The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-01-25

disgrace to- civilization, and it is, perhaps,
because the administration pcrccivcs that
the,eountry feels this that the prosecution
lns been stopped. Instituted tor POLITICAL
purposes, they have aroused languld DIS
gust for their author rather than venemous
snate for the South, which was desired, and,
as having thus failed of their purpose, have
beep discontinued. In thenext- President
isEanyass the KuKlux trials will hardly
be an issue save in so far as administration
speakers may be forced to palliate and apol-
orize for the gross outrages upon law, justice
and deceney which have marked their
course, Failing thus in their intended oh-
iects Of making capital for the Republ-
sansaominee in the approaching campaign
for the Presidency, these trials have yet
their uses. 1t is impossible to review them
without exciting wholesome horror OF one
Of the worse forms of despotism-that which
cloaks itself unler the forms Of law TO all
outward appearance. everything was regular;
the law, was passed by Congress; the lndlct-
iments were found by a Federal jury; the ac-
cused were allowed counsel; there were wit
,nesses and Judges, and pleas and verdlcts,
and all the usual paraphernalla and incidents
Of due administration Of justice; and to
suunlenent all this circumstantiality there
were divers confessions Of guilt in open
court. as if even out of the mouth OF the
prisoner at the bar proceeded a testimony
to the pro,pricty Of Ills trial and the exist
ence of his crime. Looking beneath the
suffice horrible travcrsity Of justice ap-
pears In the first place, in the eye OF Con
grcss itself there appeared no original nc
ccssitJ for this Ku-klux act. The Forty
first Congress came to an end on the 4th OF
Msrch, 1871, and was succeeded BY the
Earty-secsud, which speedily objected AN or.
.Ahkation and stood ready by the 7th to ad-
iourn. Word to this effect was sent to MIR.
Grant, who forthwith urged the two houses
not to to7adiourn until he could call thelr atten-
eion to certain legislation they had omitted,
but he desired Towards the close Of the
month the nature of this legislation was In
dicated 1t was the Ku-Klux Bill. At
first the House WAS strongly opposed to its
passag62and even in the Senate signs ofsub-
ordination appeared; but in the end party
discipline and the power Of public patronage
prevailed and the bill was passed. This was
in April 1871; but, as if to vindicate those
members who had objected that no such leg
islation was necessary nothing was done III
the premises until after the October election.
PENNSYLVANIA aud Ohio went Republican and
as if taking this as an assurance that nc
might proceed with ANY violence, Mr.. Grant
f,rtLwlth began to operate his Pct law. The
elections came. off on the 10th Of October,
and on the 18th the first South Carolina
Proclamation under the ku-klux Act was
issued. 1t was announced that rebellion
existed and all therein CONCERNED were
warned to, d.spcrse vi thip fire days-too
short time for the alleged insurgents to re-
ccive notice, but as it was never intended
that an opportunity should be given the me-
ifaced district to eXoncratc themselves, per-
Aaps The liue made no difference. At the
end, Of five days it was announced that the
insurgents would not disperse-athough the
sauneshortness Of time which prevented them
from learning the warning, also forbade Mr.
Eralt who was then off Un pleasure trip in
Naiae from knowing that they had dcied
|aisnotice-ad the arrests began. As the
privilege of the writ of hateds corpus was
Suspended no one could force bis captors to
Glow their authority for arrest. The dra-
Igoops simply collarcd any one whom they
were directed and flung him into Jail. When
the jails We've full to !everlowing the trials
began. The Grand .Juries finding the in
dictmeits we're negroes the witnesses on
whose testimony they relied we're negroes or
aebsgched white fellows hired for the pur7
poscg gaud Jurors trying the casos, again
were negroes. The evidence taken was that
Of the scum of the earth, as one story brought
to light in the course Of the trials will prove
A certain planter was accused before the
nearest military officer Of whipping one of
his hands. The negro swGre point blank
that he had been fogged, giving at the de-
mand Of his employer the day and hour. The
planter Immediately put on the stand four
of the injured 'aarkey's fellow-laborers, who
swore pont-blank that at the time mention
ed their employer was off with them in a
Astantfeld. Asa matter of course the off,
ecrstzouee released the planter, who then
askcdif the case was over, Certainly, he re-
piled, you can not be troubled again. To
which the planter responded: l can have
you pfoeen' guilty Of murder for five dollars,
I,diJ whip, that negro, and my other hands
swore me off, as they would in the most cir.
cumstantial manner swear that they saw YOU
cut mans throat Il is on record that the
officer hcnceforth placed no reliance on the
testimony of freedmen, and yet it is on this
kind ofIevidcnce that these Ku-Klux trials
Base been conducted. Two dollars per day
and expenses was the,payment made out Of
the1 limited States Treasury to the witnesses
IN the Federal court at Columbia, and all ac-
counts concure that the. town swarmed with
tl!ckssu ready Of course to. testify to
trder:Oa Subsidiary to these main wit
nessas,were sooundrel white men, the. pari-
abs Of their several villages es-creatures who
answer in the S6dffi ito Che "bummers" of
our large Northern cities-drunken, dis
eased, blear.eyed, filthy wrecks of humanity