The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-04-25

the purpose of preventing the free political
actions of citizens who were friendly to the
Constitution and Government of the United
States, and Of depriving the emancipated
class Of the equal protection of the laws
These combinations embrace at least two
thirds of the active. white men OF those coun-
ties, and have the sympathy and countcnance
of the majority Of the other third. They are
connected with SIMILAR combinations in other
counties and States, and ar are, no doubt
part of grand system of criminal assocla-
tions pcrvadlng the Southern States. The
mcmbers are bound together by oaths which
they are taught to regard as Of higher obli-
CATION than the lawful oath taken before a
magistrate; they are organized and armed;
they effect their objects by personal violence;
often extending to murder; they terrlty wit
nesscs, they controljuries in the State courts,
and some times in the courts Ct Uni ed
States. Systematic spying is one OF the
means by which prosecution of members is
defeated. From information given by Gill
GERS of the State and of the United States,
and by crcditablc private persons,I am JUS
tilted in affirming that the instances OF per.
sonal violence pcrpctrated by the members Of
these combinations within the last twelve
months in the above named counties could
be reckoned by thousands. ...
received information of similar import
from various sources, among which were the
! Joint Committee Of Congress on Southern
Outrages, the officers Of the State, the Mill
tary officers Of the United States on duty
in South Carolina, the United States Attor-
ney and Marshal, and other officers of the
Government repentant and adjuring men.-
bers of these unlawful organizations, persons
especially employed by the department. of
Justice to detect crimes again the United
States. and from other credible sources
Most, if not all this information, except that
obtained from the Attorney General, came to
me orally, and was to the effect that said
counties were under the control Of powerful
organizations, properly known as the "ku-
Klux Klan," the objects Of which were, by
force and terror to prevent all political action
not in accord with the views Of its members,
to deprive colored citizens Of the right to
free ballot, to suppress schools in which
colored children were taught, and to reduce
the colored people to a condition nearly allied
to that Of slaves; that these combinations
were organized and armed, and had rendered
the local law.inetfcctual to protect the class
Of citizens whom they wished to oppress;
tSat they had committed many murders and
hundreds Of crimes of minor degree. all ot
which were unpublished, and that witnesses
could not safely testify in court there unless
the more active members were placed under
restraint.
CSigncd) US. GRANT,
Ececutiive Mansion, AprI19h, 1872.
1t will thus be seen that 9. President OF
the United States has descended to appear
before the country as the vindictive enemy
of helpless people, and who, to achieve GER
tain ends of bis own, is willing to destroy
the social aswcll as public standing of the
citizens of q portion of the country. The in
tention Of this ''mcssage" is two-fold: first,
to inAame the public mind, and by the aid
ofhis reckless supporters attemptto to create a
new the old feelings of sectional hatred and
second, to force through the exhibition OF
this distorted picture the passage of'the cx-
tension Of bayonct rule over the South. 1t
has been developed during the last few weeks.
that many prominent Radicals have reponted
of placing so great power in the hands OF
such and indiscrcte Chief Magistrate. and
are also becoming alarmed at the feeling
which is arising at the prospect of forcing the
election of Grant at the point Of the bayo-
net, and in consequence this horrible picture
is drawn to increase the ill-feeling Of the
Radical Congressman, and induce them,
while wholly under this feeling, to acqulesce
the wishes of the reckless leaders, and vote
to allow the Southern vote.to be manipulated
by the army ring in the interests Of the
Philadelr rhia nominee: The message was re
ferre to the committee on the Iusurrcction-