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Title: The Modern Ku Klux Klan
Author: Fry, Henry Peck
Language: English
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THE MODERN KU KLUX KLAN
BY HENRY P. FRY
BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT, 1922
BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
Printed in the United States of America
THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
PREFACE
It seems strange that, in narrating events and analyzing an organization
existing in the United States of America in the year 1921, the most
appropriate introduction to the subject consists of a few pages from the
history of Germany during the Middle Ages. There existed in mediæval
Germany a secret organization, which, in its highest stage of development
is said to have numbered over 200,000 members--the _Vehmgericht_, or
secret tribunal. Its origin is clouded in obscurity, some authorities
claiming that the system was first founded by Charlemagne, while others
say that it was handed down from the most remote pre-historic Germans, but
is understood generally to have first appeared in the year 1180 in
Westphalia, after which it scattered all over Germany.
Its head was the Emperor, assisted by the nobles of his court, and with
them men of all ranks, associated together for the formation of "free
courts," to try persons accused of crimes against persons and property.
The members of the organization were known as "_Wissende_," or initiated
ones. They were bound by solemn oaths not to reveal the circumstances of a
trial or the sentence imposed on the offender if found guilty; and in
order to become one of the brotherhood the applicant was required to be
of good character, and have two sureties who were already "free judges." A
ceremony of initiation, usually held in some out-of-the-way place,
inducted the outsider into the organization, and thereafter, he was
required under his solemn oath never to reveal the fact that he was a
member of the brotherhood. The initiated ones recognized each other by
signs.
The _Vehmgericht_ could be summoned at any time and place, in private
buildings, in the forests, in caves, or in the open fields; they were
occasionally held publicly, but usually they were closed against all but
the initiated and the accused person. The Emperor, or, in his absence, the
count or noble of highest dignity presided, and if any uninitiated person
intruded, he was immediately put to death. The secret tribunal met when
necessary and received complaints, to answer which they assumed the right
to summon any one in Germany. Ordinarily, the accused was arrested and
held by his captors for the secret trial, but if he had not been arrested,
he was summoned to appear by fastening on his door or gateway the summons
of the dreaded court, which usually had enclosed in it a small coin. If he
failed to appear or send a messenger, he was condemned, as despising the
jurisdiction of the Holy _Vehmgericht_, and once condemned there was
little chance of his life while he remained in Germany.
The condemnation of an offender by a Vehmic Court was known to the whole
brotherhood in a short time; and even if it were the father, brother, or
son of one of the initiated who was condemned, he not only might not warn
him of his danger, but was bound to aid in putting him to death under
penalty of losing his own life.
The death penalty, the usual decree of the court, was generally inflicted
by hanging. When executed the victim was hanged to the nearest tree,
nothing of value which he might have about him being removed, and a knife
was thrust into the ground as a token that the deed had been committed by
order of the brotherhood.
The _Vehmgericht_, although an irresponsible tribunal possessing this
extensive and dreadful authority, became a power so formidable that
Charles IV, in 1371, stipulated for its official recognition. Exercising
its despotic dominion under such obligations of severity, the brotherhood,
however, in 1461, incurred the hostility of those who feared to become its
victims, as well as those who saw in it an engine capable of terrible
oppression, and an association was formed to resist it. The result was
that, in 1495, Maximilian I established a new criminal code, materially
weakening the secret tribunals. Secret trials are said to have been held
as late as 1811, although the brotherhood ceased to excite terror or exert
any considerable influence before the close of the seventeenth century.
In the year 1914 the prosaic American people, self-satisfied in a
national peace and prosperity that superficially appeared to be a
permanent condition, were suddenly awakened to find themselves spectators
of the great drama staged by Emperor William Hohenzollern, who suddenly
plunged all Europe into the throes of a Napoleonic war.
In the year 1915 another "Emperor"--this time an American--conceived a
scheme, which, instead of reversing time merely for one hundred years,
would take the nation back to the days of German mediævalism--back to the
_Vehmgericht_, the secret tribunal and the days of irresponsible
government clandestinely administered.
This monstrosity, conceived in a brain that must have been either inanely
visionary or superlatively cunning, has been let loose in the land, where
for the past twelve months, it has been vigorously propagated by a highly
organized, highly industrious, and highly paid force of experienced and
trained propagandists. Its appeal is to group hatred and group prejudice;
its organization, which is strictly secret, has, in some of its units,
already followed the methods of the _Vehmgericht_; the title of its
"wizard" comes from the "_Wissende_" or initiated of the German
brotherhood; its structure is military; its aims are political; and,
openly calling itself the "Invisible Empire," it is an autocracy in
government, ruled by an "Emperor" who has placed himself on the throne for
life.
It was my privilege to have been a member--one of the "_Wissende_"--in
this secret movement, which is legally known as the Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan; and I had the opportunity of investigating it from the inside,
observing its direful potentialities.
When I became thorough acquainted with the thing, I withdrew from it, as I
felt that it was dangerous, vicious and absolutely out of place in the
American Republic. I therefore decided to expose it, and to make the
"Invisible Empire" visible to the people of the United States. To
accomplish this desired end, I turned over to the _New York World_ all of
the information I possessed; and that great newspaper, after three months
of nation-wide investigation, told the people the truth about Ku Kluxism,
and the "Invisible Empire."
Supplementary to the work of the _New York World_, I offer this book,
which consists largely of articles written as an investigator for that
newspaper, many of which were used as a basis for its investigations. To
the _World_ belongs all the credit for this exposure and investigation,
and when the American people fully understand and thoroughly realize what
Ku Kluxism means, they will, of course, feel obligated to the _World_ for
its work in undertaking and carrying out the task of eliminating this
un-American movement from this country.
Personally, I wish to express my deep appreciation to Mr. Herbert B.
Swope, Executive Editor, Mr. William P. Beazell, Assistant Managing
Editor, and Mr. Rowland Thomas, of the _New York World_, both for having
taken hold of the matter and so ably handling it, and also for their many
acts of courtesy shown to me while the work was in progress.
HENRY P. FRY.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
_Page_
PREFACE iii
_Chapter_
I. INTRODUCTION 1
II. JOINING THE KU KLUX KLAN 12
III. MY WITHDRAWAL 17
IV. WHAT IS THE "INVISIBLE EMPIRE?" 31
V. PROPAGATION NEWS-LETTERS 52
VI. THE KU KLUX OATH 66
VII. THE KU KLUX RITUAL 82
VIII. ANTI-NEGRO PROPAGANDA 94
IX. RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA 107
X. THE ORIGINAL KU KLUX KLAN 121
XI. THE PRESCRIPT OF THE OLD KLAN 138
XII. COMPARISON OF OLD AND NEW KLANS 163
XIII. LAWLESSNESS AND CRIME 180
XIV. SIMMONS FORCED TO ACT 196
XV. SUGGESTED LEGAL REMEDIES 211
XVI. THE "WORLD'S" EXPOSURE 223
XVII. THE KLAN BEFORE CONGRESS 234
XVIII. CONCLUSION 251
THE MODERN KU KLUX KLAN
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
If the psychologist, looking over the diversified and conflicting
interests and classes of the American people, attempted to find a common
state of mind, he would probably discover one thing that applies to all
American men, without regard to "race, color, or previous condition of
servitude." He would learn that there is a common American trait possessed
by the white man and the negro, the Jew and the Gentile, the Catholic and
the Protestant, the native and the foreign-born--in fact by every
conceivable group of the males of the United States.
They are all "joiners"!
One has to search far and wide for an American who does not "belong" to
some sort of organization, and who would not, under proper circumstances,
join another.
I am a joiner-by-birth.
My joining developed at the early age of ten, when I organized a secret
society among the boys at school. We had an awful oath to which we swore,
and in imitation of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, sealed it with our
blood. We had no fees or dues, but each boy was required to contribute a
copy of _Nick Carter_ or _Diamond Dick_ or _Old Cap Collier_. The
organization survived a brief period and was then ruthlessly destroyed by
an irate parent who disapproved of its intellectual standards.
I had scarcely reached the age of twenty-one and started life in
Chattanooga as a newspaper reporter, when I took up seriously the habit of
joining fraternal orders. In five years I had taken degrees in practically
every one to which I was eligible. I became a Mason, a Knight of Pythias,
an Odd Fellow, a Red Man, a member of the Junior Order United American
Mechanics, of the Royal Arcanum, of the Woodmen, an Elk, an Eagle, an Owl,
and an associate member of the Theatrical Mechanics Association.
The last "order" I joined was the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
I went into this one partly because I was a joiner and was curious to see
what it was all about, but principally because I thought it was a
fraternal order which was actually a revival of the original Ku Klux Klan
which played so important a part in the history of the South during the
days of the Reconstruction. That old organization has always had a certain
glamour for me as it has for every Southerner, and I could see no reason
why a fraternal order commemorating the deeds of the original Klansmen
should not fill a need in the country today. I knew absolutely nothing
about the structure of the new Ku Klux Klan, took it on faith, and assumed
that in its government and administration, it would function like any
other of the standard fraternal orders. I thought, from the meager
information with which I was furnished, that I was thoroughly in accord
with its principles, and that it would be more or less a pleasure to
belong to it.
In the case of the Ku Klux Klan I took an immediate interest in the work
of the organizer, brought him into touch with prominent friends of mine
whom I induced to join, and did all I could to make his work a success.
Shortly afterward I was made one of the organizers, and in this capacity
devoted nearly all my time for three months to the work, conferring
degrees, talking to people who were in favor of the Klan and to some who
were opposed, and carefully studying the entire system of organization.
The fraternal order man who can really visualize an organization is the
man who absorbs its work by observation and study, and there is no better
method of doing this than performing the duties of an organizer. In my
work as an organizer for the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, I was first
impressed with the fact, that, on account of its radical nature, it was
dangerous. The first thing to which a candidate is enjoined is absolute
secrecy. This is carried to the utmost extremity. A newly made "citizen"
must not tell his wife or his family that he belongs to the organization,
and must give no hint of it to his most intimate friends and business
associates. I at once saw that any movement built along such a line was
dangerous, regardless of its intentions, because secrecy of this sort
places upon the organization the vital necessity of receiving as members
only men of the highest character whose positions and reputations in the
community would be an absolute safeguard against mischief. A secret
organization composed of men of a low standard of civic responsibility
would be the worst thing that could get into any community.
My experience as a fraternal order man has been that the personnel of the
order varies with different localities. Therefore, while it might be
perfectly proper to build a strictly secret organization in Kingsport,
Tennessee, there might be, in another town an entirely different class of
membership which would cause the movement to jeopardize the peace and
dignity of the community. The potential danger of the Ku Klux organization
in this respect was the first thing that dawned upon my consciousness, and
it made me careful of the class of people whom I permitted to become
members.
My duties took me into several towns, and night after night I administered
the obligation and put on the degree work until I became thoroughly
familiar with the mechanical end of it. Gradually, however, a feeling
developed within me that there was something wrong with the
organization--that it was not the sort of "fraternal society" to which I
had been accustomed for nearly twenty years. I thought at first that this
was due to the fact that I had done so much lodge work in my lifetime that
I was growing stale. But certain portions of the obligation, which at
first had seemed merely perfunctory, stood out in my mind and challenged
serious thought and consideration.
I studied everything I could find to help me in my work; I received
printed matter from the organization: I talked with Klansmen from other
cities; and I delved deeply into the origin and history of the original Ku
Klux Klan. But business men of standing and prominence in the places where
I worked asked me pointed questions about the organization, questions that
I could not answer and on which I could get no satisfactory answers from
above. Slowly my vague fears that there was something vitally wrong
crystallized into stronger belief. I spoke to a few close friends in the
organization, and asked them to give me their frank opinions about it.
Without any prompting from me they voiced the same thoughts and gave
expressions to the same doubts I had myself.
After much thoughtful deliberation, I reached the decision that the Ku
Klux obligation was radically wrong. It was not the kind of obligation men
take in _fraternal_ organizations--it was a _political_ obligation. I saw
that the ritual, which had previously been to me merely a badly written
mass of words was really a sacriligious mockery. I realized that the whole
scheme was vicious in principle, and a menace to the peace and safety of
America. The basis for these conclusions can be stated briefly:
_First_: While the organization was incorporated under the laws of the
State of Georgia, as a fraternal order, the claim being advanced by the
promoters that it should have similar powers to the Masons and Knights of
Pythias, it is not a fraternal organization in the sense usually
understood, but an attempt to create in this republic of ours an
"Invisible Empire," entirely political and military in nature and designed
to function bodily.
_Second_: The "Invisible Empire" is under the control of one man who
openly calls himself an "Emperor," holds position for life, and exercises
despotic control over the affairs of the organization.
_Third_: Candidates--designated as "aliens"--who are received into the
organization, are not regarded as "members," but as "citizens" of this
"Invisible Empire," and instead of being "initiated," as is usually the
case in fraternal orders, are "naturalized" and become "subjects" of the
"Emperor."
_Fourth_: Membership is restricted to a limited class of American
citizens, including only white, Gentile, American-born Protestants, all
other Americans being ineligible.
_Fifth_: In propagating this "Invisible Empire," the work, which is being
done all over the United States by a highly paid and highly efficient
field force, is being carried on by stirring up prejudice and hatred
against the Catholic, the Jew, the negro, and the foreign-born American
citizen.
