Without Life, Nothing Matters.

SPECIAL EDITION

Political Solutions Series (2016)

Dinesh D'Souza and I must be channeling the same source of truth. Below is an update to my 2014 column.

The Democratic Party

Clearly, The "Go-To" Party Of The Ku Klux Klan

This is a thirteen (13) volume collection of reports and testimonies from a Congressional committee that investigated the Ku Klux Klan and other insurrectionary movements in the former Confederacy after the close of the Civil War. The committee made their report in 1872. ¹

On the 23d of March, 1871, Ulysses S. Grant, both Republican and President of the United States of America sent to Congress a message, in which he said: "A condition of affairs now exists in some of the States of the Union rendering life and property insecure, and the carrying of the mails and the collection of the revenue dangerous. The proof that such a condition of affairs exists in some localities is now before the Senate. That the power to correct these evils is beyond the control of State authorities, I do not doubt. That the power of the Executive of the United States, acting within the limits of existing laws, is sufficient for present emergencies, is not clear." He recommended legislation to secure Life, Liberty, and Property, and the enforcement of law in all parts of the United States. In pursuance of this recommendation, "An act to enforce the provisions of the Fourteenth (14th) Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of American (also known as the Enforcement Act of 1871, the Civil Rights Act of 1871, the Force Act of 1871, the Ku Klux Klan Act, the Third Enforcement Act, and the Third Ku Klux Klan Act) was passed by the 42nd United States Congress and signed into law by Republican President Ulysses S. Grant on Thursday, April 20th, 1871.² The Fourteenth (14th) Amendment gave citizenship rights and equal protection under the law to former slaves following the American Civil War. As such, the Third Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 empowered the President to suspend the writ of habeas corpus to combat the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other White Supremacy organizations during the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877). These 1872 Congressional documents irrefutably prove that Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan. ³

Sworn And Examined Testimony

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Lieutenant General Forrest served the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865 and became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). To his credit he later distanced himself from the Ku Klux Klan. ⁴

Here is General Nathan Bedford Forrest's testimony from his interview in the Cincinnati Commercial, published on Friday, August 28th, 1868 ⁵ on page ten (10) of the congressional committee report above: Cincinnati Commercial: "What is the character of the organization (i.e., Ku Klux Klan), may I inquire?" General Nathan Bedford Forrest: "Yes, sir. It is a protective, political, military organization. I am willing to show any man the constitution of the society. The members are sworn to recognize the Government of the United States. It does not say anything at all about the government of the State of Tennessee. Its objects originally were protection against Loyal Leagues and the Grand Army of the Republic; but after it became general it was found that political matters and interests could best be promoted within it, and it was then made a political organization, giving its support, of course, to the Democratic Party." ⁶

Luke Potter Poland

On Tuesday, April 18th, 1871, James G. Blaine, the Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed an investigative committee, on the part of the House of Representatives to investigate the condition of the late insurrectionary States. Luke Potter Poland, a former United States Senator and Representative from Vermont (1865-1867) was elected Chairman of the committee.⁷ Please click here to read Chairman Poland's interview of Marcus M. Wells from the original report.⁸ Below is a portion of Poland's interview with Marcus M. Wells, an admitted member of the Ku Klux Klan for your consideration:

