The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-08-07
w. D. PORTER,
J. B. KERSHAW,
R. NJ. SIMS.
DEpARTMENT OF JUSTICE,

WASHINGTON, July 81, 1873.
Aessrs Porter, Kershaao and Sims, Washing
ton-GENTLEaEN: Your letter of yesterday,
intended to elicit from me public expression
of the policy of the government in relation to
prosecutions and prisoners under the enforce
ment acts, is received. I have to say, in an
swer, that as indicated in his conversation with
you, the President has communicated to me
what have heretofore understood to be his
wish, that the persons accused and convicted
of offences under the said acts should be treat
ed with as much leniency as possible, without
prejudice to the ends for which they were
passed. 1t must, however, be distinctly under
stood, that this action by the government is not
prompted by any doubt as to the necessity or
validity of the said acts, or of the necessity
and Justice of the convictions already had un-
der them, to prevent and punish high crimes.
The belief is that the Ku 'Klux Klans have,
through the said convictions, been already, II
not altogether, broken up, and that those who
were concerned or sympathized with them have
come to see the folly, wickedness and danger OF
such organizations.
You have been pleased to say to me, and
similar assurances have been given Dy others
seeking the same object, that the executive
| clemency at this time in the Ku ,Klux cases
would remove many causes Of uneasiness. and
irritation now existing, and conduce generally
to the public peace and tranquility, and the
proposed action is taken in reference to such
cases; and with the full expectation that these
assurances will be verified, you are informed
that the prosecutions now pending in the courts
for violations of the enforcement acts will be
! suspended or discontinued, and instructions to
that effect have already been given to several
district attorneys. But there may be excep-
tional cases, of great aggrayation, where the
government will insist upon conviction and
punishment. There are. however, but few
of such cases now within my knowledge
Persons who have absented themselves on
account of their completely or supposed COM
plicity in Ku Klux offences are at liber-
ty to return, and unless their crimes bring
them within the aboye-named exceptional
cases they will not be prosecuted. Many OF
those sentenced to imprisonment for such Of
fences have already been pardoned, and the
cases of the others are under consideration,
and will probably be disposed of in like man
ner, keeping in view the proper relation OF
their guilt.
To avoid any misconstruction of these pro-
ceedings, it is perhaps necessary for me to say
that all conspiracies and outrages in violation
of the said acts hereafter committed will be
prosecuted with all possible energy and vigor,
and it is to be understood that the government
does not intend to abandon the said acts, but
to induce if possible willing obedience to
! their reasonable requirements. Substantially
they are intended to protect citizens OF the
United States in the possession of their politi-
cal and civil rights, guaranteed to them by the
| late amendments to the constitution, and the
President, whose duty it is to see that the laws
are faithfully executed, would be recreant to
that duty if he did not so administer the gov.
ernment as to afford to all citizens the equal
| protection of its laws.
I have added these suggestions to the infor-
nation for which you ask, with sincere hope
that, by the exercise of mutual recognition
of each others rights by all clases of people,
no further necessity will arise tor their Protec-
tion and enforcement under said acts through
the action of the general government
GEO. q. WILLIAMS.