Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-02-21
The KukIux Committees Report.


=. RACES, the execution Of the laws, bad le,
. islation, official iboompeteney. CORFU
ton, etc. There is a remarkable occu
in renee Of testimony that the courts al
- juries administer justice between ma
at aud man in all ordinary eases, ciWl an
u criminal, but the evidence is equally d,
. cisive that redress caunot be obiaine
Of against those who commit crimes 10 di,
A guise and at night. The reasons assigne
are that identification is difficult, Almos
impossible; that, when this is attempted
the combinations and oaths Of the orde
come in and release the oulprt by per
Jury, either on the witness stand or in tn,
jury box, aud that the terror inspired b.
their acts, as well as by public sentiment
a in their favor, in many localities paral
i ICES the civil power. Numerous com
plants are made of the incapacity o.
many of the inferior magistrates. and in
several states the governors are charged
T. with abuse Of the Pardoning power, es-
peeially in favor of negroes.
The committee trace as far as they are
able the origin, extent, purposes and mode
: Of opertion Of the kuklux klan, the time
of whose organization is fixed in 1866,
and the testimony in reference to which
covers large number of pages. The OBJ
jet Of the kuklux was to oppose AMI re-
ject the principles of the radical party, as
shown by the constitution, to be accom-
plished by each member providing him
sclfwith pistol, kuklux gown and sig
nal instruments. IL cooboration were
necessary, it is found in the expressions
made by these bandits to their victims
when inaicting their scOurgings upon men
and outrages upon women. That testi-
mony is uniform, and if "out of their
own mouths we condemn Them" it must
be on the ground of their hostility to the
government and to the enjoyment by the
negro Of the rights conferred upon him
by the amedmeuts to the constitution and
by the laws which they are organizatied
to oppose. The refusal Of a large por-
ton of the wealthy and educated men to |
discharge their duties as citizens has
brought upon them the same consequences
that are icing suffered in northern cities
and communities from the neglect of
their business and educated men to par
tlcipate in governments of the people,
which make up selfgovernment. The
citizen in either section who refuses or neg
lects from any motive to take his part in
self-government has learned that he must
now suffer, and he lip to repair the evils
OF bad government. The newly.made
votes Of the South were, it is testified,
kindly disposed toward their former mas.
tiers. The feeling between them, even
yet, seems to be one of confidence in all
other than the political relation.
The refusal of their former masters to
in political reconstruction
necessarily left the negroes to be influence
ed by others. Many of them were elect.
ed to office, and entered it with an honest
purpose to do their duty, but were unfit
I'd for its discharge. Through their in Z,
trumentality, many unworthy white men,
having obtained their confidence, also pro- :
ured positions. In legislative bodies this
mixture Of ignorant but honest men with =
letter educated knaves gave an oppor-
unity for corruption, and this oppor- q
unity has developed a state of demorali- ;,
alton on this subject which may and does
cconnt for many Of the wrongs of which .,
he people justly complain. 1t is appa- :
ent at the same time that the demorali- q
alton is not confined to race or a poll G
cal creed, but presents specimens alike :.
the negro, the carpctbagger and the G.
hlte native citizens of both parties.
hese remarks are not applicable to all y
he reconstructed states, but they are to -
'veral of them. Taking South Carolina %
an Illustration aud it is certainly as .:
I'd In these respects as any of the states
and there can be no doubt that venali-
and corruption in the Legislature pre-
nj largely. Shus they are spoken of as b,
listing by men of all parties, and seem G.
be conceded. Certainly their exis- or
nee is almost universally believed by
e people Of the state. With such ma n
rial as legislature, and such views of j
rtue outside as are shown to have pre-
lied, corruption was inevitable. We
mt to the results of opinion in South :.
arolina in the fact that the negroes in
e nine counties in that state in which
lklux violence prevailed to such an ex-
ut as to call for the suspension of the
1T of habeas corpus in them are ac-
riding to the testimony of Judge Car -
inter-, much more intelligent than in any
TT of the state. The fact that they d,
9 3d. when placed alongside the list of ed