North Carolina

Mr. Poland: Where do you live?
Mr. Wells: In Rutherford County, North Carolina, ten (10) miles from the village of Rutherfordton.
Mr. Poland: What is your business?
Mr. Wells: I am a farmer.
Mr. Poland: To what political party do you belong?
Mr. Wells: I have belonged to the Democratic Party.
Mr. Poland: Do you belong to any society or organization commonly called Ku-Klux?
Mr. Wells: Yes, sir. I have been sworn into that. They call it the Invisible Empire of America.
Mr. Poland: Ku-Klux is the name people generally call it?
Mr. Wells: Yes, sir.
Mr. Poland: What is the name which the members of the order themselves call it?
Mr. Wells: Invisible Empire of America.
Mr. Poland: How many Republicans do you know that belong to this order?
Mr. Wells: To the Ku-Klux order?
Mr. Poland: Yes, sir.
Mr. Wells: Well, I do not know exactly how many, but here were some.
Mr. Poland: What Republicans belonged to it?
Mr. Wells: Well, there was Mr. Hambrick; he was a Republican, or voted that way.
Mr. Poland: Voted that way when?
Mr. Wells: Every election, I think. I don't know how he would vote now; but he has always been, if I mistake not, a Republican. Then there was Mr. Harmon.
Mr. Poland: Do you understand that Mr. Hambrick is a Republican now?
Mr. Wells: No, sir. I think not now.
Mr. Poland: This organization is not understood to be a Republican institution?
Mr. Wells: No, sir. It is understood to operate against the Republicans. That is the way I understood it — to vote for Democratic candidates.
Mr. Poland: When you speak of Republicans belonging to it you mean that these men at some time did vote the Republican ticket?
Mr. Wells: I mean men that belong to the Republican Party until they joined the order [ i.e., the Ku Klux Klan) ]. Mr. Hambrick always voted with that party until he joined the order; but afterwards I suppose he would vote the other way.

South Carolina

Samuel T. Poinier, a one-time Democrat from Kentucky but in 1870 a United States commissioner in South Carolina, testified he was ordered to leave South Carolina in November, immediately after the election and soon after the appearance of the Ku Klux Klan.⁹ He testified that the first appearance of Ku Klux Klan trouble was at Limestone Springs, in Spartanburg County, two days prior to the election. A party of disguised men took two whites and three Negroes and whipped them. Please click here to read Chairman Poland's interview of Samuel T. Poinier from the original report.¹⁰ Below is a portion of Poland's interview with Samuel T. Poinier for your consideration:

Mr. Poland: Please state in what part of South Carolina you reside?
Samuel T. Poinier: In Spartanburg County, the most northern county in the State.
Mr. Poland: How long have you resided there?
Samuel T. Poinier: Since February, 1866, a little over five (5) years.
Mr. Poland: Were you in the Union Army?
Samuel T. Poinier: Yes, sir. I went out from Kentucky.
Mr. Poland: Proceed with your statement
Samuel T. Poinier: Just before our last campaign — it was May, a year ago — I went with Governor Orr and a number of the other citizens there and identified myself publicly with the Republican Party. I made my paper a Republican Paper. I did everything I could in the last State election for the reelection of Governor Scott and our other State officers. From that time I have been in very deep water.
Mr. Poland: During the time you were acting as United States commissioner, and in aid of the officers in upholding the revenue laws, were you at any time ordered way?
Samuel T. Poinier: Not at that time.
Mr. Poland: At any time?
Samuel T. Poinier: Well, I was ordered away last fall, immediately after our last election, in November. It was soon after the first appearance of this Ku-Klux organization, or whatever it is.
Mr. Poland: Go on and state any similar occurrences in that county since that time, of which you have derived knowledge in your capacity as United States commissioner, and as a citizen of that county.
Samuel T. Poinier: Since that time outrages of that nature have occurred every week. Parties of disguised men have ridden through the county almost nightly. They go to a colored man s house, take him out and whip him. They tell him that he must not give any information that he has been whipped. They tell him, moreover, that he must make a public renunciation of his Republican Principles or they will return and kill him. Just prior to my leaving home an old man came to town on sales day; he was a white man, sixty-eight years of age, who has had no connection whatever with the State government. Coming to town on sales day, he called a few of us together and showed us his back, stating that the Saturday night previous a party of disguised men came to his house, took him out and whipped him, and ordered him to come to town on sales day, and, in the presence of the crowd, publicly renounce his Republican Principles, and ask for pardon of the people for ever having identified himself with the Republican Party. Pie asked us what he should do. There was a lieutenant there in charge of twenty-four men, a little detachment of infantry sent up there on account of the disturbances. This lieutenant told the old man that he would send a squad of men down to his house, if he feared any trouble that night. The men who had whipped him had told him that unless he did this thing they would return and kill him, and that if he gave any information of what had occurred to him, they would kill him. The result was that the old man was obliged to get up there on the court-house steps in the presence of the people of the county and tell them that he was very sorry he had ever acted with the Republican Party, and hoped they would forgive him for it.