_Sixth_: Under the claim of the enforcement of "law and order," the
"Invisible Empire" is attempting to take into its grasp the entire
law-enforcing machinery of the United States, including the officers and
men of the Regular Army and Reserve Corps, the National Guard, sheriffs
and their deputies, mayors, police officials and men, judges and all
persons connected with law administration, with the exception of those
ineligible under the rules above stated.
_Seventh_: The "citizens" of the "Invisible Empire" are urged by the
organization to purchase white robes and helmets, which are used for the
purpose of going abroad in disguise for the concealment of the identity of
the wearer, and in many localities there have been parades and
demonstrations of strength made by the organization, all having the effect
of intimidating certain classes of people of these communities.
_Eighth_: The sale of these robes is a monopoly in the hands of the Gate
City Manufacturing Company, a concern associated with the organization,
and from this monopoly somebody is deriving an enormous revenue.
_Ninth_: The propagation of the organization is being conducted in such a
way that it is clearly a money-making scheme run for the benefit of a few
insiders.
_Tenth_: The claim that this is the "genuine original Klan" is a
historical fraud, not supported by the history and prescript of the old
Klan which are available for public inspection.
_Eleventh_: The Ku Klux propaganda is vicious, un-American and evil and
will have a tendency to stir up racial and religious hatred in this
country to such an extent as to result, unless checked, in a serious
religious-racial war.
_Twelfth_: The ritualistic work, while clumsy, ignorant, plagiaristic, and
poorly written is an attempt to use the cloak of religion to promote the
financial fortunes of the insiders; and its principal feature--the
ceremony of "naturalization"--is a mockery and parody on the sacred and
holy rite of baptism.
_Thirteenth_: The organization should be exposed for what it is, and the
Congress of the United States should enact suitable legislation to make it
illegal and bar its literature and propaganda from the mails.
_Fourteenth_: Suitable and necessary legislation should be enacted by
Congress and the State legislatures of a general nature which will forever
prevent the organization and operation of a secret movement of this
character.
The portentous nature of my conclusions, however, weighed heavily upon me,
and after the most serious consideration, I finally decided to repudiate
the entire organization, and as an American citizen to expose the whole
system, calling public attention to what seems to me to be the greatest
menace that has ever been launched in this country.
My decision to take this step was a most difficult one to reach. In the
first place, to give to the public the facts and inside workings of the
"Invisible Empire" means to subject oneself to the penalty of death for
disclosing a secret of the order. This is stated unequivocally in the
secret Ku Klux ritual. It also means becoming the target for a torrent of
abuse that is likely to tear one to shreds before it has spent its fury.
The most disagreeable feature of the whole procedure is the absolute
necessity of going on record publicly as violating a solemn oath, a pledge
of honor, and an obligation that would ordinarily be considered sacred. Is
a man, having taken an oath, ever justified in breaking it? In my opinion,
when one is convinced that the oath in question is illegal, and that a
certain portion of it is of a nature to incite riot and lawlessness, a man
is not only justified in breaking it, but is morally required to break it.
It is a public duty he owes the state. The inherent strength of the
"Invisible Empire" lies in the fact that its "citizens" having once taken
its vicious obligation will not dare to violate it.
I have, therefore, deliberately and with careful thought, decided to
violate and repudiate this obligation, with the exception of a certain
portion pledging allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and
my State, which portion is, in my judgment, mere camouflage for the
purpose of concealing the fangs of the rattlesnake. The question as to
whether I am right or wrong is one that will have to be decided by public
opinion. If I have divulged facts and exposed the secret workings of what
is merely a _fraternal_ organization, then I am unquestionably guilty of
reprehensible conduct. If I am wrong in my viewpoint, I do not deserve to
be allowed to mingle with honorable men and women, and should be set apart
from my fellows as a social outcast.
On the other hand, if I am right in the stand that I take, that the Ku
Klux Klan is a secret, political, military machine, actually developing
into an "Invisible Empire" and possessing potentialities that may
undermine the very idea of representative government; if I am correct in
my position that the whole scheme is an attempt to create class hatred and
antagonism, which in the end will array race against race, class against
class, and religion against religion; if my contention is just that the
proposition is a money-making scheme; and, if the public adopts my
viewpoint to the extent of demanding that the organization be legislated
out of existence and made an outlaw in the world of open things, then I
shall feel satisfied that the violation of this oath has been a public
service.
There is no middle ground. I am either entirely right, or else I am
entirely wrong.
CHAPTER II
JOINING THE KU KLUX KLAN
My first intimate contact with the "Invisible Empire" took place in upper
East Tennessee, a section of the United States where one would least
expect such a movement to take a definite foothold. There is practically
no racial friction whatever in this section. The negro population is not
large, and the negroes themselves are orderly and well-behaved people,
industrious and well liked by the white people. A remarkable thing about
East Tennessee is the scarcity of Jews. It is very doubtful if a careful
search of the entire fifteen counties would disclose enough Jewish people
to fill a synagogue. There is likewise a paucity of foreign population,
for, with the exception of a few Greeks, the foreign element seems
strangely absent. It is also remarkable that in this section the Roman
Catholic religion does not seem to have been able to take root. While
there is a small Catholic Church in Johnson City, and one in Greeneville
that is opened but once a year, the other places have few, if any,
Catholics in them. It is doubtful if one could find in all America a group
of people who appear to be more overwhelmingly Americans or more
uniformly Protestant in their religious views than the inhabitants of this
section.
In January, 1921, I was sent by a Chattanooga business house with which I
had been connected for some time, on an extended trip through East
Tennessee.
In February I arrived at Johnson City, intending to make that my
headquarters and visit the other towns, which are easy of access. Early in
March, 1921, I noticed a young man of pleasing personality, but I had
never talked with him until the morning of March 16, when we were thrown
together at the breakfast table.
"What are you selling?" I asked, taking it for granted that he was a
traveling salesman.
He looked at the Masonic emblem I wore on my coat, smiled and handed me a
clipping from the _Johnson City Staff_, stating that the organizer of the
Ku Klux Klan was in town seeking recruits, but that people did not want
the Klan, and expressing the hope that the vagrancy laws would take care
of the worker for the movement.
My curiosity was immediately aroused, and after the organizer had
carefully examined my Masonic and Knights of Pythias cards, we had a long
talk together. He was an excellent salesman of his proposition, and in a
few minutes he had me completely sold. In response to questions, I seemed
to qualify, for the organizer, or Kleagle, as he is officially called,
told me to hold myself in readiness and he would take me in that night.
When evening came, I accompanied the Kleagle to the office of a prominent
business man who had assembled his brother and his entire office force,
and nine of us were taken into the "Invisible Empire," Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan. The ceremony of "naturalization" was held in an inner office,
the Kleagle wearing his white robe, with cape lined with red satin, and
his peaked helmet with mask in which were cut two eye holes. It was my
first glimpse of the Ku Klux regalia.
Next day, the Kleagle met me at breakfast again, and stated that he was
compelled to go back to Knoxville, which was his headquarters, and asked
me if I would not take hold of the work for a week, acting as his
representative during his absence. He stated that, on account of newspaper
opposition, he had been unable to make any rapid progress, but believed
that on account of my more extensive acquaintance I could render some
valuable service to the cause. This I agreed to do for him, and during the
day was instructed in many matters connected with the soliciting work. On
one point, he was very emphatic. "In your work," he said, "it is advisable
to get the mayor, the sheriff and his deputies if they are eligible, and
the police department. Also we want the telephone and telegraph people,
and the better class of railroaders." With this special injunction, the
Kleagle boarded the train for Knoxville, and left me in charge of the
field, first notifying the Klansmen that he had so designated me.
On April 6, 1921, the Kleagle was suddenly called to Atlanta for a
conference with the Imperial Kleagle, or chief organizer, and notified me
that I should have to take charge of the work temporarily during his
absence. He returned, however, on the evening of April 8, 1921, in time to
obligate a class of thirty-six men whom I had waiting for him. He brought
with him a commission as Kleagle made out in my name, and placed me in
charge of the field, with the statement that he had been made a King
Kleagle in another field. That night we conferred until very late, going
over the entire work, and I had several papers which had to be made out.
One of these papers was one of the most remarkable documents I have ever
seen. It is called the "Kleagle's Pledge of Loyalty," and reads as
follows:
"I, the undersigned, in order to be a regular appointed Kleagle of
the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Incorporated), do
freely and voluntarily promise, pledge and fully guarantee a lofty
respect, whole-hearted loyalty and unwavering devotion at all times
and under all circumstances and conditions from this day and date
forward to William Joseph Simmons as Imperial Wizard and Emperor of
the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Incorporated). I
shall work in all respects in perfect harmony with him and under his
authority and directions, in all his plans for the extension and
government of the Society, and under his directions, with any and all
of my officially superior officers duly appointed by him.
"I shall at any and all times be faithful and true in all things, and
most especially in preventing and suppressing any factions, cisms or
conspiracies against him or his plans and purposes for the peace and
harmony of the Society which may arise or attempt to rise. I shall
discourage and strenuously oppose any degree of disloyalty or
disrespect on the part of myself or any klansman, anywhere and at any
time or place, towards him as the founder and as the supreme chief
governing head of the Society above named.
"This pledge, promise and guarantee I make as a condition precedent
to my appointment stated above, and the continuity of my appointment
as a Kleagle, and it is fully agreed that any deviation by me from
this pledge will instantly automatically cancel and completely void
my appointment together with all its prerogatives, my membership in
the Society, and I shall forfeit all remunerations which may be then
due me.
"I make this solemn pledge on my Oath of Allegiance and on my
integrity and honor as a man and as a klansman, with serious purpose
to keep same inviolate."
It will be noted in studying the foregoing document that the pledge is not
to the organization, but to _William Joseph Simmons_.
In addition to this "pledge of loyalty" to "Emperor" Simmons, I was also
required to sign an application for an indemnity bond, which was an
agreement, not to indemnify the organization from loss, but to indemnify
_William J. Simmons_ in the sum of one thousand dollars. The application
for employment, which in my case, was made after I was employed, was also
directed to the "Emperor."
CHAPTER III
MY WITHDRAWAL
It is doubtful if one could find anywhere in the country a finer, cleaner
or better lot of men than those among whom I worked as an agent of Ku
Kluxism. As individuals they were successful business and professional
men, nearly all of them devout church members, married men with families,
and just the sort of men to make up a prosperous community; yet, in spite
of all this it seemed to me that the protection afforded by membership in
an ultra secret movement like the "Invisible Empire" tended to inculcate
lawlessness even among some of them. There is but little original
law-breaking in this world. Most of it is due to precedent or suggestion.
The power of suggestion is one of the most potent factors in every phase
of human activity, and I believe that the mere fact of being a member of
an organization that can go abroad in the land white-robed and masked is a
suggestive force that encourages men to take the law into their own hands.
Two striking illustrations of this point recall themselves to my mind. In
one case a man who stood very high in the Johnson City Klan was talking
with me about a public demonstration. He stated that he was not in favor
of making any show of strength until the Klan had at least five hundred
members, then he wanted to have everybody put on their robes, pile into
automobiles and parade the streets. I called his attention to the
provisions of the Code of Tennessee in reference to wearing masks in
public.
"Oh, that's all right," he replied, "when we are fully organized the Klan
will control the politics of this town. We will apply for a permit, and if
we don't get it, we will parade anyhow. Nobody will dare stop us."
The other instance was a conversation I had with a man with whom I was
most friendly. He was a younger man than the one just mentioned, but is
considered a person of responsibility and good judgment. It happened that
the largest restaurant in Johnson City is owned and operated by Greeks,
and this man seemed to be especially hostile to foreigners. In discussing
them one day he said to me:
"I don't like to see these Greeks make such progress here. They are
driving good Americans out of business. We've got twenty-eight robes in
our lodge room, and I am in favor of getting a bunch some night, breaking
open their restaurant and dumping all their fixtures and merchandise into
the streets. That will serve as an object lesson that they are not wanted
in Johnson City."
Now, from my knowledge of that man I do not believe that he would
deliberately violate the law. In fact, if I were sheriff of his county
and wanted a real man to head a posse, I would call on this man and swear
him in as a deputy. I doubt very much if he would even lead a mob of
masked men to tear up a Greek restaurant, but the mob spirit was there,
and it was put there because he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
The old Ku Klux Klan performed its functions, not so much by overt acts,
as by creating the impression of what it could do and by inspiring terror
in the minds of the people it desired to reach. It operated largely on the
principle of suggestion. It soon began to appear to me that the modern
movement began to plant evil suggestions in the minds of some of its
members, almost from the time they became connected with the organization.
From the very first time that a Ku Klux organizer set foot in town, the
_Johnson City Staff_ had fearlessly and vigorously condemned the movement
and advised its readers to have nothing to do with it. As the movement
began to grow, many of the leading business men became Klansmen. They were
nearly all advertisers in the local paper. The attacks on the Klan by the
_Staff_ were the subjects of many discussions, and it was decided to "put
a muzzle on the paper." Accordingly many advertisers quietly suggested to
the publisher of the paper that he "lay off" the Ku Klux Klan. Whether
this advice was accompanied by threats or by the actual withdrawal of
business, I do not know, but I do know that the _Staff_ suddenly "pulled
in its horns" and remained muzzled up to the time I left the territory.
