St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-02-23
The KuKIux Committees Report.
What the Majority Say.

THE OCTRAGES OF TIE NEGROES IRE
POLICY FOR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES,
COMBINATIONS As To FUTURE ACTION.
The joint select committee on the
condition of affairs i'll The late lnSurrec-
tionary states. will make its report to
Congress, tomorrow. The evidence
taken in Washington and south Caro-
| lima is submitted. as Is also the report OF
the subcommittee to digest the reports
of the executive officers of the southern
states. The testimony taken i'll other
states, is rs yet unprepared, and will be
submitted i'll supplementary report.
The committee say that inquiry has
been made into the commission of out
RACES, the execution of the laws. bad
legislation, official incompetency, cor
ruption, etc. There is il remarkable
concurrence of testimony that the courts
and .iuIies administer Justice between
man and man in all ordinary cascs, civil
and criminal, but the evidence is equally
decisive that redress cannot be obtained
against those who commit crimes i'll
disguise and at night. The reasons as
signed are that Identification Is difficult.
almost impossible: that, when this is
attempted, the combinations and oathS
of the order come in and release the
culprit by perjury, either on the witness
stand or in the jury box, and that the
terror inspired by their acts, as well as
by public sentiment in their favor. in
many localities, paraly Yves the arm of the
civil power. Numerous complaints are
made of the incapacity of many of the
inferior magistrates, and i'll several
states the governors are charged with
abuse of the pardoning power. especially
i'll favor of negroes.
The committee trace as far as they
are able. the origin, extent, purposes
and mode of operation of the kukluN
KAN. the time of whose organization is
fixed in lS66. and the testimony in refer
cncc to which covers large number of
pages The object of the kukluN was
t" oppose and reject the principles of
the radical party. as shown 10y the con
StitutiOn. to he accomplished 10y each
member providing himself with = pistol.
kukluN gown and signal instruments. If
confederation were necessary. it is found
in the expressions made 10y these bandits
to their victims when intlictimg their
>courTlngS upon men and outragcS upon
women. That testimony is uniform.
denim them" it must hc on the ground
of their hostility t" the government and
to the enjoy mcnt 10y the negro of the
rights conferred upon him 10y the amend
mcntS Ia the constitution and 10y the
laws which they are organized to oppose.
The refusal of Il large portion of the
wealthy and educated men To discharge
! their duties us citizens. has brought up
on them the same consequences that are
being suffered in northern cities and
communities from the neglect of their
business and educated men. to partiri-
| patel III governments of thcpc"plc. which
make up self government. The citizen
in either section who refuses OF cgicct>
| from ANY motive. to take his part IN
/ government has learned that he
must now suffer. and help +" repair the
evils of bad government. The newly
made voters of the South were. il i
testified. kindly disguised toward their
former masters. The feeling between
/ them. even Vet. seems to lr one of con
/ tidcucr III all other than the political
relation.
The refusal of their former masters to
participate i'll political reconstruction
necessarily left the negroes to hr intlu-
cnccd 10y others. Many of them were
elected To office. and entered il with an
honest purpose t" do their duty. but
were untitled for its discharge. Through
| their imStrumcntality. many unworthy
/ white men. having obtained their con
/ tidcncc. also procured positions. In
I Legislative bodies this mixture OF igmor-
ant hut honest men with better educated
knaNcS, gave an opportunity for cor
ruption. and this opportunity has de
/ velopcd Il state of decentralization on this
subject which may and does account for
many of the wrongs of which the people
justly complain. 1t is apparent at the
same time that the decentralization is not
confined To Il race OF political creed.
but presents specimens alike i'll the ne
gro, the carpct-haggcr and the white
native citizens of both parties. These
remarks are not applicable to all the
reconstructed states, hut they are to
several of them. Taking South Caro-
lima as an illustration and il Is certain
~ as bad III these respects as amy of the
states and there can hc no doubt that
venalitN and corruption i'll the l.cgiSla
turc prevail largely. Thus they are
spoken of as existing. 10y men of all
parties. and seem to hc concealed. Ger
tainly their existence is almost uniVcT-
sally believed 10y the people of the state.
With such material aS Il Legislature. and
such views of Virtue outside. ;lS are
shown to have prevailed. corruption was
inevitable. We point To the results of
opinion in South Carolina. in the fact
that the negroes i'll the nine counties in
that state III which kukluX Violence
/ tlra l..I tn Ill
for the suspension of the writ of hahcaS
corpus i'll them are. according to the
testimony of Judge Carpenter. much
more intelligent than in amy other part
of the state. The fact that they are 50.
when placed alongside the list of men
murdered and maltrcated in these conn
ties, demonstrates that it requires the
strong arm of the government to protect
its citizens i'll the enjoyment of their
rights. to keep the peace and to prevent
this threatened, rather to stay this in
itiatcd, war of races until the expert
ment which it has inauguratrd. and
which many southern men pronounce
now, and many more have sworn shall
he made. il failure, can he determined
in peace.
The race so recently cnIancipatCd.
against which Punishment or Scrf,lOm is
thus decrced. hut which has been clothed
by the government with the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship, ought not
to he. and we feel assured will not he.
left hereafter without protection against
the h"StilitieS and SuiferingS it has en-
durcd in the past, as long as the legal
and constitutional powers of the gov
eminent are adequate to afford it. Com