New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-22
Ku.K.ux Committees Report.
A Washington dispatch Of Sunday say

A Washington dispatch Of Sunday says:
The Joint committee to morrow report on
the condition OF affairs in the late insurrec
tionarv States. The evidence taken in
Washington and South Carolina is sub
mitted as is also the report of the sub
committee aud digest of the reports of the
executive officers in these States. The tes-
timony taken in other States is yet unpre-
pared, and will be submitted in a supple
mentary report. The committee say an
inquiry has been made into the commission
of outrages, execution OF laws, bad legis-
lation. official incompetency, corruption,
etc There is remarkable concurrence of
testimony that courts and juries admins
tered justice between man and man i'll all
ordinary cases, civil and criminal, but
evidence is equally decisive that redress
cannot be obt aimed against those who com
init crimes in disguise and at night. The
reason is assigned that Identification is
difficult and almost Impossible, and 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 ter
rOr inspired by their acts. as well as public
sentiment in their favor i'll many localities,
paralyses the arm of civil power.
Numerous complaints have been made of
the incapacity OF many interiOrana & istrates,
and III several States Governors are
especially in favor of negroes, which will be
considered subsequently.
The committee trace, as far as they are
able, the origin, extent. purposes and mode
of operation of the ku-kuX klan, the time
of whose organization is fixed in 1866, testi
mony in reference to which covers 400
pages of the report of the subcommittee
of election in Louisiana and contested cleo
ton cases in 1868. The object of the ku-
Il Ina "a
pies of the radical party, as shown by the
constitution, to be accomplished by each
member providing himself with pistol
ku-kluX gown and signal instruments. Ii
corroboratOn were needed it could be found
in expressions made by these bandits to
their victims when intllctlng their sconrg
ings on men and their Outragts on women.
That testimony is uniform. and O,!t OF their
own mouths We condemn them. 1t must be
on the ground OF their hostility to the gov
.ernment, and to the enjoyment 10y the ne
oro of the rights conferred on HIM by the
amendments TO the constitution, and by the
laws which they are organized to oppose.
The refusal OF large portion of wealthy
and educated men to discharge their duties
as citizens has brought on them the same
consequences which are being suffered in
Northern cities and communities from
neglect of their business, and of educated
men to participate III all movements of the
people which make up self government.
The citizen in other sections who refuses or
neglects from any motive to take his part in
self government. has learned that he must
now suffer or help to repair the evils or bad
government.
The newly made voters of the South at
the close of the war, it is testified, were
kin,ile disposed toward their former mas
ters The feeling between them even yet
seems to be one Of confidence in all other
than their political relations. The refusal
OF their former masters to participate IN
political reconstruction of a necessity lett
the negroes to be influenced by others.
MANY OF them were elected to office and en-
tered it with honest intentions to do their
duty, but were untitled for its discharge.
Through their instrumentallty, many un
worthy white men, having obtained their
confidence, also procured public positions in
legislative bodies. This mixture ofignorant,
but honest men, with better educated
knaves, gave opportunity for corruption, and
this opportunity has developed 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 demor-
alization is not confined to race, nativity or
political creed. but presents specimens alike
in the negro, the carpet bagger ana white
native citizen of both parties.
the reconstructed States, but they are to
several of them. Taking South Carolina
as an illustration, and it is certainly as bad
in these respects as any of the States, and
there can be no doubt that vcnalty and
corruption in the Legislature prevailed
largely there. They are spoken Of as ex-
isting by men Of all parties, and seem to be
conceded. Certainly, this instance is al
most universally believed by the people Of
Il, ,1 Fan tl,n
Legislature, and such views of virtue out
side as are shown to have prevailed, cor
rupticn was inevitable.
We point to results of an opinion in South
Carolina, in the fact that the negroes III nine
counties Of the State in winch kltklux vie
lence prevailed to such an extent as to call
for the suspension of the writ OF habeas
corpus in them, are according to the testl-
mollv OF Judge Carpenter, much more IN
telligent than any other part of the State
The race so recently emancipated, against
which punishment or sertdom Is thus de-
creed but which has been clothed by the
government with the rights and response
biitics of citizenship, ought not to be, and
we feel assured will not be left hereafter
without protection against the hostllties
and sutferings it has endured i'll the past as
long as the legal arm and constitutional
powers Of the government are adequate to
afford it. Communities suffering such, and
influenced by such extreme feelings, may
be slow to learn that relief can come only
from a ready obedience to, and support OF
the constituted authority, looking to the
modes provided by law for redress of griev
ances. That Southern communities do not
seem to yield this ready obedience at once
should not deter the friends of good govern
ment in both sections from hoping and
working for that end.
Northern communities, exasperated by
delay and INSTRUMENTATION, may be re-
minded that the elements of the two socle-
ties are widely different, composed of those
who a few wears since ruled the State, and
exacted obedience to their will from their
slaves, and held absolute sway over the
votes of their white dependents, but who
are now reduced in influence and in wealth
by the events of the war, and of the poor
white, who has found himself, as he sup
poses, degraded by the elevation of the ne
gro to political equality with him, his vote
before having been the chief badge OF his
superiority over the negro, OF not only vot-
ing, but ruling the State in office, with or
over his former master, or struggling with
the evils of poverty in the beginning OF life
for himself, after the best years OF his lie
have been spent in the service of others.
All these elements beget feelings and result
in disorders to which Northern communities
are strangers.
The strong feeling which led to the re-
bclIiOn and sustained the brave men, how
ever mistaken. in resisting the government
which demanded their submission to its au-
thority, the sincerity OF whose belief was
attested by their enormous sacrifices OF Life
and treasure, can not be expected to SUD
side at once, nor in years. 1t required the
first forty years to develop disatfection into
sedition and sedition into reason. Should
we not be patient if in less than ten we