For the record, the first Black Americans in Congress were ALL REPUBLICANS.¹¹ Given that Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President of the United States of America, Black Americans mostly voted Republican after the Civil War through the early part of the 20th century. Since the Democratic Party established all White primaries in 1890, the Democratic Party didn't allow Black Americans to attend Democratic Conventions in any official capacity until 1924.¹² At this time most Black Americans lived in the South, where they were mostly prevented from voting at all. Ultimately it wasn't until 1944 when the last case ruling against the all White primaries was decided by the Supreme Court in the Smith v. Allwright case.¹³

Please click here to read Chairman Poland's interview of William Irwin from the original report.¹⁴ Below is a portion of Chairman Poland's interview with William Irwin for your consideration:

Mr. Poland: Do you reside in this county?
William Irwin: Yes, sir.
Mr. Poland: Where?
William Irwin: Here, within the corporate limits of this town.
Mr. Poland: How long have you been here?
William Irwin: Thirty years, except about four years I was in Greenville, [ South Carolina ].
Mr. Poland: Have you known any instance in this county in which disguised men, Ku-Klux, have inflicted violence upon members of the Democratic Party?
William Irwin: No, sir; that question I only heard discussed yesterday. I never thought of it before. I heard of some three or four persons who were Democrats, but I cannot state who they were, and therefore my testimony, I think, is worth nothing. Of course my impression is that the majority of these men whipped were perhaps nine-tenths of them Republicans, because they are almost all negroes. There are only a few white men, but I do not think they were punished as Republicans.
Mr. Poland: Have you known any cases where white men have been called upon by this organization [ i.e., the Ku Klux Klan) ] and whipped, and required to denounce their political belief?
William Irwin: I have heard of such and am bound to believe it.

Mississippi

Colonel A. P. Huggins helped establish Negro schools and assisted former slaves in achieving social equality.¹⁵ Soon Huggins was whipped nearly to death by the Ku Klux Klan and informed he would be "killed by the Klan en masse or privately by assassination" if he did not stop helping Negroes.¹⁶ While news of Colonel Huggins' brave fight with the Ku Klux Klan reached the North, he ultimately left the area.¹⁷

Please click here to read Chairman Poland's interview of Colonel A. P. Huggins from the original report.¹⁸ Below is a portion of Chairman Poland's interview with Colonel A. P. Huggins for your consideration:

Mr. Poland: Where do you live?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: I live at Aberdeen, Mississippi.
Mr. Poland: In what county?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: Monroe County.
Mr. Poland: How long have you lived there?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: I first went to the county of Monroe in October, 1865.
Mr. Poland: Have you resided there since that time?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: I was out of the county about eighteen months in the Freedmen's Bureau.
Mr. Poland: Of all these persons whom you have named as having been killed, whipped, or otherwise abused, which was the largest number, the Democrats or Republicans?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: Not a Democrat has been attacked in the county. Not one.
Mr. Poland: They have been entirely Republicans?
Colonel A. P. Huggins: Entirely.
Mr. Poland: So far as you know the person who belong to any of these bands [ i.e., the Ku Klux Klan) ], what are their politics
Colonel A. P. Huggins: They are all, without exception, Democrats, those that have been arrested; others have been charged with who have not been arrested.

Francis Preston Blair, Jr.

Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was a Union Army General during the American Civil War.¹⁹ He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.²⁰ In 1868 he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President.²¹ In 1871 Blair was one of the seven (7) Senators appointed to inquire into the condition of the late insurrectionary States.²² Since this William M. Lowe was called at the request of the minority his examination was conducted by General Blair in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday, October 13th, 1871.²³ Please click here to read General Blair's interview of William M. Lowe from the original report.²⁴ Below is a portion of General Blair's interview with William M. Lowe for your consideration:

Alabama

General Blair: State your present place of residence, Colonel.
William M. Lowe: I was born and raised, and still live, in Huntsville, Alabama.
General Blair: What is your age?
William M. Lowe: I will be thirty the 16th of next January.
General Blair: What is your business or profession?
William M. Lowe: Lawyer.
General Blair: Do you practice law here?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir. I practice law here and in this judicial circuit, and occasionally in Limestone, the adjoining county.
General Blair: What counties compose this judicial circuit?
William M. Lowe: Madison, Marshall, Johnson, De Kalb, Cherokee, Blonut, and I also practice occasionally in Limestone, which is not in this circuit.
General Blair: Were you at any time the solicitor for this district?
William M. Lowe: I was. I was elected solicitor in 1865 under the Patton government.
General Blair: You say that the Ku-Klux Klan embraced democrats exclusively Was there anything in that organization, so far as your knowledge extends which would exclude a republican?
William M. Lowe: No, sir, I think not. There may have been Republicans in it. I believe the organization in other counties included life-long Union men. I have been told so.
General Blair: Who are operating with the Republican Party?
William M. Lowe: Operating in that Klan for the purpose of preserving society.
General Blair: That was their excuse?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir.
General Blair: Were they recognized as Republicans?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir.
General Blair: And yet were members of the Ku-Klux Klan?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir. I have been told so.
General Blair: And voted the Republican Ticket?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir, I have been told so.
General Blair: You believed that?
William M. Lowe: Yes, sir.
General Blair: You believe that order [ i.e., the Ku Klux Klan) ] embraced Republicans) as well as Democrats)?
William M. Lowe: I believe it could do it. But I believe that in Madison County the order was composed exclusively of Democrats, so far as my knowledge goes, and that is no more than your information, or that of anybody else, it is just the common talk, but I have understood that in the counties of Jackson and Marshall disguised men, whether they were regular Ku-Klux or not, were composed of bands of Confederate and Federal soldiers. I know of one instance a remarkable instance where that I have no doubt it was true. I could go into details in reference to that if necessary.

The Democratic Party And The Klan

"While much early Democratic opposition occurred on a State by State or local basis, in 1866 Democrats formed a group that became national. Its declared purpose was to break down the Republican government and pave the way for Democrats to regain control in the elections. What was the name of that group? The Ku Klux Klan." ²⁵ — David Barton

A Brief History Of The Republican Party
From Its Organization To The Presidential Campaign Of 1884
Author: Smalley, Eugene Virgil, 1841-1899 ²⁶

The Republican Party

"I knew that however bad the Republican Party was, the Democratic party was much worse. The elements of which the Republican Party was composed gave better ground for the ultimate hope of the success of the colored man's cause than those of the Democratic Party." ²⁷ — Frederick Douglass

Clearly, the Democratic Party has found a Political Solution to winning elections today. In the last two (2) Presidential elections, 95% of the Black American vote in 2008 and 93% of the Black American vote in 2012 supported the Democratic Ticket.²⁸ So what happened to the Black American vote in almost the last one hundred and fifty (150) years since Juneteenth 1865? ²⁹ Has the Leprous Democratic Party of the past really changed its spots? I don't think so. To find out when the Black American vote started to move from the Party of Lincoln and learn what the Republican Party has to do to win in the twenty-first (21st) century, click here.

Hmmmm …

Will the Republican Party remember its humble beginnings, recapture its honored history, revive its Lincolnesque vision ³⁰ of governing for the many and recreate an America where all lives matter?