This incident is cited to show the power of this ultra-secret system in
effectively paralyzing the freedom of the press, and what has doubtless
happened in other towns and cities where Ku Kluxism has thoroughly
inoculated communities with its deadly poison.
While working among the different towns in my territory, we noticed in the
papers occasionally a reference to some act of lawlessness or violence
committed in other States by men disguised in white robes and masks. As
the details, at the time, were very meager, and as the Atlanta
headquarters denied that any of the members of the Ku Klux Klan were
connected with them, the Klansmen in my field paid but little attention to
these outrages. In fact, I, myself, did not believe that the organization
could be guilty of committing such open and flagrant outrages, until I had
a conversation with the King Kleagle some time around June 1, 1921. I had
met him at Knoxville for the purpose of urging that the charters for three
towns be immediately granted. He began talking about the work of the other
Klans, and stated that in Houston, Texas, a young negro, charged with
familiarity with white women, had been taken out into the country and
mutilated. The King Kleagle said that this was done by the Houston Klan,
which ran things its own way, as it had the mayor, the police force and
practically all of the politicians.
During the months of May and the early part of June, 1921, while following
a busy routine, I began studying the Ku Klux movement and going carefully
into every detail that suggested itself. I had already become suspicious
of the movement as a result of the apparent "one man power" of Simmons as
exemplified in his scheme of employment of Kleagles; the questions that
had been asked me had started a second line of investigation; and then a
third cause of dissatisfaction arose from a feeling of disgust at the way
in which the work was propagated. I jumped at no hasty conclusions in the
matter, but a gradual feeling of revolt against the movement developed in
my mind, which feeling I communicated to a few friends. I also asked
several members of the organization, with whom I was intimately
acquainted, what they thought of the organization, and I found that my own
doubts and fears were shared by them. The leader of the Kingsport Klan was
an out-and-out skeptic on the whole movement. Then again, from inquiries I
had made as to the work in near-by towns outside my territory, I learned
that Kleagles were selling memberships as they would sell insurance or
stock.
Although I was supposed to canvass for members, I made it a rule, during
my period of service as Kleagle, to do no soliciting whatever. My system
was to establish a membership committee in each community in my territory
and permit the committees to select their own material. This policy made
the personnel in my territory very high, as each individual was elected to
membership before he was invited to join the organization.
In addition to its field force, the propagation department of the Ku Klux
Klan, I learned, uses motion pictures and paid lecturers to spread the
germs of Ku Kluxism. There is a picture entitled, "The Face at Your
Window" that is being used extensively as an aid to the canvassing
Kleagles. The film company arranges with the local Kleagle to have this
picture exhibited on a certain day, and each Klansman is requested to
bring a friend with him to see it. At the close of the performance the
Klansman hands his friend an application blank and through the
psychological effect of the picture usually gets the other to join. The
system of using lecturers seems to help considerably to swell the Ku Klux
roster.
Still another method of winning members was by newspaper advertising. The
Exalted Cyclops, the head, of the Knoxville Klan showed me the copy for a
full page advertisement that his Klan intended inserting in the Knoxville
papers to secure the five hundred membership necessary before their Klan
could procure a charter. I saw that such wholesale solicitation of
members could have but one result--inevitably the control of this secret
organization would pass into hands least competent to exercise it.
As I became more familiar with the movement, as it was being propagated
elsewhere, and from my own study and observation, I reached some definite
conclusions. From the first, I had observed carefully the classes of men
who were being enrolled, the motives for their enlisting, and the effect
the organization had upon them. The result as a whole had been disturbing,
but it was from my study of the organization itself that I finally turned
in revulsion from it. It was not easy to get the real facts. I asked many
questions, both in writing and orally, of the King Kleagle, some of which
he could answer, but most of them he could not. The Constitution of the
organization I could not get. The King Kleagle had no copy and had never
seen a copy. It was not until a short time before my withdrawal that I was
shown the constitution and the reading of the document confirmed all too
well the suspicions I had already formed about the menace that lay in Ku
Kluxism. That it was a political money-making scheme rather than a
fraternal order, I began to comprehend from the sales-methods I saw around
me. It also seemed to me that there were certain potential dangers
inherent in it. When I had once asked the King Kleagle how a Klan should
function when once it was organized, "Tell them," he had answered, "to
clean up their towns." That "cleaning up a town" by illegal means could
end only in mob rule was clear enough to any thinking man, and the fact
that the newspapers had been reporting outrages in various Southern
States--outrages committed by masked men--did not make me feel any more
comfortable.
Oppressed therefore by its potential dangers, disgusted with a ritualistic
work which really seemed to me a sacrilege, and revolted by the spirit of
religious and racial hatred which it inculcated, I decided to resign my
work as Kleagle, and accordingly mailed my resignation to the King Kleagle
on June 15, 1921.
My resignation as Kleagle was reluctantly accepted by J. M. McArthur, the
King Kleagle, who wrote me to that effect and asked me to meet him in
Chattanooga for the purpose of securing my final release, which was given
me the latter part of June, 1921. While my name was never mentioned, the
exposure of the Klan which was made by the _World_ brought forth the
statement from the Atlanta headquarters that "the individual responsible
for the attack had been discharged from the propagation department for
conduct and character unbecoming a gentleman." As a matter of fact, I have
in my possession a letter from McArthur expressing "genuine regret" at my
resignation, warmly commending me for "excellent work," and granting me
"an honorable discharge from the propagation department of the Knights of
the Ku Klux Klan." Fortunately for the cause of decent Americanism, King
Kleagle McArthur is one of these "ready letter-writers," and the letters
written by him to me have all been filed away. Some of them were valuable
pieces of documentary evidence to sustain the case made against the Klan
by the _World_.
I was invited by McArthur to attend two meetings of the Klan in
Chattanooga, where I found the movement strongly organized. At one of
these meetings the leader of the local Klan, a physician, made one of the
most incendiary speeches I have ever heard, a speech that was vociferously
applauded by a large gathering of Klansmen. He made a violent attack on
Jews, Negroes and Catholics, and stated that: "the Knights of Columbus
have 2,000 rifles stored in the Catholic church; they will before long
march down Market Street armed with their rifles; and the Ku Klux Klan
must organize and arm itself for the purpose of protecting the city from
the designs of this murderous organization."
Having resigned from the propagation department, I then withdrew from
"citizenship" in the "Invisible Empire," and denounced it in the _World_
and its associated newspapers. Although my letter was registered and
mailed to _William J. Simmons_ personally, I never received any reply. The
letter read as follows:
"You are hereby notified that I have this day voluntarily withdrawn
as a 'citizen' of the 'Invisible Empire,' Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan, Inc., and shall no longer consider myself in any way connected
with the organization. After five months of 'citizenship' in the
'Invisible Empire,' three months of which were spent as a Kleagle, I
have reached the conclusion that your proposition is a historical
fraud; that it is a money-making scheme run for the benefit of a few
insiders; that it is engaged in an evil propaganda in promoting
unwarranted religious and racial hatred against Jews, Roman
Catholics, negroes, and foreign-born American citizens; that your
entire scheme is a dangerous public menace that will inevitably lead
to bloodshed and if successful must result in revolution; and that,
in the interests of decent Americanism, it should be suppressed by
the Federal and State authorities.
"I further notify you that I utterly repudiate and refuse to be bound
in any way by any and all portions of the 'oath of allegiance' to the
'Invisible Empire' formerly taken by me, excepting that portion
pledging allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and of
my State, with which portion you have camouflaged the real purport
and meaning of the oath. The remainder of the oath conflicts with a
higher obligation I have previously assumed as an officer of the
Reserve Corps of the United States Army. I therefore denounce said
remaining portions of said oath as illegal, and detrimental to the
fundamental principles which underlie the entire legal structure of
this country. I further decline, any longer, to keep secret any part
or parts of your scheme to establish in free America an 'Invisible
Empire' fraudulent in its conception, vicious in its nature,
political in its objects, and subject to the will of a
self-constituted 'Emperor' who seeks to exploit the American people
for his own personal aggrandizement.
"In defiance of your threats of 'dishonor, disgrace, and death' as
contained in your ritual--written and copyrighted by yourself--I
denounce your ritualistic work as an insult to all Christian people
in America, as an attempt to hypocritically obtain money from the
public under the cloak of sanctimonious piety; and, I charge that the
principal feature of your ceremony of 'naturalization' into the
'Invisible Empire' is a blasphemous and sacrilegious mockery of the
holy rite of baptism, wherein for political and financial purposes,
you have polluted with your infamous parody those things that
Christians, regardless of creed or dogma, hold most sacred.
"I further charge that when in your printed literature you claim that
your organization is the 'genuine original Klan,' this statement is a
fraud historically and a fraud in principle. While you have--without
any right whatever--appropriated to yourself the name, regalia, and
certain nomenclature of the original Klan, your scheme is radically
different in conception, in organization, and in purpose. A careful
study, which I have made, of the Prescript of the original Klan and
all available history and literature on the subject, reveals the fact
that there is little, if anything, in common between the two
organizations. Your false pretenses of 'genuineness' are therefore
insults to the history, the traditions, and the entire record of the
South.
"Ever since your scheme has been actively propagated, there has been
a wave of crime in the Southern States, consisting to a large extent
of 'private regulations' of the public peace, committed by men who
have gone about their respective communities wearing disguises and
taking into their own hands the functions of prosecuting attorney,
witnesses, judge, jury and executioner, in direct contravention to
the Bill of Rights of the Federal and State constitutions. Men have
been dragged from their beds at night, forcibly abducted on the
streets and in their homes, arrested without warrant on the public
streets, conveyed to secluded places, there to be flogged, tarred and
feathered. In two instances helpless women, after being stripped of
their clothing, have been similarly maltreated. In nearly every
reported case, the perpetrators of these acts of lawlessness have
worn disguises, described as 'masks and white robes,' which
description correspond convincingly with the official regalia of the
'Invisible Empire.' In three specific cases, acts of lawlessness have
been so openly and flagrantly committed by members of the 'Ku Klux
Klan,' that you have been compelled to take official cognizance. In
these three instances where responsibility has been fixed, it was
very evident that the illegal oath and the secret teachings of your
'Invisible Empire' were construed by your dupes as granting a license
to engage in secret regulation of the peace by means of anonymous
warnings, threats, intimidations, abduction, the whip, and the use of
tar and feathers. Having studied your scheme, both from the inside
and the outside, I have no doubt whatever that practically all of
these reported outrages were committed by members of your
organization. If it were proven, however, that your 'citizens' were
not _prima facie_ responsible, at the same time there exists a moral
responsibility, because when one group of people is permitted to go
about in disguise, it places the community at the mercy of any group
which cares to adopt similar tactics.
"Everywhere the promoters of your scheme have gone, they have sought
to enlist as 'citizens' the white, Gentile, Protestant public
officials, especially those having in charge the enforcement of the
law. No matter how capable, how efficient, and how conscientious a
public official may be, if he chances to be a Jew or a Catholic, you
not only do not want him, but your organization is now planning
actively to cause all the Jews, Catholics, and foreign-born
naturalized Americans in this country to be removed from public life.
Aside from vicious politics, and in view of the fact that your oath
is an accessory before the fact to mob violence, this tampering and
meddling with the law-enforcing machinery of the country--under the
alleged plea of 'law and order'--is a direct blow at the entire legal
machinery of the United States, a condition that, in its nature,
approaches anarchy.
"At a time when peaceful relations are existing between the white and
black races, you are disrupting the industrial conditions of the
South, by your anti-negro propaganda and causing a state of unrest
that can result only in dangerous and mischievous consequences. In
your anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish propaganda, your organization is
scattering broadcast over this country wicked, malicious, and
inflammatory lies about American citizens of those religious beliefs,
lies that brand your movement as being far more vicious than the
insidious German propaganda in this country prior to our entrance
into the recent war. You are publishing, for example, the statement
that the Jews are seeking to promote a race war between white people
and negroes, and the intimation that the Catholic Church was
responsible for the murder of President Abraham Lincoln. In public
statements, you and your paid speakers give expression to wordy,
sanctimonious and high-sounding platitudes, while secretly your
propagandists, in a sneaking and contemptible manner, are spreading
poisonous and vicious lies they dare not give voice to in public.
"Your 'Invisible Empire' is furthermore a money-making scheme! You,
yourself, an individual of little, if any, means prior to your
becoming an 'Emperor' have so far received from 'friends' a $25,000
residence completely furnished! Your connection with the organization
is either bringing you large sums of money at present, or the promise
of the same in the future! You are allowed to appropriate to your own
use all of the ten dollars "donated" by any person whose application
you personally solicit! All of the rituals and other printed
publications of your organization are copyrighted in your name, and
it is presumable that you have either received royalties for their
use or a cash consideration for their sale! Your organization has
recently bought Lanier University, of which you have been made the
head, and college presidents are usually paid salaries! While orders
for robes at $6.50 are taken in your name, they are filled by the
Gate City Manufacturing Company, at a substantial profit, and the
public has not been informed as to the disposition of this huge
amount of funds! The Searchlight Publishing Company, headed by your
Imperial Kleagle is no doubt a big revenue producer! Your Imperial
Kleagle is also the head of the Clarke Realty Company, in whose
operations, I have no doubt you are also interested! These varied
financial operations indicate to me that spreading religious and
racial hatred is a lucrative business for you and your associates.
