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oo ~~ do#s provide a remedy in the Lorn bf a civil action instituted on the part of the Attorney General." House Report No. 291, to accompany H.R. 6127, U.S. Code Cong. and Adm. News 1966, 1977 (1957) (Emphasis added) Although Congress narrowed the subject matter of the statute to voting rights, there is nothing narrow about the acope of the Act as to interference with voting rights. The statute is not limited te physical acts or to direct interference with the act of voting but applies to-- | “any act or practice which would deprive any other person of any right or privilege secured by subsec- tion (a) or (b). . .” The statute applies to "any person” who shall-- "intimidate, threaten, coerce or attempt to intimi- date, threaten or coerce for the purpose of inter- fering. with the right of such person to vote." There is no doubt that this language applies to private indi- viduris, And there is very little doubt that the Act protects the right to register and to engage in activities encouraging citizens to register. As discussed more fully elsewhere, registration is an 18 integral, indispensable part of the voting process, It is also a ; Le stage that is vulnerable to abuse by the registrar or to unlawful con- i: duct by private persons. Ever since the Supreme Court outlawed the “white” primary, it has been apparent that the main battleground in 19 the war cover Negro suffrage would be the registration office. ' See, : for example, the description of the activities of the citizen ‘Ceuneils and parish registrars in United States v. Louisiana, E.D.La. 1553, 22! F. Supp. 353, 378-80. Congress was well aware that a mejor mi:chief to be combatted in the 1957 Act was economic coercion ard thre:ts of intimidation by private persons that would deny or interfer: with the Negro's access to registration. , lore often than not, the economic coercion, and intimidation by priva:e persons are triggered by an educational campaign to ercourag.: registration. United States v. Beatty, 6 Cir. 196), 2b8 F. 21 653 is a case in point. Tne case arose in Haywood - Ff -