Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-02-29
THE KU.KLUX.
Majority Report OF the Committee on
Outrages in the Southern states.
WAsn1NnroN. FebrunrH 1s.

submitted, as Is also the report of the sub
committee to digest the reports of the eN-
ecutive officers of the States. The testimony
taken in other States is yet unprepared, and
will be submitted in supplementary report.
THE STATE OF SOCIETY.
The Committee say inquiry mas been made |
into the commission of outrages, the execu- |
tibn of the laws, bad legislation. ofiirial in !
competency, corruption ctS. There is a re-
markable concurrence of testimony that the |
coairts and juries administer justice between !
man and man in all ordinary eases, civil and /
criminal, but tho evidence is equally decisive |
that redress cannot he obtained against |
those who commit crimes in disguise and at |
night. The reasons assigned rre that iaenti- |
ication is difficult and almost impossible;
that when this is attempted the combina-
tions and oaths of the Order come in and re-
lease the culprt by perjury either upon The
witness standQ or in the jhry-box, and that
the terrier inspired by their acts, rs well as
public sentiment in their favor in many
localities, paralyZc the arm Of the civil
power Numerous complaints are made
of incapacity of many of the inferior mag
lstrates, and in several States the
Governors are charged with abuse OF tie par
doning power, especially in favor OF negroes,
which will be considered subsequently.
TUE KHAN.
The Committee .s5Ie us far as they are
ah,e .hc origin, extent, purposes and mode
of operation of the Ku-Klux Klan, the time
of whose organization is fixed In IS6ai aia
the testimony in rPfere.te to which covers
l40 pages 81 the report Of the Sub Commit
| tee Of Elections in the Louisiana contested
/ election cases In 1873 The dbieCt Uf the
| KH-klns was TO oppose and reject the prin-
| ciples of the Radical party, as shown by the
4 constitution, to be accomplished by each
member providing himself With \ tistdt,
| ku-kiuS gown ard signal Instruments If
! corrnbSratlon were needed, it could be
found in the expressions made by these ban
dts to their victims when inficting their
scourgngs upon men and their outraqes
upon women. That testimony is uri1ofm,
and if cut Of therr own mouths we condemn
! them ii must be on the ground of their hos
/ tility TO the Government MID to the enjoy
| nieht by tht negro of the rights conferred
ON him by the Amendment to the Constitu-
| tion, and by the laws which they are organ-
! lied to oppose. The refusal Of d large por-
ton df the wealthy and educated men to
discharge their duties as citizens has brought
are being suffered in Northern cities and
communities from the neglect Of their
| business and educated fnen to par
ticipate in all movements OF this ped-
pie which max up self government. The
| citizen in either section who refuses or neg
lects, from any motive, to take his part in
self-govenment has learned that he must
now suffer and help to repair tile etils Of bad
government. The Iewly-made fnters Of tss
South, Mt the tlosS Of the war, it is testified,
nCiC hlHuIN ulbpOSOu lONdIu llltll
masters. 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 politi-
cal reconstruction necessarily left the negroes
to be influenced by others. Many of them
were elected to office, and entered it with hon
est intentions to do their duty, but were un-
/ fitted for its discharge. Through their instru-
/ mentality many unworthy white men hav-
ing obtained their confidence, also procured
IN1tbI Ahciti 4
mixture of ignorant but honest men with
better educated knaves, gave opportunity TO
corruption, and this opportunity has devel-
oped state of decentralization on this sub
iect which may and does account for MANY
of the wrongs of which the people Justly
complain: 1t is apparent of the same time
that the Generalization is not confined to
race, nativity or political creed, but presents
specimens alike in the negro, the
carpet-bagger, and white native citizens
not applicable to all 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 venality and corruption in the Legisla-
, ture prevailed largely. There they are spoken
of as existing by men of all parties, and seem
to be conceded. Certainly this is almost uni
versally believed by the people of the State
With such material as the Legislature, and
SuSh NlCHo VI NlTluc OutSiuG dS dIG SlONn lt
, have prevailed, corruption was inevitable
} We point to the results of opinion in South
Carolina in the fact that the negroes, in nine
counties of the State in which Ku-KluX VIC
lence prevailed to such an extent as to call
!, for suspension of the writ of hdbeds corpus
! in them, are, according to the testimony oi
Judge Carpenter, much more intelligent
[ than in any other part of the State. The
l fact that they are so when placed alongside
: of the list of men murdered and maltreated
Cd, -. +I,DN
quires the strong arm of the Government tC
protect its citizens in the enjoyment of theil
rights, to keep the peace, and prevent thi;
threatened, rather to stay this initiated, wal
of races until the experiment which it ha:
inaugurated, and which many Southern men
: pronounce now, and many more have swOrT
shall be made, a failure, can be de
termined in peace. The race so recently
emancipated, against which banishment
or serfdom is thus decreed, but
which has been clothed by the Government
with the rights and responsibilities of citi
zenship, ought not to be, and We feel as
sured will not be, left hereafter without pro
: lection against the hostilities and suffering:
, it has endured in the past, as long as the
! legal arm and constitutional powers of the
| Government are adequate to afford it. Com
munities suffering such evils, and Influenced
, by such extreme feelings, may be slow tC
learn that relief can come only from ready
obedience to and support of the constituted
authority.
THE MODES OF REDRESS.
t Looking to the modes provided by law fo
the redress of all grievances, that Southerl
communities do not seem to yield this ready
obedience at once should not deter thu
, friends of good government in both sections
from hoping and working for that end
Northern communities, eXasperated by de
lay and insubordination, may be reminded
| that the clements of the two societies arr
2 widely different, being composed of thos
' who, few years since, ruled the State ant
eXacted obedience to their will from thei
, slaves, and held absolute sway over the vote
of their white dependents, but who are nov
l reduced in influence and in wealth by tn
events of the war and of the poor white
who has found himself, as he supposes, de
) graded by the elevation of the negro t.
: political equality with him-his vote be
fore having been the chief badge of hi
superiority over the negro-of not onl
voting but ruling the State, in office wit
or over his former master, or struggling wit
the evils of poverty in beginning life for him
II self after the best years of his life have bee
II spent in the service of Others. All these ele
s ments beget feeling, and result in disorder
IS to which Northern communities are straT
e gers. The strong feeling which led to tn
+ rebellion and sustained brave men, howeve
!, mistaken, in resisting the Government whic
= demanded their submission to its authority
:, the sincerity of whose belief was attested b
u their enormous sacrifices of life and treasur
Il this feeling cannot be expected to subsid
It at once, nor in years. 1t required full fort
/, years to develop disaffection into seditior
O and sedition into treason. Should we not b
c patient if, in less than ten, we have fai
a prospect of seeing so many who were arme
5 enemies become obedient citizens? Shoul
{ we not give all encouragement to those VIII
II manifest disposition now to become sucl
: especially when it is shown that in many SCI
r, tions wellaisposed men were deferred b
J. fear of the power of an armed and desperat
f. conspiracy from atfording aid to the author
# ties in enforcing the law? But while we il
:, woke this forbearance and conciliation, full
= recognizing that they form far the large;
part of the Southern people, and that n
a luctant obedience is all that is to be hope
IS for, let it be understood that less tina
e obedience the Government cannot a
g cept. Obedient citizens they cannot
. considered who, themselves complaining {
- bad laws, excuse or encourage masked an
! armed mobs that override all law. Brave an
y y. magnanimous enemies, even, they cannot
u reckoned, who permit remnants of rebe
n lions feeling the animosities of race. or IL