"Your whole 'Invisible Empire' is a cancer in the body politic! It is
like some foul and loathsome thing that grows and flourishes in the
dark, away from the sight of honest men and women. It was conceived
in avarice, sired in ignorance, and dammed in greed. It is now being
nurtured in cunning and false pretense, and fed upon an unholy lust
for gold, by means of passion, hatred, and the prejudice of religious
and racial fanaticism. And, day by day, with your oily assurance, you
say that these devilish devices of discord are being developed in the
name of 'pure Americanism'! If this is your idea of America, you
haven't the slightest conception of what pure Americanism means!
"There is no place in America for an 'Invisible Empire' of hate and
venom; and there is no provision in the laws of this country for an
'Emperor'! The 'Invisible Empire' should be made visible! It should
be held up to the light so that honest men can see its ugly structure
and analyze its nefarious potentialities, and then, having seen this
monstrosity, the people should demand of their legally constituted
forces of government that Ku Kluxism and the Ku Klux Klan be outlawed
and barred forever from operating in this free Republic.
Yours truly,
HENRY P. FRY."
CHAPTER IV
WHAT IS THE "INVISIBLE EMPIRE?"
A study of the physical structure of the "Invisible Empire" necessarily
starts with its corporate organization, its officers, its general method
of functioning, and its ramifications throughout the United States.
Although organized under the pretense that it is a "fraternal order," a
close investigation of the system reveals the fact that its activities
extend in several directions. Its three principal promoters, William J.
Simmons, Edward Young Clarke and Mrs. M. E. Tyler, are engaged in several
lines of business all of which are closely related. The show under the
main tent is the "Invisible Empire," Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc.,
allied to which either directly or indirectly is the "Gate City
Manufacturing Company," a corporation organized under the laws of the
State of Georgia for the manufacture of lodge regalia, etc., the
Searchlight Publishing Company, which prints a weekly paper which is
recognized by the public as the official organ of Ku Kluxism, and Lanier
University, which was acquired in August, 1921, and of which William J.
Simmons is the president. There is also the Clarke Realty Company in which
E. Y. Clarke and Mrs. M. E. Tyler are mentioned as incorporators, the
operations of which corporation are not known.
The charter of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan granted by the Superior
Court of Fulton County, Georgia, reads as follows:
"GEORGIA, FULTON COUNTY.
TO THE SUPERIOR COURT OF SAID COUNTY:
The petition of W. J. SIMMONS, H. D. SHACKLEFORD, E. R. CLARKSON, J.
B. FROST, W. L. SMITH, R. C. W. RAMSPECK, G. D. COUCH, L. M. JOHNSON,
A. G. DALLAS, W. E. FLODING, W. C. BENNETT, J. F. V. SAUL, all of
said State and County, respectfully shows:
1. That they desire for themselves, their associates and successors
to be incorporated in the State of Georgia for the period of twenty
years, with the right of renewal; when and as provided by law, as a
_patriotic, secret, social, benevolent order_ under the name and
style of
'KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN'
2. The purpose and object of said corporation is to be purely
benevolent and eleesmosynary, and there shall be no capital stock or
profit or gain to the members thereof.
3. The principal office and place of business shall be in Fulton
County, Georgia, but petitioners desire that the corporation shall
have the power to issue decrees, edicts and certificates of
organization to subordinate branches of the corporation in this or
other States of the United States and elsewhere, whenever the same
shall be deemed desirable in the conduct of its business.
4. The petitioners desire that the Society shall have the power to
confer an initiative degree ritualism, fraternal and secret
obligations, words, grip signs and ceremonies under which there shall
be united only white male persons of sound health, good morals and
high character; and further desire such rights, powers and privileges
as are now extended to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Free and
Accepted Masons, Knights of Pythias, _et al._, under and by virtue
of the laws of the State of Georgia.
5. Petitioners desire that there shall be a Supreme Legislative Body
in which shall be vested the power to adopt and amend constitutions
and by-laws for the regulation of the general purpose and welfare of
the order, and of the subordinate branches of same.
6. Petitioners desire that the 'IMPERIAL KLONVOKATION' (Supreme
Legislative Body) shall be composed of the SUPREME OFFICERS AND
'KLOPPERS' (DELEGATES) selected by the 'KLORO' (STATE CONVENTION) of
the SEVERAL 'REALMS' (subordinate jurisdiction); and of such other
persons as the constitution and by-laws of the Society may provide.
7. Petitioners desire that the business of the Society shall be under
the control of the 'IMPERIAL WIZARD' (PRESIDENT), who shall be
amenable in his official administration to the 'IMPERIAL KLONCILIUM'
(Supreme Executive Committee), a majority of whom shall have
authority to act, and a two-thirds' majority power to veto the
official acts of the 'IMPERIAL WIZARD' (PRESIDENT) in the matters
pertaining to the general welfare of the Society; and to contract
with other members of the Society for the purpose of promoting and
conducting its interests and general welfare, in any way, manner, or
method he may deem proper for the Society's progress and stability,
subject to the restrictions of the power of the 'IMPERIAL WIZARD'
(PRESIDENT) as is heretofore set forth in this paragraph.
8. Petitioners desire that they shall have the right to adopt a
constitution and by-laws and elect the first KLONCILIUM (Supreme
Executive Committee), which shall possess all the powers of the
'IMPERIAL KLONVOKATION' (Supreme Legislative Body) until the first
organization and meeting of that body, and shall fix the number,
title and terms of officers composing said 'KLONCILIUM' (Supreme
Legislative Committee).
9. Petitioners desire the right to own separate unto itself and to
control the sale of all paraphernalia, regalia, stationery, jewelry
and such other materials needed by the subordinate branches of the
order for the proper conduct of their business; the right to publish
a fraternal magazine and such other literature as is needed in the
conduct of the business of the order; the right to buy, hold and sell
real estate and personal property suitable to the purpose of the said
corporation; to sell, exchange or sublease the same or any part
thereof; to mortgage or create liens thereon; to borrow money and
secure the payment thereof by mortgage or deed of trust and to
appoint trustees in connection therewith; to execute promissory
notes, to have and to use a common seal; to sue and be sued; to plead
and be impleaded; to do and perform all these things and exercise all
those rights, which under the laws of Georgia, are conferred upon
societies or orders of like character.
10. _Wherefore_ petitioners pray an order incorporating them, their
associates and successors under the name and style aforesaid with all
the powers and privileges necessary to the extension of the order or
the conduct of the business and purposes of like nature."
The casual examination of the above instrument fails to show anything more
significant than the fact that it is a simple application for a charter
for an ordinary fraternal organization, several of whom, including the
Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias, it specifically names. An
analysis, however, of the instrument reveals some interesting things, and
raises some questions that may be of service to the public in dealing with
Ku Kluxism.
In the first place, this charter, which was granted July 1, 1916, confers
upon W. J. Simmons and certain associates the right to engage in the
business of a fraternal society under the name and style of "KNIGHTS OF
THE KU KLUX KLAN." As a matter of fact the propagation of the movement
goes forward under the name and title of "Invisible Empire, Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan, Inc." The use of the words "Invisible Empire" in connection
with the authorized and legal title of the organization is an _ultra
vires_ act without the sanction of the Georgia law under which the society
is operating.
The following copy of the application for charter membership illustrates
this point:
"TO HIS MAJESTY, THE IMPERIAL WIZARD, EMPEROR OF THE INVISIBLE
EMPIRE, KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN (INC.):
I, the undersigned, a native-born, true and loyal citizen of the
United States of America, being a white Gentile person of temperate
habits, sound in mind, and a believer in the tenets of the Christian
religion, the maintenance of _white supremacy_, the practice of an
honorable clanishness and the principles of "pure Americanism," do
voluntarily most respectfully, seriously and unselfishly petition you
for _citizenship_ in the INVISIBLE EMPIRE, KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX
KLAN, and be a _charter member_ of a Klan located at
.................. State of ..........
I guarantee on my honor to conform strictly to all rules and
requirements regulating my "naturalization" and the continuance of my
membership, and at all times a strict and loyal obedience to your
constitutional authority and the constitution and laws, and all
regulations and usages of the fraternity. The required "donation"
accompanies this petition.
Signed: ....................................., _Petitioner_.
Date .................. 192....
Residence Address ............................................
Business Address ............................................
Endorsers will sign on other side.
_Notice_: Check the address to which mail may be sent."
This is the standard form for application for "citizenship" and several
hundred such applications, properly signed, have come under my personal
observation. It is distinctly a request to be "naturalized" as a "citizen"
of the "Invisible Empire," Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and not an
application for membership in an order known as the "Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan" by itself.
It appears from an examination of the records, that the Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan made but little headway for several years, when it was under the
sole management of William J. Simmons. An examination of the Atlanta City
Directory reveals the fact that the present "Emperor" was engaged in other
lines of activity, largely as a professional organizer. In 1915 he appears
listed as "Organizer of the Woodmen of the World"; in 1916, "Imperial
Wizard and founder of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan"; in 1918, the next
year a directory was issued, as "State Manager, Heralds of Liberty"; in
1920, as "Lecturer"; and in 1921, again as "Imperial Wizard, Knights of
the Ku Klux Klan." It was not, apparently, until he joined forces with
Edward Young Clarke, that the enterprise was placed on a paying basis.
Clarke, it is said, has had wide experience as a professional
propagandist, and prior to his taking charge of the Ku Klux movement was
employed to raise money for the Anti-Saloon League and the Salvation Army,
conducting drives for those bodies. The city directory of Atlanta lists
him as follows: 1915, "Secretary, Brooks County Industrial Club"; 1916,
Secretary, "Georgia Chamber of Commerce"; 1918, "Secretary, Southeastern
Exhibit Association"; 1920-21, "President Southern Publicity Association."
Under the direction of Clarke the entire system of field work has been
perfected, and as Imperial Kleagle, Clarke is responsible for the success
of the movement.
Clarke, whose chief helper and backer was Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, was
conducting the Southern Publicity Bureau at the time, and quickly saw the
big financial possibilities which lay in the capitalization of the name
"Ku Klux." Simmons, who had concocted the scheme of organization which
placed the "entire works" into his own hands, lacked the ability to put
his ideas into execution. At this point, I should like to take issue with
practically every man who had made any attack on the Ku Klux Klan. The
general opinion has been that "Simmons is absolutely sincere in what he is
doing, but has been in the hands of Clarke and Mrs. Tyler." I have never
met Simmons in person, but I have studied his organization in the most
minute detail. From my study of the system and the part the man has played
in it, I believe that he is a cunning, shrewd adventurer, who, from the
start conceived the idea of acquiring both wealth and unlimited power from
his secret "Invisible Empire." In all of his public utterances in the
newspapers and before Congress he has shown a shiftiness and evasiveness
clearly discernible amid a vast mass of wordiness.
In his entire scheme of organization and management, he has so constructed
his proposition that he is master of the situation with practically
unlimited power. In this particular a good illustration can be found in
the contract he made with Clarke whereby the latter became the Chief Sales
Manager of the membership peddlers for the whole country. This contract,
while it gives Clarke the opportunity of making a vast sum of money, at
the same time makes Simmons the absolute dictator of Clarke's movements.
The probabilities are that Simmons, realizing that he himself was ignorant
of real organization methods, so framed this contract that he could let
Clarke out at any time, and take over to himself the functions of the
propagation department after he had learned the system.
The contract which brought Clarke and Mrs. Tyler into the organization
reads as follows:
"STATE OF GEORGIA, County of Fulton,
"This agreement, made and entered into on this the seventh day of
June, A.D. 1920, by and between the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a
corporation of said county, acting by its Imperial Wizard
(President), W. J. Simmons, party of the first part, and Edward Young
Clarke, of said county, party of the second part.
"Witnesseth, that the said party of the second part hereto having, by
virtue of this agreement, been appointed Imperial Kleagle (General
Superintendent of the organization department) of said first party,
and it being desirable that the details of his rights, privileges,
powers, duties, responsibilities, and compensation, etc., in addition
to that laid down in the constitution and laws of the said
corporation be definitely fixed:
"Therefore, it is agreed by the said parties hereto that this
contract shall continue so long as it is mutually agreeable; that it
shall remain of force and may be canceled by either party hereto
without previous notice of any intention to do so.
"It is agreed that said second party may employ, subject to the
approval and appointment of the said Imperial Wizard (President) of
the corporation aforesaid, and subject to the right and power of said
Imperial Wizard (President) to revoke all such appointments, such
assistant organizers as he (the said second party) may deem necessary
to properly carry out the plans for the propagation and extension of
said corporation; provided, that such persons so appointed or
employed be members of the said corporation in good and regular
standing prior to their appointment, and that they maintain their
good standing therein as an essential condition on which their
appointment is made.
"It is agreed that in all things the second party shall be
subordinate to the said Imperial Wizard (President), and shall
attempt no plans or methods of work without the consent or approval
of the said Imperial Wizard.
"It is agreed that the said second party shall receive as in full
compensation and expenses of himself and his duly appointed and
commissioned subordinate organizers the sum of $8.00 for each and
every new member brought into the said corporation by himself and his
assistant subordinate organizers, and in addition to the $8.00 he
shall receive $2.00 for each new member added to all Klans organized
by himself or his subordinate organizers within a period of six
months after the date of the charter of all such Klans organized by
himself and his subordinate organizers.
