Under the provisions
of the above act I issued a proclamation[48] calling the attention of
the people of the United States to the same, and declaring my reluctance
to exercise any of the extraordinary powers thereby conferred upon me,
except in case of imperative necessity, but making known my purpose to
exercise such powers whenever it should become necessary to do so for
the purpose of securing to all citizens of the United States the
peaceful enjoyment of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution
and the laws.
After the passage of this law information was received from time to time
that combinations of the character referred to in this law existed and
were powerful in many parts of the Southern States, particularly in
certain counties in the State of South Carolina.
Careful investigation was made, and it was ascertained that in nine
counties of that State such combinations were active and powerful,
embracing a sufficient portion of the citizens to control the local
authority, and having, among other things, the object of depriving
the emancipated class of the substantial benefits of freedom and of
preventing the free political action of those citizens who did not
sympathize with their own views.
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