Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-12-15
Presidents Mesa ge,

4ItSlucHS'S meNSdSe,
Tho message of President GRANT has ono
mcrit-trevity. Tho synopsis given by US
last week was II very fair one We now in.
sert those PORTIONS relating to amnesty aud
the Ku Klux:
More than six years have clnpscd since
tho last hostile eun was fired between the mr..
mics then nrrayrd against clrh other, one tor
the perpcturtnu, thn other tor the drStruo.
tica, of tho Onion. it mmy we'll be cn,,Si. red
whether it is not now time that the Disabilities
imposed by the Fourteenth Amendment
should be removed. That amendment does
not exclude f;on the ballot. hut nnly imposes
the disability to hold olce upon certain
clfsscs. When the purity Of tie bant is Sc
cure. ma joritirs arc sure to elect officers re
flcctng tho views Of the mnjnrity. | do not
see the advantage or proprcty Ut excluding
men from Office merely because they were.
before the rebellion, of standing and charac.
ter su!licic,t. to he elected to POSITIONS rrquir
ing them to take oatllS to support the Con,
stitnion, and admitting to eligibility those
entertaining precisely tho slme views but of
less stan,lin. in their communities. 1t may
be said that the former violated IN oath, while
the latter did not. The latter did not have
it in their power to do so. If they had t,kcn
this oath, it cannot be doubted they would
have broken it, as did the hrmer class. If
there arc any great crim,ras distinguished
above all others for the part they took in op
position to the Government, they might in
the Judgment Of Congress ou excluded from
such an amnesty.
"rhis subject is submitted for your carcful
:, x.f. A.
orn States is unhnppiy not such ns al true
citizens would like to see. Social ostrncism
for opiuion's sake, personal violence ar threats
towards persons entertaining political views
opposed to hose entertained by the majority
Of tho old citizens. prevent immigration and
the food of much needed capital into the
States lately in rrhellion twill be happy
condition Of tie country when the old citizens
OF those States will take an interest in pntlic
affairs pronnlgatc ideas honstly entertained.
vote for men representing their views and
tolerate the same freedom of expression and
b'l'nt in those entertaining different political
convictions.
"Thcrc have been imposed upon tho Exec
utive tr nch OF the Government the cxrcntinn
VI l'lC iicb VI SpiS'cSS, H|'|IONCt iAllfl' --3,
1871, and commonly known as the Kn KIux
law, in portion of the State Of South Care
lina The necessity Of the course pursued
will hc demonstrated hy the report Of the
Committee to Investigate Southern outrag"s
Under the provisions o. the above art. | is
sued n proclamation calling the attcnti"n Of
the people Of the Uuit"d States tn the s,nr
and declaring my reluctance to exercise any
Of til" extraordinary pnwrrS thereby conferred
upon me except in ease of Imperative nrcrs>i
ty. but nIaking known my purpose to exercise
such powers whenever it shnnld hrcnnc NJ
cessary to do 81 for the purpose "l securing t"
all citizens of the United States tn" peaceful
enjoyment IF the rights gnnrantcetl tn them
hy the Constitution and thr laws. After the
passage If this law information WAS received
from tine to time that c"'nblnnt,ns ut the
sasFas} Fft*Efls & II ecrt,in c"un,;r, +; ,n
State Of Saudi Cnr,lina Careful iuvcs,iu,
tlon was made, and it was nScprtninrd that in
nine counties of thnt State such ontin,t,uS
were active nn:l powerful, nnbr;,c ciny !. suilici
cnt portion of the rhizcns to cnntrnl che local
authority, and hrving among n,hcr things the
o'l"cs OF drprvlng the ctInncipard class OF
the substantial benefits of freedom. and ri
preventing the FREE political artion of those
c'Iz"I's who did not sympahize with their
own views Among their operations wcr.
frequent srnur"ings and aSs,ss,ntinns gene
rally rcrprtrnted at night by lSYnscd prr
sous. the victims in nlmns, a eases heinz cir
lzrns "f different political sentiments from
thair"wn. or freed persons who had shown -
disposition to claim equal rights with other
cr'Zens. Thousands IF inoffeusive and well
disposed citizens were sufferers hv this lnwlrss
violence Thrrenpnn on the Eth Of Orto
ber. proclnInatinn was issued in terms of the
l.w. calling upon the members OF those con,
hnHtI"ns to dispcrSc within five days. and to
deliver t" the Marshal or military officers at
tn" United States all arms. ann. uuition uni
forms, DISCUSSES. and other means and imp)e
mcnts used by them for carrying out their
unlh'slul purposes
"1'his warning not having been needed, on
tho l7th of Oct"ber another proclamation was
issued snspending the privilege OF the writ of
hDbc"$ corpus in uinc counties in that State
DIRECTION wAs given that within the counties
so dcslgntcd persons supposed upon creaitabc
information to be members Of such unlawful
combinations. should be arrested by tho mill
:ary forces o. he United States and delivered
to the marsl. to be dealt with accorln. 10
law. III two of said counties, York and
Sprtanburg. many arrests have been made.
At the last account the number of persons
thus arrested was one hundred and sixty.
eight. Several hundred whose crminalty
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