"It is agreed that no expense or debts shall be made or incurred by
the said Edward Young Clarke or his subordinate organizers, and no
obligation entered into with any firm, company, corporation, or
person for which the said first party hereto or the said Imperial
Wizard (President) shall be bound to make any outlay of or
expenditure of money, unless there be a specific approval of the
particular item or items of all such expenditures, prior to the
incurring of same by the said Imperial Wizard (President) of the said
corporation.
"It is agreed that the said second party shall advance, from time to
time, as may be necessary the office rent and all other expenses
incident to the proper conduct and furnishing of the main office of
the aforesaid corporation, and in addition thereto a sum of not less
than $75 per week and traveling expenses of the said Imperial Wizard
(President) of the aforesaid corporation, reimbursing himself for
such expenditures out of the $2.00 due by him to the aforesaid
corporation on account of each member received into the aforesaid
corporation by him and his duly appointed and commissioned
subordinate organizers.
"Duly executed in duplicate in the city of Atlanta, Ga., on the day
and date above written.
"KNIGHTS OF THE KU KLUX KLAN, INC.
"By W. J. SIMMONS, Imperial Wizard (President).
"EDWARD YOUNG CLARKE."
As is well known the new Ku Klux Klan, like the old, depends to a great
extent upon concealing the identity of the members by the means of long
white robes and a white peaked helmet, with hangings in which eye holes
have been cut. In the old Klan these robes were made by members of the
Klansmen's family, but in the new order of affairs the work of supplying
these robes is a monopoly entirely in the hands of the national
organization.
Members are not actually required to possess a robe, but it is generally
the case that every man who comes into the movement is childishly eager to
acquire one, whether he can use it in public or not. The organization does
not "sell" the robes to members; it merely rents them, and members upon
leaving the organization are required to return them to the head of the
local Klan. The price charged a member for a robe is $6.50, while the
Kleagle must pay $12 as his robe has more trimming. Made in large
quantities, as they are being made, there ought to be a profit of at least
$5 per garment, although I believe a New York garment maker could show a
larger profit than that. According to "Emperor" Simmons, the present
output is about six hundred robes a day. Orders are taken for the garments
by Kleagles and Exalted Cyclops of the different Klans on measuring blanks
printed especially for the purpose. The order is made out and addressed to
the "Imperial Wizard," but it is filled by the "Gate City Manufacturing
Company" of Atlanta, Georgia. The records of Fulton County, Georgia, show
that application for charter for this corporation was filed June 9, 1920,
with C. B. Davis and Lottie B. Davis as incorporators. It shows a capital
stock of $25,000, and states that "more than $5,000 has been paid in." It
also asks the right to increase its capitalization to $50,000. Its powers
indicate that it is to engage in the manufacture and sale of lodge
supplies, paraphernalia and equipment of all sorts for the use of lodges,
secret societies, etc. The corporation apparently lay dormant for a year,
as an order of court allowing the petition was only allowed on August 19,
1921. Until the incorporators met and organized there could have been no
legal organization of the corporation. No reports as to business done had
been filed in Fulton County up to the date of the court order above
mentioned. This concern, however, has been doing business for several
months prior to that time, as I received several shipments from them in
April and May 1921. _Who owns the Gate City Manufacturing Company? What
connection has it with the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan? What becomes of
the enormous profit derived from the sales of robes?_
During the summer of 1921, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan purchased the
handsome, colonial home of H. M. Durant on Peachtree Road, about five
miles from Atlanta, at an approximate cost of $75,000. The purchase
comprises a block of land about four hundred feet square. Extensive
improvements, worthy of a real emperor's palace are contemplated for this
property, and it will be the headquarters of the "Imperial Palace." The
land will be cut up into gardens, small lakes and building sites. It is
estimated that $30,000 worth of marble alone will be used. A handsome
statue of General N. B. Forrest will be erected, and also a statue of
"Emperor" William J. Simmons. There will be electric fountains, electric
fiery crosses, lakes, boat houses and tennis courts. According to the
"Emperor": "There will be no manufacturing handled at the Palace. We now
have a paraphernalia plant here turning out six hundred robes a day, in
addition to other equipment, and we expect to erect in a short time a
building with railroad frontage to be devoted exclusively to
manufacturing." It is also planned to take over a large printing plant. If
this extensive program is carried out, there will be a huge enterprise
with all the combined activities costing not less than $3,500,000.
While the organization has been buying land and engaging in real estate
transactions, the Imperial Kleagle, as a side line, has also gone into the
real estate business. On June 27, 1921, a petition was filed for charter
for the "Clarke Realty Company" with Edward Young Clarke and Mrs.
Elizabeth Tyler as incorporators, with authorized capital stock of $10,000
with privilege of increasing it to $100,000. The corporation seeks the
right to deal generally in real estate. Just what real estate the "Clarke
Realty Company" has bought, sold, leased, rented, or exchanged or acted as
brokers for, has not appeared in print.
The functions of Clarke appear to be exclusively to propagate the work and
organize Klans, after which they are turned over to Simmons. According to
a statement made by Clarke to the _World_ the organization has one
thousand chartered Klans, it requiring the services of two people engaged
every day to write charters. After the Klans are chartered they are turned
over to Simmons. In this connection, it would be well to turn back to the
charter and note that under Section 7, the "business of the society shall
be under the control of the IMPERIAL WIZARD (PRESIDENT)," etc. This
control is so thorough that in the secret constitution of the organization
the term of office of the president is for life, and he can be removed
only by the unanimous vote of his Imperial Kloncilium. The constitution
also provides as follows:
"Article I, Section 2. The government of this order shall ever be
military in character, most especially its management and control;
and no legislative enactment or constitutional amendment hereafter
forever shall encroach upon, effect or change this essential,
fundamental principle of this order--The Invisible Empire.
"Section 2. The government of this order shall be invested primarily
in the Imperial Wizard, as Commander-in-chief or Emperor of the
Invisible Empire."
Acting in pursuance of the constitution, which provides that the
organization is "military in character," the propagation department
functions in pretty much the same manner as the army handles its business.
The Imperial Kleagle is virtually a Chief of Staff, or more properly an
Adjutant General. The country is divided into eight "Domains" comprising
certain States, each State being known as a "Realm," which is again
divided into districts where the actual field work is done.
The "Domain" is in command of a "Grand Goblin," the "Realm" is under the
jurisdiction of a "King Kleagle," while the field organizer, having charge
of certain territory, is known as a "Kleagle."
The following is a list of the Domains with their respective Grand
Goblins, revised to July 2, 1921:
1. Domain of the Southeast, composed of Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia,
Alabama, Mississippi and the two Carolinas, with M. B. Owen, Box 1472,
Atlanta, as Grand Goblin.
2. Western Domain, in charge of Grand Goblin George B. Kimbro, Jr., Box
1521, Houston, Texas, and composed of Arizona, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma,
Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.
3. Domain of the East, Grand Goblin Lloyd P. Hooper, Apartment 1, No. 320,
Central Park West, New York City, in charge, composed of the State of New
York.
4. Domain of the Great Lakes, in charge of Grand Goblin C. W. Love, with
headquarters in Chicago, and composed of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan.
5. Domain of the Mississippi Valley, in charge of Grand Goblin Frank A.
Crippen, Box 951, St. Louis, composed of Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas,
Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.
6. Domain of the Pacific Coast, in charge of Grand Goblin W. S. Coburn,
No. 519 Haas Building, Los Angeles, composed of California, Washington,
Nevada, Oregon and Idaho.
7. Domain of the Northwest, consolidated with former Southwestern Domain
and now part of new Western Domain.
8. Capitol Domain, in charge of Grand Goblin Harry B. Terrell, Box 5, 11th
Street Station, Washington, D. C., and comprising the District of
Columbia.
9. Atlantic Domain, in charge of Grand Goblin F. W. Atkins, with
headquarters in Philadelphia, composed of Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Delaware and Maryland.
10. New England Domain, in charge of Grand Goblin A. J. Pardon, Jr., with
headquarters in Boston, and composed of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Unattached, Florida, to be in charge of King Kleagle S. A. Givens, who
will report direct to the Imperial Kleagle and whose address is Box 1883,
Jacksonville, Fla.
These "Domains" may be likened to divisions of an army, as they are in
control of the spread of Ku Kluxism in the sections named, and the "Grand
Goblin" reports direct to the "Imperial Kleagle." Each State or "Realm" is
like a regiment, and the King Kleagle reports to his immediate chief, the
"Grand Goblin," and not to the Atlanta headquarters. The "Kleagle" or
field man makes his reports to the "King Kleagle" only. All communications
sent to or received by him from the headquarters come through the channels
of the "King Kleagle." The system is so thoroughly military that if a
member of the organization writes to Atlanta about any matter, the letter
is sent through channels to the Kleagle for his action.
The Kleagle is empowered to administer the obligation, organize and
instruct Klans, and collect the requisite and necessary "donation" of ten
dollars. Out of this sum he retains four dollars per member for his
services, and at the end of the week submits a report of his activities,
remitting to the King Kleagle the six dollars balance due on each member
secured. The King Kleagle retains one dollar a member for his services,
and remits five dollars to the Grand Goblin of the Domain to which he is
attached. The Grand Goblin is allowed to shave off fifty cents a member
and remits $4.50 to the Imperial Kleagle, who in turn keeps $2.50 and pays
into the treasury of the Imperial Palace the sum of $2.00 which is all of
the original "donation" that actually reaches the organization. The whole
system is carefully conducted as a well organized sales system, each
official being required to file his returns each week on a form provided
for that purpose. The following is a copy of the Kleagle's weekly report
form:
KLEAGLE'S WEEKLY REPORT
This report MUST be accurately made out and mailed to the Imperial
Kleagle on the last day of the week, approved by him and sent by him
to the Imperial Office at the earliest possible date.
To the Imperial Wizard, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan:
[Sidenote: N. B.--Send names and addresses of Petitioners who have
paid on another sheet, also state to which Klan they will be
attached]
The following is my report for the week ending ..........., 192...
Number of Prospective Petitioners Canvassed ......
" " Petitioners Secured and Paid ......
" " "Original Klansmen" secured ......
" " Klans Organized ......
Total Amount Collected from Petitioners $......
" " Remitted herewith $......
Town or Towns I have worked in this week:
.................................................................
Will be at work next week in ....................................
.................................................................
Prospects for next week .........................................
REMARKS.
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................
Dated at .............................................., 192.....
Signed:
...................................
K.O.I.E.
Received..........................., 192......
Approved
................................. Grade ................
Imperial Kleagle.
Has the "Invisible Empire" a program?
According to its "Emperor" it not only has a program, but at the proper
time it will put it forth. He made a statement which was printed in the
_Searchlight_ on July 2, 1921:
"I am not at all surprised, at the progress of the work, but of
course gratified. I have never for one moment doubted that if God
gave me strength and 'men' with which to lay before America the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, that it would sweep the nation as
nothing of the kind has ever done.
"The Ku Klux Klan has not started to work. The enemies of the
organization have been howling and back-biting and snapping at
everything they could see or hear, and lying slanders have been
spread broadcast about the organization and leaders and proposed work
and present activity.
"For the edification of those who do not know allow me to say that
the Ku Klux Klan have not yet started to work and may not do so for a
year. We are merely organizing at the present time and we do not
intend to start any definite activity until we have sufficiently
organized to make sure success.
"To those who love fireworks--rhetorical and otherwise--allow me to
suggest that they wait quietly until the Ku Klux Klan passes through
its organizing period and actually starts work. The attacks that have
so far been launched will appear significant when the atmosphere
becomes surcharged with the shrieks of the enemies of law and order,
constitutional principles, and real Americanism, as these forces feel
the tightening grip of the Klan around them and they come to the
realization that they are whipped.
"It will be then, and not till then, that the real anathemas will be
hurled at the organization and its leaders, but it will have as
little weight and do as little harm as all the lies that have been
spread broadcast up to the present time.
"And those who have deliberately maligned and slandered us are going
to wake some day to a very unpleasant situation. We are keeping
records and making plans. The day of our activity has not arrived."
This intemperate language of Simmons was even exceeded at a meeting held
on the night of August 25, 1921, in Philadelphia, which was reported in a
press telegram as follows:
"A narrow pathway leading to a woodland glade, and every fifty feet a
masked and white-robed sentinel. Within the little clearing an altar,
and beside it the banner of the nation with the night wind rustling
through the folds. Formed in hollow square around the glade rank on
rank of masked spectres. A deep voice echoing through the darkness.
"'Imperial One, the men who seek admission to our legions stand
prepared!'
"Line after line the candidates marched in, led by a gigantic masker
who bore high overhead the Fiery Cross. The candidates marched before
the scrutinizing ranks of silent Klansmen. Then every man--veteran
Klansmen and new-made members--bowed before the American flag and
through the night boomed out the watchword of the order:
"'All men in America must honor that flag--if we must make them honor
it on their knees!'
"Then, in a blaze of sudden light, the Grand Goblin of the Realm, a
towering form in white and scarlet uniform, appeared at the north end
of the glade. Cheers received him. His speech was brief.
