The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-12-01
VOL. VINO. 2l8.
inficting violence upon, the sworn public
officers of the County,

inflicting violence upon, the sworn public |
officers of the County.
"ln this connection, it is proper that |
L should call your attention to the re-
cent ACT of Congress, which makes all
citizens who are PRIV to apy acts Of
organized violence, snd ssii 70 give any
information in their possession chat may
! lead to the arrest Of the perpetrators,
particeps crimfnis in their guilt. Very
respectfully,
The officers did not aot. being either
paraiySed by lear or in sympathy with
the criminals. In common with mapy
others, the loyal men among them
seemed to regard this as purely per-
sonal government, and to expect that
the Executive should discharge all the
| duties OF the departments of the State
At this junoture, I determined to
make final effort to restore public
order without military force, and there
fore invited prominent citizens of the
dtsafieoted section to conference with
me at the capital. They we're all recog-
nized leaders OF the opposition, and Of
acknowledged influence in their respect.
i've Counties. had hoped much from
their cooperation in the interest of law
and order which they professed to advo-
cate. knowing. as did. that the masses
OF the whites in this State would. from
the mere force Of former discipline, heed
their admonitions. The conference was
held. All Of these gentlemen deprecated
scts OF violence, but denied the exist
ence of the Ku Klux organization in
South Carolina, while come Of them in
directly sought to extenuate acts of vic.
lence that they could not we'll deny, by
referring them to what they were falsely
! pleeeed to term ''negro rnle" They al
legged numerous acts of incendiarism by
negroes, which allegations, derived from
the opposition press, and often repeated,
have been proved base fabrications; in
the main. designed to Offset or palliate
the burning of school houses erected for
the instruction of colored children.
These gentlemen. however, promised me
their cooperation to the end in view,
and believed them. 7 am not advised
that any effort was made to fulfill those
promises. Certainly they effected no.
thing. Having exhausted all the civil
power under my control to suppress this
insurrection against the constituted au-
thorities, made application, in accord
ance with the Constitution of the United
States, to the National Government to
protect the State 'against domestic vio-
lenoe." The magnitude of this organ
lied system OF crime was made apparent
to Congress, the evidence in the posses
sion OF the Government showing that
the Ku Klux bands in South Carolina
were "but parts of q stupendous WHOLE"
having broader scope than the redress
of mere local grievance. Congress.
granted tho necessary powers. his Excel
lency the President Of the United States.
on the 18th day of October, 1871, sus-
pended tho writ of hobeas corpus in the
Counties Of Spartanburg, York, Marion,
Chester, Laurens. Newberry, Fairfield,
Lancaster and Chesterfield. The County
of Marion was subsequently, excepted
from this list, and the County OF Union
very properly substituted therefor-Ma-
rion having been originally embraced,
instead of Union, in the frat procama.
ton OF the President. through clerical
error.
An adequate force OF United States
troops is now in the State, and, under
the direction of All energetic and dis
Greet commanding officer, they are ao-
lively engaged in arresting the Ku Kiux
criminals. wherever legal testimony of
guilt is furnished. Many persons of the
suspected class have fed from the upper
|
ing their innocence of crime. Flight
from arrest by officers OF the law is not
generally regarded as furnishing a very
strong legal presumption of innocence
1t would be far better, however, for the
State, that all of this class should
abandon it forever, than that even one
industrious laborer should be murdered
or driven away from the pursuits Of use-
full industry. The former are usually
drones in the human hive, while upon
the products OF the toiling mass repose
the whole wealth and prosperity of the
State.
am officially informed that thus far
about 600 arrests have been made in this
State, under the Act of Congress. The
persons arrested, and now, for the most
part, held for trial. represent almost
every class i'll society; from the humble
laborer and small farmer, to the wealthy
planter. practioing physician, lawyer and
minister of the Gospel.
l have endeavored to be historically
exact in recording what must pass into
history as reproach to American civii-
the shame of the State. It presents the
most extraordinary spectacle OF a CON-
plete relapse from civilization into bar
barism known in thel annals of man.
kind -sarpassing. in its atrocity. the
"Thngism" OF India, for the Thug
spares woman and the aged. but the
Ku Klux exempts none from his
vengeance, in his efforI to strnngle
Republicsnism. II any impartial man,
jealous of the honor of his kind,
, hesitates to believe suoh thinRs pos
, sible in civilized community, let him
, visit the Jail in this city. He will
, there dnd scores OF the veritable actors
, in these deeds OF blood, many of whom
, have voluntarily confessed their crimes
as Ku Klux, these last being poor. de-