OF that decree
In April, 1860; that Hines with another
member of the order who was confined
In Jail with him were forcibly released
from Jail at Kingston by his fellow men,
bers ,rr
Senators Blair and Bayard, constituting
q minority Of the committee, found them.
selves unable to agree with the majority,
and present their views at length.
In closing this report Of the investiga-
ton thus far made into the outrages In
North Carolina, it Is proper to say that the
largest latitude was allowed in the exami.
nation of witnesses; that they were not
confined in their statements by any tech
meal laws Of evidence; that no objection
was made to any member Of the commit.
tee examining upon any question that he
considered had any relation 10 the subject
OF inquiry; and that consequently much
testimony ELECTED may seem to be foreign
to the question whether outrages were
committed, and whether persons and pro-
perry are secure in the State. OF this
class, particularly, Is that relating to the
management Of railroads, and the dlsposl.
ton Of State securities by railroad Pfesl-
dents. Where public men Ofeither party
have been reflected upon by the testimony
In this incidental way, 1t was tho design Of
the committee to call them that they
might have the benefit Of their own state.
ments In answer, but want Of time, and
other reasons, already stated, have pre-
vented our doing 1t
While engaged in prosecuting our in.
quiry as to North Carolina, many cOmmu-
nications have been received calling for
examination into outrages Of a similar
character to those complained Of in that
State, which have been committed before
and since the committee was organized,
by bands Of men in disguise in other
States. .,r,.-.. ...--y,........y........
Complaint is made that within the last
two weeks the capitol of Kentucky was
entered in the night by body Of men
armed and masked, who proceeded to the
Jail, took possession Of 1t, and set at lib
erty q man charged with murder, and
then rode away unmolestOd. Shortly be-
fore that the jail at Union. South Carolina,
was entered, and ten prisoners taken out
and killed. Like complaints Of murders,
scourging and violence without redress,
and demands for investigations and the
protecting arms Of the Government
against these lawless marauders, have
been forwarded from the States Of South
Carolina, Georgia, Floriada, Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, Kentuc.
XIV, Texas and Tennessee. Into none Of
these could the committee examine, con.
sidering 1t better to pursue our inquiry to
completion II possible in one State rather
than take partial and disjoiuted statements
as to all, and leaving to the Senate the de-
termination whether the public interests