"'America for real Americans!' he cried. 'Guardianship against the
alien, the anarchist and all who would subvert that banner, be they
white, or black or yellow!' the voice thundered through the ranks.
'The Ku Klux are misrepresented and vilified. Americans do not
realize that they sleep on a red volcano's edge. They sleep; they let
petty politicians hold the helm; they make no preparations for the
perils yet to come. The enemies of true American principles are
myriad. They are organized; they plot; they scheme--they go
unchallenged and unhindered.
"'It is the place of the Ku Klux Klan to rouse the spirit of the real
American and to stand guard against the evil forces that seek to
stifle this mightiest of nations. Be the foes white, black or yellow;
be they native traitors or alien invaders, the Klan shall form a ring
of steel to throttle their every devil's scheme. We, the Ku Klux
Klan; we, the Invisible Empire, rally to aid the faltering hands of
our law--and to protect our homes, our lives, our people and our
nation's future against a wave of living hell!'"
CHAPTER V
PROPAGATION NEWS-LETTERS
In order to keep the various units in touch with each other, the
Propagation Department sends out each week a "News-letter" filled with
extracts from reports of different workers. These letters are supposed to
be read at the meetings of the Klans, and I found that they were listened
to with great attention. It is quite likely that many hundreds of reports
are received each week from all over the United States, and the fact that
the Propagation Department selects for distribution these special extracts
must indicate what the leaders wish Klansmen as a whole to believe about
the movement, and what should be the objects they are to work for. It is
also to be noted how well the letters reflect the extent to which the
Klans have absorbed the moral and political poison of Ku Kluxism under the
sugar coating of "social purity," "one hundred per cent Americanism,"
"motherhood," and all the other _et ceteras_. This sugar coating is
especially evident in the following extract of June 18, 1921:
"At eight o'clock one hundred Klansmen in robes marched down the main
street to the park. They carried banners, the first about the head of
the procession, bearing the inscription, 'The Invisible Empire, here
yesterday, here today, here forever.' The second banner about the
middle of the procession stated, 'Rockmart Must Be Clean for Our
Mothers, for Our Wives, for Our Daughters--The Guilty Must Pay.' Then
came the third and last banner reading, 'White Supremacy,' and on the
reverse side, 'Grafters, Gamblers and Thieves Must Go.' There were
about twelve hundred gathered around the speakers' stand and the old
citizens say it was about the biggest gathering ever held in
Rockmart.
"The meeting was opened with singing 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee,' by
the entire gathering. This was followed by prayer led by Rev. F. J.
Mashburn. Then the Reverend Mashburn made the introductory speech, in
which he paid his respect to those who tried to dissuade him from
having anything to do with the meeting. Doctor Mashburn paid eloquent
tribute to the men in robes. He said that his father was one of the
members of the original Ku Klux Klan and that he felt he had been
singularly honored when requested to introduce the chief speaker of
the evening, Col. J. Q. Nolan of Atlanta. Colonel Nolan followed
Doctor Mashburn with an eloquent address, in which he clearly and
forcefully explained the aims and purposes of the order. His hold on
the audience was absolute and he was frequently interrupted with
applause. His tribute to motherhood was one of the sublimest word
paintings ever uttered. On the platform with the speakers were Hon.
J. A. Fambro, mayor of Rockmart, members of the City Council and two
members of the Klan."
In another letter from an Exalted Cyclops the sugar coating has largely
disappeared. The author has lost sight of the small town "purity"
reflected in the above letter, but feels that he will soon be called upon
to march as a crusader against the foe. He writes:
"Long live the Klan and those noble spirits who are inculcating its
creed into the hearts of slumbering America! This organization
happened just at the right psychological time; a little later perhaps
would have been too late; it stepped into the breach at the proper
moment and no other kind of organization on earth could have possibly
met the issue. You know and I know and every other thinking man
realizes and will admit the perils that menace this republic of ours.
The trouble is, too few people are given to thinking--people nowadays
are educated to every damn thing under the sun except think. It is up
to us to fill the void and I believe we can put the world to
thinking. It is not only the thinking man's duty to think, but to
have the moral courage to teach. In due course of time I feel no
doubt but that the influence of this Invisible Empire of thinkers
will be reflected in the destiny of this nation. I am a Mason, a
Rotarian and several other things, all of which I am proud, but first
of all I am proudest of the fact that I am a native-born, white
Gentile Klansman. What kind of country would this be with no lines
drawn between the Caucasian blood and the African race? It is too
awful to contemplate. I solemnly believe that we are facing another
crisis in our history; it is slowly, gradually, inevitably and surely
approaching. The foreign political and labor class fanatic; the
negro; the Jap and Romanism are threatening, if I can read the signs
of the times. The new, the reincarnated Ku Klux Klan is, as I
understand it, dedicated to the proposition of saving our flag and
forever maintaining this government as a _white man's_ government. No
nobler or grander cause was ever espoused by the brain and heart of
man."
"Emperor" Simmons claims that the "Invisible Empire" is increasing at the
rate of five thousand a week, and several extracts from the "News-letters"
might seem to prove his point; if not that they might serve the purpose of
the leaders of inspiring members to believe that they have the honor of
belonging to the great national movement of the century.
In the weekly "News-letter," dated May 13, 1921, the Exalted Cyclops, of
Vicksburg, Mississippi, writes:
"You gentlemen at headquarters will probably be pleased to know what
rapid strides the K. K. K. is making in this State. It is sweeping
Mississippi like wildfire. We are in hopes of having five hundred
members in our Klan by September 1, 1921. When we get our Klan up to
one thousand members we have perfected a scheme whereby, while we
will retain only one Klan here in Warren County, we will have all the
members from each separate district meet once a week and then have a
general meeting for the whole Klan each month, as it will be too
unwieldy to have such a large body meet frequently. You can readily
appreciate this when at our first meeting, when we had one hundred
and twenty-five charter members, we had thirty-five automobiles in
the grounds of our meeting place in the country.
"The reason why everybody here has taken so keenly to the Klan is due
to the fact that years ago the Jews and Roman Catholics formed a
liaison with the liquor interests and have had politics in this city
throttled, and it is our intention to whip and rout them at the polls
when the next election comes around in 1922. We intend to put these
un-American elements out of office precisely as other communities
have done."
The following letter from Grand Goblin Crippen, of St. Louis is of
interest:
"I am glad to report that word comes from the Realm of Kansas that a
Ku Klux flying squadron has been formed in that State, and I would
also advise that several Klansmen are getting together a large group
of musicians who, they claim, will constitute one of the largest and
best brass bands in America, to be known as the Ku Klux Band."
The "News-letter" of May 27 reveals their claim that Ku Kluxism is making
strong headway outside of the Southern States. I quote at length from it
as follows:
"Additional proof that the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is being
welcomed with enthusiasm by the rank and file of one hundred per cent
American citizens wherever our representatives go is found in the
report of Hugh B. Cobb, one of the Imperial Officers, who has just
returned from a trip to Missouri and other States in that territory.
"Mr. Cobb went to Joplin, Mo., especially to deliver an address by
invitation of the Joplin Klan. He says he found interest in Klankraft
running high and the members of the organization there are among the
highest type of citizens. On his return to Atlanta, Mr. Cobb spent
one day with Grand Goblin Crippen in St. Louis. He was greatly
pleased with Klansman Crippen and the work he is doing for the
organization.
"'It is an inspiration to see the class of citizens who are knocking
at the outer door and applying for citizenship in the Invisible
Empire,' said Mr. Cobb. 'The best publicity or propaganda our
organization can have is the criticism of its enemies. No real
American citizen is deceived for long, if at all, by these critics,
because when he finds out who they are the first question he
naturally asks is: Why are they criticizing? And if he has any brains
at all it doesn't take him long to find out.'
"Mr. Cobb's report is indeed very encouraging since it deals with the
progress we are making in territory outside of the South. The
red-blooded American men of the North and West are accepting the Ku
Klux Klan as an American institution, because it is such, and because
it is the _only_ one hundred per cent American organization in the
whole United States. Think it over.
"Another convincing proof that the Klan is taking hold is found in
the fact that our enemies are so rapidly attacking us. We mean
something to them apparently, although they scoffed at us in the
beginning. There is very little scoffing going on at the present
time, but there is considerable gnashing of teeth. We are glad to
say, however, that the bulk of the opposition with which we are
meeting now comes from those from whom we naturally would expect
opposition and with whom it is impossible for the Ku Klux Klan ever
to have anything in common.
"At the outset we were opposed by many newspapers who had no idea of
our real aims and purposes. _They accepted the word of negro
associations and Catholics, Jews and other foreigners that we were a
lawless gang and criticized us accordingly._"
There is considerable food for thought in the above extract. In the first
place I have never heard, in an experience of nearly twenty years, of a
fraternal order sending out a communication in which it designated the
outside public or any part of it as "enemies."
It will be noted in several of the "News-letters" that one of the points I
am trying to bring out in my argument is confirmed. It is the
classification of the white Catholic and the white Jew with the negro, a
classification that can have but one inevitable effect--the creating of
discord and dissension among members of the white race.
The last "News-letter" I have read was the one dated June 25. It was read
at a meeting I attended in Chattanooga, and was descriptive principally
of the work being done on the Pacific Coast by Grand Goblin Coburn, who
has charge of that Domain. The report indicated that a vigorous
propagation campaign was going on in California and that people were
eagerly joining the Ku Klux Klan in response to its appeal for membership
on the ground of "white supremacy" over the Japanese. I fully believe that
the Pacific Coast will become one of the strongholds of Ku Kluxism, and
would not be surprised at any time to read in the newspapers of some
surface manifestations of the agitation of the race question. That a
movement managed in Atlanta, Ga., has no business meddling in the
international affairs of this country is so obvious that it is quite
unnecessary to comment further upon it.
The manner in which applications for membership are solicited in
connection with the work of the official lecturers is illustrated in the
following description of a lecture:
"At the regular meeting of the Newport News Klan No. 8, Realm of
Virginia, held in its Klavern, Monday, May 30, a resolution was
introduced and passed by unanimous vote that Your Majesty be
requested if possible to return Col. J. Q. Nolan to Newport News at a
future date to deliver another address. Colonel Nolan spoke at the
Imperial Theater with a seating capacity of eight hundred with the
standing room only sign displayed before he even began speaking.
There were fully as many turned away as were able to hear him. If
possible to have him return we will secure the Academy of Music for
his address and we can promise him a packed house. Colonel Nolan won
the hearts of all who heard him and the request for his return comes
not only from Klansmen but from men and women from all walks of life.
At the meeting following Colonel's Nolan's address, ninety-one
applications were presented and interest has been aroused to fever
heat here. If it can be made possible for Colonel Nolan to return,
please have him do so. At the same time we would like to extend a
warm personal invitation to Your Majesty to come with Colonel Nolan,
for Newport News and our Klan would feel it an honor indeed to
entertain Your Majesty."
Several of the "News-letters" support my claim that the organization is
endeavoring to throw its coils around all public officers. This is seen
for instance in the letter of May 20, 1921, which reads:
"You may state in your weekly letter that in one city in Virginia we
have the chief of police, the commonwealth attorney, the postmaster,
the police court judge, members of the city council and the managing
editor of the leading paper and many other prominent business and
professional men. This is Newport News."
The "News-letter" of June 10, 1921, shows a still more sinister situation.
The Exalted Cyclops of Norfolk, Virginia, writes:
"We have just taken in the chief of police. He is a fine up-standing
fellow, a major in the World War. We had a hard time getting
information regarding him, but when we found that he was eligible we
had no trouble enlisting him in our ranks and when he was initiated
you never saw such a pleased fellow; he radiated it, and when he
learned he was to have our support in upholding the law he was
certainly pleased, especially with our military organization, which
we offered him in case of trouble. He then informed us that the city
is insufficiently protected and that we are sitting on a volcano
regarding the negro question, that there is a great deal of unrest
among them and that we might have a riot at any time and he was very
much worried. He told us that not many months ago there was a riot in
the negro district, caused by negro soldiers attacking a district
police station to release a negro prisoner, but it never got into the
papers--so it was news to all of us. He welcomed us and the military
company is to be trained and two hundred and sixty repeating rifles
will be turned over to us in time of trouble. I asked how many in the
three hundred present at the meeting would be willing to join the
organization to assist the chief, and every one of them stood up. How
is that for one hundred per cent Americanism? They were told they
might have to sacrifice their lives in case of trouble, but they did
not flinch at duty. The chief of police states that any man we select
to head these two hundred and sixty Klansmen will be made by him
assistant director of public safety in charge of these Klansmen."
Imperial Kleagle Clarke, commenting on the above communication, states:
"We call that almighty fine. The Norfolk Klan is working along the right
line and deserves to be highly commended for the steps it has taken in
enforcement of the law and preservation of order."
An examination of the Norfolk communication reveals some interesting
points. In the first place the author of the letter says: "We had a hard
time getting information regarding him, but when we found that he was
eligible we had no trouble enlisting him in our ranks." In other words,
some of the best and most efficient police officers in the United States
are Irish-Catholics, and since, according to the Ku Klux Klan, they are
foreigners and to be classed with the negro, it is highly important, first
of all, to ascertain the religion of the chief of police. As he probably
is not an active churchgoer this task was rather difficult, but when he
was found to be a Protestant, he was eagerly sought after. Now that the
chief has taken the oath of allegiance to the "Invisible Empire," and has
surrounded himself with his two hundred and sixty Ku Kluxes, I would not
give much for the chances of a Catholic to get on the Norfolk police
force. It is also interesting to read the fact that this particular Klan
states that it is military, and that a military company will be trained
and drilled, and that rifles will be issued to this secret organization.
