The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-10-03
Alexander Stephens Plea for the Ku Kux.

For some length of time it has been known
that Hon. Alexander III. Stephens had writer
to Grant in behalf of the men who are now lying
in Northern prisons under the Ku Klux Act o1
Congress. The letter, which was sent through
the Attorney General, has just been made pub
lie. We print Mr. Stephens letter. together
with the answer of Attorney General Williams
LIBERTY HALL, GRAwFonpsy1LLE, Ga,
=. -, August s, 1872, J
Ii HIS Eycslzsney u s. Grant President Of ths
United States, Washington, d. c.:
My DE6K SIR:-Of my own accord I make
an appeal TO your Excellency for clemency and
mercy,in behalf of all those prisoners now suf:
fering in penitentiaries under sentence of courts
in several States of the Union for violation Of
the Act of Congress, generally known as the
Ku Klux Act, or for violations of the Enforce
meht Acts of Congress, under prosecutions
founded upon the last named Act iNot5a sin
gle one of these parties is known to me, nor am
I Iacquainted in the slightest degree with the
nature or character of the charges brought
against them, nor with the facts upon which
the conviction of g. single one of them was
founded. Ny appeal is simply for clemency
and mercy. 1t s'founded upon these consider
ations -- ~ '.+
First. My impression from what 1 have seen
in the newspapers is that all these convictions
rest upon prosecutions for offences committed
before the passage of the Ku KluX Act. 1t is,
1 believe, well known that I was utterly OPP
posed to all those combinations known as Ku
Klux organizations. Without, therefore, say
ing anything about outrages of this sort, either
in e1tenuation OF condemnation, before the
passage of the act of 1871 for their suppression
by the Federal authorities, 1 repeat that my
impression is that no one in whose behalf i
make this application, committed an offence for
which he is now suffering after the passage of
this Act. This view of the case, it seems to
me, should have weight with your E1cellency.
Second. The great purpose of the govern
ment, it seems to me, has been accomplished.
I believe that no one now has any serious ap-
prebensionns of any further disturbances Of this
sort. Indeed, as / said before, none, as 1 be-
lieve, have occurred since the passage of the
Act for their suppression by Federal authority.
Third. When the object of punishment upon
the individual and upon society IS accomplished,
lenity should be the rule with all Governments.
Fourth. Many ofthese parties, 1 understand,
are infrm, a few of them ole, several of them
have families dependent upon them, all OF them
have suffered severely. For these reasons, ask
YOU, by the authority vested in you, to grant
them, one and all, q general pardon. Iwlll
present you with no view founded upon the
constitntionality of the Act under which they
are suffering, or even Of its doubtful constitn-
tionality, but appeal to you to- do; as Mr.: Jeter
son did with those who were imprisoned under
the Alien Act of 1898, give them q release un-
der the pardoning power wisely lodged IN such
cases in the hands of the Executive.
IF my dear sir, this petition cannot be grant
ed t trust it will not be deemed obtrusiYe. Let
it be attributed solely to my deep sympathy for
all who are in prison. This appeal shall put
in the hands of others, who hope may. after
giving It their endorsement, forward it to you.
ALEXANDER b. STEPHENS.