The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-03-01
The Ku KIux Report.

The investigation into the con.
dition of the South. with especial
reference to the organization and
outrages of the Ku Klux Klan, has
finally resulted in the presentation
of voluminous majority and minor
ity reports from the Joint Selt ct
Committee charged with that duty.
The majority report is made up
and signed by the Repu licans OF
the Committee, while the minority
report is the work of the Democrat
ic members. The result of the in
vestigatiOn thus takes on a politicsl
complexion and will be received by
both parties as a justification of
their own views on the Southern
situation. The facts, however,
which have transpired during and
subsequent to this investigation, and
especially the Ku Klux trials in
South Carolina, have largely fore
stalled these reports and given credit
and confirmation to the Republican
presentation of the case. The min
ority report furthermore, makes con-
cessions which 60 far to invalidate
their own denials; as for example,
in acknowledging shat bodies of
disguised men have, in several States
of the South, been guilty of the most
fragrant crimes, for the commission
of which the wrong doors should
suffer speedy and condign punish
ment;" and again, in the conclusion
of their report, that many of them
1.-THE exrehels) took the law into
their own hands and did deeds of
violence which we (the Democratic
Committeeman neither justify nor
excuse" But they ''deny that these
men have any general organization,
or any political significance, or that
their conduct is endorsed by any
respectable number of white people
in any State" This is the main
point of the Democratic defense.
The outrages are admitted but not
the organization or political purpose
of the Klan; and the blame for the
outrages is sought to be shifted on
to the shoulders of the Republican
party policy in treating the South,
and upon the negro population of
the South for their laziness, ig~ or
ance and thieving propensities. But
the pretence that the ex-rebels were
driven into Kukluxism to defend
themselves against their ex-slaves
is transparently absurd; and the al
legation that the outrages of the
Klan are accidental AMI sparodic
cases of retaliation against negro
and carpet-bag ascendency, is refu
ted by the most abundant and con-
vincing testimony. The confessions
of the Ku Klux themselves are con-
elusive on this point. The consti-
tuition and secret oatbs and watch
words of the order declare their OBJ
ject ''to oppose and reject the prin
ciples of the radical party;" and the
expressions made by these bandits
to their victims when indictln9 their
scourging upon men and their out
RACES up n women, furnish full cor.
roboration. The mojority report
declares that testimony to he uni
form, and adds: ''If out of their
own mouths we condemn them, it
must be on the ground of their hos
tility to the government and to the
enjoyment by the negro of the
rights conferred on him by the
amendments to the Constitution and
BY the laws which they are organized
to oppose"
In view Of the impossibility of
conduC ting prosecutions in the usual
manner, and of the large number ofI
Ku KIux cases still pending, the ma
jority report recommends that the
section of the Ku Klux act author
ing the suspension of the habeqs !
corpus be extended till the end ofI
the next session of Congress. And
it also seconds the recommendation
of the Presidents message for the
extension Of a general amnesty to
the eX rebels, in order to remove any
possible ground ofco nplaint or ius-
tfcatiOn of Ku KIuxi>m on account
of existing disabilities. We hone
that his last Recommendation will
influence the Senate to concur in
the House amnesty bill, so as to set
lie and dispose of that bone of con-
,ention before the coming Presiden-
,ial convass.-Leader.
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