Without hesitation, my answer is YES! If we the people live out our biblical convictions in our everyday lives and demand that our government reflect our commitment to Christ with our vote, nothing can stand in our way.

In the mean time …

Brothers, we need to talk.

Reference(s):

01. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States" (http://bit.ly/1BGMKCb). United States Government Printing Office (GPO) "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States, made to the two Houses of Congress February 19, 1872." (http://bit.ly/1uP8XtT).
02. Enforcement Act of 1871 (Third Act), Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1ATL2uZ).
03. Philip Mullins, "The Ancestors Of George & Hazel Mullins", Chapter 12 - The Reconstruction Years, 1865-1900 (http://bit.ly/XQszTB) and David Barton, "Setting The Record Straight: American History in Black and White", WallBuilder Press 2004, page 50.
04. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1p2T4fv).
05. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", General Nathan Bedford Forrest's Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 10. (http://bit.ly/1qhUAcV).
06. Ibid.
07. Luke Potter Poland, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1ATWLtH).
08. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", Marcus M. Wells' Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 215 (http://bit.ly/1nYEENl), page 220 (http://bit.ly/1uEovl1).
09. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", Samuel T. Poinier' Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 25 (http://bit.ly/1r7Dhkl), page 26 (http://bit.ly/1qeoJdc) and page 27 (http://bit.ly/1u5iEaz).
10. Ibid.
11. African Americans in the United States Congress, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1uLzslR).
12. White Primaries, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/XQsJKH) and Blacks and the Democratic Party, A Project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheck.Org, Posted on April 18, 2008 (http://bit.ly/1ugQVjw).
13. Smith v. Allwright, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1qPYBvC).
14. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", William Irwin's Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 843 (http://bit.ly/1m9Lcx6), page 848 (http://bit.ly/1tbJmN6).
15. Letter About Ku Klux Klan Terror, 1871, Historical Text Archive (http://bit.ly/XsghA9) and Marilyn Mayer Culpepper, "All Things Altered: Women in the Wake of Civil War and Reconstruction", page 160 (http://bit.ly/1AU0asm).
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", Colonel A. P. Huggins' Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 265 (http://bit.ly/ZnuLTJ), page 286 (http://bit.ly/X9LCr6).
19. Francis Preston Blair, Jr., Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1pl6pyV).
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid.
22. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", Francis Preston Blair, Jr. Appointment op. cit., page 620 (http://bit.ly/1mjjo9D).
23. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", Francis Preston Blair, Jr. Called At The Request Of The Minority op. cit., page 871 (http://bit.ly/1o0yJax).
24. United States Congress "Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States", William M. Lowe's Congressional Testimony op. cit., page 871 (http://bit.ly/1o0yJax), page 899 (http://bit.ly/1qbVojw).
25. David Barton, "Setting The Record Straight: American History in Black and White", WallBuilder Press 2004, page 48,49 (http://bit.ly/1uLtC3W). Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black & White Video: (http://bit.ly/1r46bkZ) and (http://bit.ly/YWzbkm)
26. Eugene Virgil Smalley, "A Brief History Of The Republican Party From It's Organization To The Presidential Campaign Of 1884", New York: John B. Alden, Publisher, 1884 (http://bit.ly/1BSH601).
27. Frederick Douglass, John R. Mckivigan, "The Frederick Douglass Papers: Autobiographical writings", Yale University Press, page 408 (http://bit.ly/1wuHCyd).
28. United States Presidential Election, 2008, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1r62IRQ) and United States Presidential Election, 2012, Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/1rjbZYn).
29. Juneteenth, National Registry, Juneteeth Organizations and Supports (http://bit.ly/UtgPoU).
30. John Nichols, "When the Republicans Really Were the Party of Lincoln", The Nation, July 2, 2014 (http://bit.ly/1m983pZ).