If this is a straw indicating the way in which the Ku Klux wind is
blowing, it is not unreasonable to suppose that in the course of time
there will be a gigantic, secret, national organization drilled as
soldiers, and under the autocratic command of the "Emperor of the
Invisible Empire."
The "News-letter" above quoted again makes an extract from the report of
the Exalted Cyclops of the Norfolk Klan, which is really more dangerous to
the United States than the one previously discussed. It is more dangerous
for the reason that it reflects the insane light of religious fervor and
fanaticism in connection with this movement, and shows how the attempt of
Simmons to build a secret Empire on the religious idea is bearing its
fruit. I bespeak for this effusion a careful reading:
"I did not think it possible that my enthusiasm for our noble order
could be increased, but your letter of the fourteenth instant, has
filled me with added inspiration. Having been offered an opportunity
for service in the field in Missouri, I am resigning my position with
the government here and hope soon to be among the chosen disciples of
our great Emperor proclaiming his inspired doctrine of new freedom to
the world. Beyond the simple office of treasurer in my home county I
have never sought public honors nor craved political preference, but
in the glorious work of this God-inspired order every ounce of my
energy will strive for excellence. I shall never seek the honor or
preferment of office except wherein I may contribute to the honor and
preferment of my Klan. My fellow Klansmen have here seen fit to
confer upon me the highest honor within their power, and God being my
witness, I would not barter it for any other honor that life may
hold. My only consolation in leaving my faithful Klan for a time is
that I may aid in the promulgation of the glorious institutions of
freedom which my sons battled for beneath the Stars and Stripes for
which I have pledged my blood beneath the flaming symbol of an
unconquered race of men."
These "News-letters" are valuable as showing the mental attitude of the
workers and members of the Ku Klux Klan. They show that wherever it is
possible the national organization desires to throw its net around the
officers of the law, and enroll them in the system. Under the guise of
assisting the authorities to enforce the law this is done, and to my
personal knowledge many conscientious and capable officers of the law
believe that the idea is a good one. At the same time it is an alarming
situation when police officers and sheriffs who have already taken one
oath to the States in which they reside, take another--a vicious and
illegal obligation--to an "Invisible Empire," ruled autocratically by one
man who has in mind plans he does not reveal to his followers. What is to
happen when the chief of police of a city swears to obey "unconditionally"
all laws, regulations, decrees and edicts of the Ku Klux Klan "which have
been or which may be hereafter enacted."
Whatever excuse the original Ku Klux Klan may have had for its existence,
it is impossible to conceive any situation arising in this country at the
present time that calls for any extra-judicial organization, functioning
in secret, and composed of men wearing robes and masks to conceal their
identities. And along this line, I want to call attention to a historical
fact. The original Klan was organized and functioned at a time when the
courts and law-enforcing machinery of the South were paralyzed, but, as
soon as the courts began to administer justice, General Forrest, the Grand
Wizard, of the Ku Klux Klan, issued an order disbanding the organization
on the ground that it was no longer needed. Surely, if the original Klan,
having functioned as an enormous "vigilance committee" in several States,
found that its services were not required, what real excuse can be
advanced for the continuance of an extra-judicial organization in these
days of ample courts, able officers of the law and the administration of
justice? It seems to me that there are more than enough law-enforcement
agencies in the United States.
If the system of judicature in the United States is so helpless that a
secret, masked, "Invisible Empire" is necessary to enforce the law, then
the cold truth is that the Federal and State governments are abject
failures. This then, being the case, it should be the duty of the people
to devise ways and means to create and maintain a new system. In the face
of the fact that this country has grown from a few small colonies to one
of the greatest of world powers, and that the Constitution of the United
States has been the basic law under which this has been done, and that our
system of law enforcement is entirely adequate, the attempt on the part of
any organization whatever to take upon itself the enforcement of the law
is a piece of presumptuous impudence. All laws are made and enforced by
representatives of the whole people. They are not enacted by or for the
benefit of a class and they cannot be enforced by a class.
The "News-letters" also indicate that the teachings of Simmons are taking
firm root in the minds of the religious element of the country. While I
may be disputed on this point, I believe, from my observations in various
sections of the country which I have visited, that the people of the
South as a whole take their churches and their religions more seriously
than do people elsewhere. The whole structure of modern Ku Kluxism is an
attempt to clothe its real purposes and intentions in the garb of the
backwoods religious revival. Its ritualism is of the camp-meeting order,
and all its ceremonies, as I shall show later, tend to awaken the emotions
of provincial Protestantism. History has shown in numerous instances that
where this religious fervor is aroused, it produces a blind fanaticism
that is one of the most dangerous forces in the body politic when it is
turned loose. The inability of the fanatic to differentiate between the
political activities of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and the Roman
Catholic Church as a great religious institution is one of the greatest
menaces of the Ku Klux movement.
The "News-letters" show further that already the fanatical "citizens" of
the "Invisible Empire" are catching hold of the idea of autocracy, and
that the "subjects" are addressing their rulers as "Your Majesty."
Were the situation not so serious and of such vital moment to the American
people, this "Empire" of Ku Kluxism would be one of the greatest pieces of
humor ever perpetrated upon the American public.
CHAPTER VI
THE KU KLUX OATH
In the printed literature of the "Invisible Empire," it is stated that
those who cannot assume a "real oath," with serious determination to keep
same inviolate, are not desired in the ranks of Ku Kluxism. There is no
doubt whatever that "Emperor" Simmons, who probably wrote the oath, has
produced a "real oath."
In making a critical analysis of the oath, I shall first reproduce it in
its entirety, and then take it up in sections and show my viewpoint. If
this oath is not a dangerous document and likely to imbue people with the
spirit of taking the law into their own hands, then a considerable portion
of my contention against the Ku Klux Klan must necessarily fail. My case
against Ku Kluxism rests to a large extent upon the potential danger to
the country from an absolutely secret organization, bound together by this
oath, under the sole domination of one man, and likely at any time to draw
into its ranks men with no regard for anything but the Ku Klux law.
The oath is printed separately from the ritual, and the name "Ku Klux
Klan" does not appear in it. In places where the name is spoken there are
asterisks. The document consists of three printed pages bound together,
and, for the convenience of the person administering it, is broken up into
phrases separated by dashes. I am giving it here properly punctuated so
that the reader can more easily grasp its significance. It is supposed to
be administered in sections, sandwiched in between the verbose and
long-winded effusions of "Emperor" Simmons as contained in the ritual.
When the work is conferred by a full-degree team, it is given in "long
form" and the procedure follows the order laid down in the ritual. Most of
the Kleagles, however, put on the ceremony of "naturalization" alone,
using the short form, in which case the oath is administered all at once.
In the present mad scramble for commissions on the "donations," the
Kleagles administer the obligation at any time and place that suits the
convenience of the "alien" with the ten dollars, and Ku Kluxes are
manufactured on the "pay-as-you-enter" style in stores, factories, banks,
physicians' offices and any other place where there is freedom from
intrusion. One enthusiastic Kleagle wrote to the home office that he had
arisen from his bed one night after midnight, and clad in his pajamas had
administered the obligation to a "worthy alien," whose ten dollars burned
so badly in his pocket that he could not wait until daylight to be
separated from his money.
The obligation, consisting of four sections, reads as follows:
"SECTION I. OBEDIENCE.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'In the presence of God and man most solemnly pledge, promise,
and swear, unconditionally, that I will faithfully obey the
Constitution and laws; and will willingly conform to all regulations,
usages, and requirements of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which do
now exist or which may be hereafter enacted; and will render at all
times loyal respect and steadfast support to the Imperial Authority
of same; and will heartily heed all official mandates, decrees,
edicts, rulings, and instructions of the Imperial Wizard thereof. I
will yield prompt response to all summonses, I having knowledge of
same, Providence alone preventing.
"SECTION II. SECRECY.
"I most solemnly swear that I will forever keep sacredly secret the
signs, words, and grip; and any and all other matters and knowledge
of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, regarding which a most rigid
secrecy must be maintained, which may at any time be communicated to
me and will never divulge same nor even cause the same to be divulged
to any person in the whole world, unless I know positively that such
person is a member of this Order in good and regular standing, and
not even then unless it be for the best interest of this Order.
"I most sacredly vow and most positively swear that I will not yield
to bribe, flattery, threats, passion, punishment, persuasion, nor any
enticements whatever coming from or offered by any person or persons,
male or female, for the purpose of obtaining from me a secret or
secret information of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. I will die
rather than divulge same. So help me, God. AMEN!
"SECTION III. FIDELITY.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'Before God, and in the presence of these mysterious Klansmen,
on my sacred honor, do most solemnly and sincerely pledge, promise,
and swear that I will diligently guard, and faithfully foster every
interest of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and will maintain its
social cast and dignity.
"I swear that I will not recommend any person for membership in this
order whose mind is unsound, or whose reputation I know to be bad, or
whose character is doubtful or whose loyalty to our country is in any
way questionable.
"I swear that I will pay promptly all just and legal demands made
upon me to defray the expenses of my Klan and this Order, when same
are due or called for.
"I swear that I will protect the property of the Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan, of any nature whatsoever; and if any should be intrusted
to my keeping, I will properly keep or rightly use same; and will
freely and promptly surrender same on official demand, or if ever I
am banished from or voluntarily discontinue my membership in this
Order.
"I swear that I will, most determinedly, maintain peace and harmony
in all the deliberations of the gatherings or assemblies of the
Invisible Empire, and of any subordinate jurisdiction or Klan
thereof.
"I swear that I will most strenuously discourage selfishness and
selfish political ambition on the part of myself or any Klansman.
"I swear that I will never allow personal friendship, blood or family
relationship, nor personal, political or professional prejudice,
malice, or ill will, to influence me in casting my vote for the
election or rejection of an applicant for membership in this Order,
God being my Helper. AMEN!
"SECTION IV. KLANISHNESS.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'Most solemnly pledge, promise, and swear that I will never
slander, defraud, deceive, or in any manner wrong the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan, a Klansman, nor a Klansman's family, nor will I suffer
the same to be done, if I can prevent it.
"I swear that I will be faithful in defending and protecting the
home, reputation, and physical and business interest of a Klansman
and that of a Klansman's family.
"I swear that I will at any time, without hesitating, go to the
assistance or rescue of a Klansman in any way; at his call I will
answer; I will be truly Klanish toward Klansmen in all things
honorable.
"I swear that I will not allow any animosity, friction, nor ill will
to arise and remain between myself and a Klansman; but will be
constant in my efforts to promote real Klanishness among the members
of this Order.
"I swear that I will keep secure to myself a secret of a Klansman
when same is committed to me in the sacred bond of Klansmanship--the
crime of violating _this_ solemn oath, treason against the United
States of America, rape, and malicious murder, alone excepted.
"I most solemnly assert and affirm that to the government of the
United States of America and any State thereof which I may become a
resident, I sacredly swear an unqualified allegiance above any other
and every kind of government in the whole world. I, here and now,
pledge my life, my property, my vote, and my sacred honor, to uphold
its flag, its constitution, and constitutional laws; and will
protect, defend, and enforce same to death.
"I swear that I will most zealously and valiantly shield and
preserve, by any and all justifiable means and methods, the sacred
constitutional rights and privileges of free public schools, free
speech, free press, separation of church and state, liberty, white
supremacy, just laws, and the pursuit of happiness, against any
encroachment, of any nature, by any person or persons, political
party or parties, religious sect or people, native, naturalized, or
foreign of any race, color, creed, lineage, or tongue whatsoever.
"All, to which I have sworn by _this_ oath, I will seal with my
blood. Be thou my witness, Almighty God! AMEN!"
This document is the oath of the "Invisible Empire," Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan, and according to "Emperor" Simmons, good Americans are swearing
to it at the rate of five thousand a week! For the benefit of those who
cannot readily see the danger in such an obligation, and why it does not
belong in the class of obligations assumed by men who join real fraternal
orders, let us carefully analyze certain clauses.
"SECTION I. OBEDIENCE.
"I, in the presence of God and man, most solemnly pledge, promise,
and swear, unconditionally, that I will faithfully obey the
Constitution and laws; and will willingly conform to all regulations,
usages, and requirements of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which do
now exist or which may be hereafter enacted; and will render at all
times loyal respect and steadfast support to the Imperial Authority
of same; and will heartily heed all official mandates, decrees,
edicts, rulings, and instructions of the Imperial Wizard thereof. I
will yield prompt response to all summonses, I having knowledge of
same, Providence alone preventing."
Until I had resigned as Kleagle I had never been able to even see a copy
of the constitution and laws. This was in the possession of the King
Kleagle of Tennessee, who stated that he had had great difficulty in
securing it, and had been compelled to give a very rigid receipt for its
care and custody. The organization was evidently afraid to allow this
booklet to get into general circulation among the members, for the simple
reason that its general perusal would have shown the members the truth.
