The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-04-24

PUTTING OOCTH OAROLINA UNDER MILL
TARY RULE ON THE REPRESENTATIONS OF
ATTORNEY -GRAERAn AKERMAN.-Th Pre-.
sident transmitted the following message
to the House of Representative on FRI.
day last:
To THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.:
In answer to the resolution OF the House
OF Representatives. Of JannsEy %, I have
the honor to submit the following, ac.
companied by the report of the Attorney
General, to whom the resolution was re.
ferred:
Representations having been made to
me that in cortain portions Of South
Carolina d condition OF lawlessness and
terror existed, requested the then At
torney- General (Akerman) to visit the
report to me the facts in relation to the
subject. On the 10th of October last,
he addressed communication from
South Carolina. in which he stated that
in the Counties of Spartanburg, York,
Chester, Union, Laurens, Newberry,
Fairfield, Lancaster and Chesterfield,
there were combinations for the purpose
of preventing the free political actions
Of oitizons who were friendly to the Con-
stitution and the Government OF the
United States; and OF depriving the
emanoipated class of the equal proteo-
ton of the laws.
These combinations embrace at least
two-thirds of the active white men of
those Counties. and have the sympathy
and countepance Of the majority of the
other third. They are connected with
similar combinations in other Counties
and States, and no doubt are part Of O
grand system of criminal asso Citations
perva6ing most of the Southeru States.
The members nre bound to obedience
and secrecy by oaths which they are
taught to regard as of higher obligation
than the lawful oaths taken before civil
magistrates; they are organized and
armed; they effect their objects by per-
sonal violence, often extending to muir.
der; they terrify witnessrs; they control
juries in the State courts and sometimes
In the courts of the United States; sys-
tematically spying is one OF the means by
which prosecution of the members is de-
feated.
From information given by officers of
the State and of the United States, and
by credible private citizens, am justi-
fed in affirming that the instances of
criminal violence perpetrated by these
combinations within the last twelve
months, in the above named Counties,
could be reckoned by thousands.
received information of q similar
import from various sources, among
which were the joint committee of Con-
gress upon Southern outrages, the of
ticers of the State, the military officers
OF the United States on duty in South
Carolina, the United States attorney and
marshal and other officers OF the Go
vernment, repentant and abjuring mem
bers of those unlawful organizations,
persons specially employed by the de-
Partment of justice to detect crimes
against the United States, and from
other credible sources.
Most, if not all, of the information,
except that derived from the Attorney
General, came to me orally, and was to
tho effect that eaid Counties were under
the sway of the powerful combinations
popularly known as the Ku Klux Klan,
the objects Of which were, by force and
power, to prevent all political action not
In accordance with the views of the
members, to deprive colored citizens of
the right to bear arms and of the right
to free ballot, to suppress schools in
which colored children were taught, and
to reduce the colored people to a condi-
ton closely akin to that of slavery; that
these combin atoms were organized and
armed, and had rendered the local law
ineffect1al to protect the classes whom
they desired to oppress; that they had
perpetrated many murders, and hundreds
of crimes of minor degree. all of which
were unpublished; and that witnesses
could not safely testify in courts there,
unless the more active members were
placed under restraint
(Signed,) U. S. GRANT.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, April 10. 1872.
The correspondent of the New York
World says:
1t will thus be seen that President of
the United States has descended to ap-
pear before the country as the vindictivo
enemy of helpless people, and who, to
achieve certain ends of his own, is will.
ing to destroy the social as we'll as pub
lic standing of the citizens of portion
of the country. The intention of this
'message" is two-fold; first, to inflame
the public mind, and by the ail of his
reckless supporters attempt to create
anew the old feeling of sectional hatred;
and seoOn0 tn force thrOuoh tbo nv n ri