The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-03-06
A Vigorous Protest.


Upon. tae final passage of the bill to. make
an appropriation to pay claims arising. under
Gov. Scott's proclamation against the Ku Klux,
which bill appropriates the sum Of $4,000 for
that'purpese, anumbcr of Conservative Sena-
tors entered the following manly protest, which
was spread upon the journal of the Senate: :,
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance
with previous notice, enter our protest against
the passage of the Bill entitled ga Bill to make
an appropriation to pay claims arising under
the proclamation of the Governor OF this
State, dated July 2Sth, 1871" ON the following
grounds; -, ...,...
/. Because the proclamation Of the Governor
is SO broad and indefinite in its terms as to be
and no act of violence or murder specified, SO
as to enatle parties claiming the reward to es-
tablish their right to it., The power .ot the
Governor to offer rewards, in our Judgment,
does not authorize him to bankrupt the State
byS' a proclamation 81 broad as to cover every
section and every crime in the State. A procia-
nation must specify the particular crime, the
place where committed, and the time when, as
nearly as possible, and in no other way can
any one identify a particular arrest with the
arrest for which the reward may be offered. In
the present case, every thing is left to infer
ence. :, ;, - -.
2. Because, granting the proclamation to be
valid, it was not the duty of the Governor, nor m
is It the duty of the State, nor has the Governor
the p6we: to offer any rewards for the violation
Of the laws Of the United States, and We sub.
NIT that very few, if any; persons, under the
alleged proclamation, have been arrested by
State authority, and as yet convicted or held
aImneenable to the State laws, either for murder
or other act of violence; and hence that, there
being no one entitled TO a reward under the
PROCLAMATION as yet no appropriation can be
Justly made. '.'..,'..... 49,. - -
is designed to cover rewards offered BY him
and if both the foregoing reasons be over
thrown. chen these rewards shonld have been
Maid from that fund-and the Governor had
no power over to create any debt beyond its amount
without authority of the General Assembly.
q. Because in no sense can any legal or NOR
al obligation rest upon the State to pay for any
arrest made under the alleged purpose of this
proclamation. On the contrary, after all efforts
Of the State authorities with and without re:
ward. had failed to break up the Ku Klux or:
gan,iizatiicns, the General Government, through
its Chief Magistrate, interfered to protect the
people Of the State, issued its proclamation.
suspended the writ of Aabeas corpus, and sent
its officers, supported by the military arm OF
the Government, to take possession of the dis
affected sections and arrest offenders and hold
them for trial before its tribunals. That the
arrests we're made under and by virtue of the
express authority Of the General Government
and without reference to the proclamation OF
the Governor of South Carolina, which was
thereby superseded; that the officers making
these arrests were in the pay of the United
States, and executed its orders, and were not as
much entitled to a reward for the discharge oi
their duly rs the soldiers on the frontier pro-
tecting citizens of the frontier States from the
deperdations of the Indians. - 10: -
.-5.r 9Betause there being no moral or'iegal OBJ
LEGATION growing out of the proclamation IN
favor of any known person, and the State be-
ing already heavily oppressed with debt, how
ever behefcial to her interests the acts OF the
General Government through its paid officers
MAY appear, in suppressing the great consspira-
cy. known as lfhe Ku Klux, no more thana
gratuity as Compliment to Colonel Merrill
could BE- expected, and even this under our
present embarrassed condition, should, if moth
ing else, be bepostponed. ~ -" , ,'.,''
6. If she appropriation can be sustained asa
claim. gtowing out of a legal obligation of the
State, tEen, from statements made on the floor
ofithe Senate, thirty-five thousand dollars do
not, and cannot satisfy the case, and we doubt
if five hundred thousand dollars would cover
the alleged obligation. Who. for moment,
can admit that the Governor Of a State, upon
his own motion, can involve State to such an
extent ty proclamation. If the legal obiiga-
ton EXITS then we cannot stop at the amount
named with any show ofjustice. IL 'H ''',7 -
Z, We. in submitting this. protest, desire N
express our adherence Of the Ku Kiux and
theirdeeds of violence, and our gratitude To
the General Government for its prompt action
80 81 r JOHN WILSON, g '
. is- ~ +ufs1 w q KEITH ~ ~