They would have discovered that the organization was a "one-man" affair,
with "Emperor" Simmons in practical control, with a life-time easy job,
living on "Easy Street" as a result of money that came into the
organization from the public. They would also have found that they were
members of a military organization, and that the "Emperor" was the
Commander-in-chief. Obedience to the "Imperial Authority" means obedience
to "Emperor" Simmons.
This first section binds a "citizen" to obey "unconditionally" laws he has
never seen and is not permitted to see, and also to obey all laws that may
be enacted in the future regardless of whether he approves of the laws or
not. Any man who takes this obligation and keeps it, gives "Emperor"
William Joseph Simmons a blank check on his life, his liberty of thought,
and his entire actions. Any one who doubts my statement has but to read
this section of the oath. It is there in plain English. Regardless of the
merits of the organization, no fraternal order man ought to be a member of
any society in which he has so little voice in the management of its
affairs, and the head of which has so framed the constitution that he will
enjoy a lifetime of "easy money." And the incorporators of the "Invisible
Empire" say in their application for a charter of the "Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan" that they want to be classed with the Masons and Knights of
Pythias! In both those orders, the constitution and laws of the order are
always open for the inspection of any member who cares to see them, and I
have yet to hear of an official of Pythianism or Masonry who has been
chosen to hold a position for life. Some officials have held office on
merit for many years, but their tenure for life is not fixed in the
constitutions.
Under the second section of the oath, in the first clause, is found the
words:
"I ... do most solemnly pledge, promise and swear, that I will
diligently guard and faithfully foster every interest of the Knights
of the Ku Klux Klan, and will maintain its social cast and dignity."
This is a sweeping declaration that every interest of this organization
must be held paramount, and the slightest deviation from absolute
obedience and loyalty to "Emperor" Simmons, who is the organization, would
mean that the offender had broken his oath. "Maintaining its social cast
and dignity"--whatever that means may indeed be a very hard obligation to
keep.
"I swear that I will pay promptly all just and legal demands made
upon me to defray the expenses of my Klan and this Order, when same
are due or called for."
Here we find that the avarice and greed that permeates the whole system of
organized Ku Kluxism has even been incorporated into the oath. When a Klan
is chartered, a per capita tax of $1.85 for each member is required to be
sent to the Imperial Palace. If the organization has 650,000 members, as
has been claimed, then there will be derived from dues alone an annual
revenue of $1,202,500. In order to insure the payment of this vast sum,
the "Emperor" has sworn all his "subjects" to keep up the golden stream
that flows into the coffers of the "Invisible Empire." Under this section,
it would also be possible to levy an assessment on all of the members,
which they would be bound to pay, or else they would be guilty of
violating their obligations. No amount of payment is specified. When a
person assumes the obligation, he gives "Emperor" Simmons a blank check on
his bank account.
"I swear that I will never allow personal friendship, blood or family
relationship, nor personal, political, or professional prejudice,
malice, or ill will, to influence me in casting my vote for the
election or rejection of an applicant for membership in this Order."
The "Invisible Empire" wants more "citizens." More "citizens" mean more
money. Under a ruling of the organization no person can be blackballed
unless objectors are prepared to stand up in open lodge and state just
what are their objections, and then they might be admonished to "lay off."
In the present system of propagation the Kleagle is the court of last
resort as to the persons who become charter members of a Klan.
Much capital is made by the organization of the fact that each person who
becomes a "citizen" of the "Invisible Empire" is required to take a
solemn oath to support the Constitution of the United States. While this
is true, the allegiance to the Constitution and the law, is, in my
opinion, pure camouflage for the purpose of concealing the deadly fangs of
this illegal oath. In considering this point, it should be borne in mind
that the members of the original Ku Klux Klan also took an oath to support
the Constitution of the United States, which oath can be found in the
Prescript of the Order. Just how much weight the original Ku Kluxes
attached to the Constitution of the United States when it became necessary
to put the fear of God into a "carpet-bagger" or negro is a matter of more
or less doubt. They were organized as a matter of necessity for the
purpose of policing a section of the country where political madness and
hatred reigned supreme. As will be shown further along, a Ku Klux Klan in
Beaumont, Texas, in May, 1921, although all of its members had sworn to
support the Constitution of the United States, arrested a citizen without
a warrant, tried him with a jury, convicted him, and acted as his
executioners in total violation of the Bill of Rights of the United States
Constitution. It has been proven in one instance that swearing allegiance
to the United States Constitution had but little effect, in preventing
members of the "Invisible Empire" from committing acts of lawlessness.
Hence, I believe that the pious and patriotic clause in the oath of
"Emperor" Simmons' organization is sheer camouflage, because the very
document shows on its face that the Ku Klux oath is considered paramount
to any other tie or obligation.
In order to prove this latter statement, I call special attention to the
following clause, which illustrates fully the relative importance the
"Invisible Empire" attaches to the Constitution of the United States and
the Ku Klux obligation:
"I swear that I will keep secure to myself a secret of a Klansman,
when same is committed to me in the sacred bond of Klansmanship--the
crime of violating _this_ solemn oath, treason against the United
States of America, rape, and malicious murder, alone excepted."
Note this clause well! "The crime of violating _this_ solemn oath" comes
first! Treason against the United States of America, rape and murder are
afterthoughts. Under this clause, a Klansman can go to another Klansman
and confess to having committed robbery, seduction, burglary and nearly
every other crime in the calendar, and the one to whom the commission of
the crime was confessed would be bound to keep the information secure to
himself. But, however, if a Klansman should confess to one of his fellows
that he had broken his Ku Klux oath, that violation of the obligation is a
crime of so heinous a nature that it is of more importance to the Ku Klux
mind than the crime of treason against the United States of America,
which crime comes second.
The most deadly part of the oath is saved for the end. The candidate has
been led up to it by high-sounding words about "Klanishness," and has
sworn allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
"Emperor" Simmons knew very well that had he started off his oath with
this clause, most of his victims would have backed out, so he tacked it on
at the end. It reads:
"I swear that I will most zealously and valiantly shield and
preserve, by any and all justifiable means and methods, the sacred
constitutional rights and privileges of free public schools, free
speech, free press, separation of church and state, liberty, white
supremacy, just laws, and the pursuit of happiness, against any
encroachment, of any nature, by any person or persons, political
party or parties, religious sect or people, native, naturalized, or
foreign of any race, color, creed, lineage, or tongue whatsoever."
My contention is that this part of the obligation is absolutely illegal,
that it is an accessory before the fact to lawlessness and mob violence,
and brands the entire proposition as an outlaw enterprise that should be
abolished and suppressed by the United States and State governments. Let
us study a few of the words, as they stand out so strikingly. "Zealously
and valiantly," "shield and preserve," "any and all justifiable means and
methods," "against any encroachment," "of any nature," "any person or
persons," "political party or parties," "religious sect or people,"
"native, naturalized, or foreign," "any race, color, lineage, or tongue
whatsoever"! Just read these groups of words over and over again! When
individuals or a group of individuals proceed to "zealously and valiantly"
use "any and all justifiable means and methods" to accomplish a certain
specified end, they take the law into their own hands. When the Barons
wrested Magna Charta from King John at Runnymede, they "used any and all
justifiable means and methods"! When the Germans invaded Belgium, and
cynically declared that a treaty was a "scrap of paper," they used "any
and all justifiable means and methods"! When a mob of masked outlaws takes
a helpless old man from his bed and beats him up, they use "any and all
justifiable means and methods"! When masked men drive up to a hotel and
seize a helpless woman, convey her to a secluded spot, strip her clothing
from her body and cover her with tar and feathers, they have used "any and
all justifiable means and methods." Under this outrageous oath, any band
of ruffians or outlaws can defend any lawless action they wish to commit
on the ground that the "means and methods" were "justifiable."
In the concrete instance I have previous mentioned, where the _Johnson
City Staff_ undertook to protest against the coming of Ku Kluxism to the
town, the spirit of the "Invisible Empire" interpreted "freedom of speech"
to mean freedom only in so far as the Ku Klux Klan was allowed to proceed
with its affairs unmolested. As soon as opposition developed the Ku Klux
"freedom of the press" manifested itself in a desire to boycott the
newspaper. Under the obligation to use "any and all justifiable means and
methods" I see no reason to deter a local organization from taking an
editor out and administering a liberal coating of tar and feathers, in
case he should presume, in the columns of his paper, to antagonize the
"Invisible Empire."
I have been a student of the Constitution of the United States for twenty
years, but until I saw the oath of the Ku Klux Klan, I never knew before
that "white supremacy" was a "sacred constitutional right." The Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments to the Federal Constitution removed all political
barriers against "race, color, and previous condition of servitude," and
guaranteed all citizens of the United States equal protection under the
laws. The Ku Klux oath, on the other hand, binds its followers to "use any
and all justifiable means and methods" to enforce "white supremacy," and I
see no reason why members of the organization would not interpret it to
excuse any and every shade of mob violence, lynching, hanging, or burning
of negroes.
By the term "separation of church and state" is usually meant the
resistance to the advance of the Catholic people in the political affairs
of the country. Preachers of Protestant Churches may get up in their
pulpits and talk politics, may make speeches on the stump, and may take
upon themselves the general duties of running a community, but their
actions are seldom criticized. The advance of the Catholics in politics,
however, is a "union of church and state," in the popular conception, and
this advance, the Ku Klux swears that he will resist by "any and all
justifiable means and methods." The methods may be lawful and they may not
be, but to the "Invisible Empire's" obligation they would be "justifiable"
if they succeeded in driving the Catholics out of public life.
It would also be well to note the blanket phrase "the pursuit of
happiness." The oath says "use any and all justifiable means and methods"
to secure the "pursuit of happiness," which, by the way, is also classed
as a "sacred Constitutional right." This covers a multitude of things. A
Ku Klux might derive unbounded happiness out of covering his neighbor's
body with tar and feathers, while the victim of the performance might
become a most unhappy individual as a result of the operation. The oath
means in a few words that whatever suits the Ku Klux mind, whatever it
wants to do in a community, it is going to use "any and all justifiable
means and methods" to accomplish. The midnight prowler in his mask and
white robe might well ask the question: "What does a little thing like a
police force and sheriff's posse matter. If they attempt to interfere with
us, we will simply remember our Ku Klux obligation, and 'zealously and
valiantly shield and preserve our pursuit of happiness by any and all
justifiable means and methods.'"
Under this section, any sort of crime can be excused in the mind of the
person who commits the crime. "But," the answer probably will be, "an act
is not justifiable unless it is legal." The obligation might easily have
been written so that the distinction could have been clearly stated, but
it was not. That oath on its face is an accessory before the fact to any
and all kinds of crimes and outrages, and placing such an obligation
indiscriminately in the hands of men of average intelligence is like
giving dynamite to little children and expecting them not to be blown to
pieces.
In summarizing the oath of the "Invisible Empire," there are three salient
things that stand out very prominently:
First: It binds men to obey unconditionally laws they know nothing about,
and laws which will be enacted in the future, and to follow blindly an
organization which is largely a one-man affair.
Second: It places the Ku Klux obligation prior to the obligation to the
government of the United States.
Third: Its last paragraph is illegal, and is nothing more or less than the
condonement of mob rule and the use of methods in carrying out its views
that are contrary to all the basic laws of the land.
CHAPTER VII
THE KU KLUX RITUAL
This chapter might well be entitled "Ku-Kluxing a Sacrament," or "How the
Kleagles, for Ten Dollars, profane Christianity's Holiest Rite."
On the title page of the fifty-four page booklet is the imprint "Copyright
1916, by W. J. Simmons, Atlanta, Ga."
I venture to express the opinion that this is the first time in the
history of the United States that a ritual of a secret order, genuine or
alleged, has ever been copyrighted, and the very fact that it _is_
copyrighted suggests pertinent questions. As a general rule the protection
of the copyright laws is a matter of dollars and cents to an author, and
the first question that suggests itself is: what royalty does Simmons get
from the "Invisible Empire" for the use of his printed productions? Then
comes the further question: in whom does the title to the copyright rest?
does Simmons own it, or has it been assigned to the corporation? If
Simmons owns the copyright, and should die, would the title to the ritual
pass to his heirs or would the members of the Klan have anything to say as
to the ownership of the secret book of their organization? If the
question be answered in the negative the curious spectacle would be
presented of an organization paying a royalty to people not members of
that organization. Another consideration is the fact that as the law
requires two copies of a book to be deposited in the Library of Congress,
the pages of this "secret" document are open to the study of any one who
cares to go to Washington to examine them. Therefore, in his desire to
secure unto himself the property rights in the ritual, Simmons, who took
the oath not to divulge any of the secrets of his organization, violated
his obligation from the very beginning. As I am no longer a member of the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, I have no interest whatever in the relations
of Simmons to his organization, but merely suggest these questions for the
benefit of the members who may be interested in the financial side of
their own movement.
The name of the Ku Klux ritual is the "Kloran."
Before discussing this name, which has an interesting story, it is
necessary to state that in all of the Ku Klux lingo, many words have been
formed by the placing of the letter "L" after the first letter of a word.
Thus we have "Klavern," the meeting place of the Klan, from "Kavern;"
Kloncilium, from Koncilium; Klaliff, from Kaliff, etc., etc. The name
"Kloran" is the word "Koran" with the letter "L" placed after the "K."
The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is an "Invisible Empire" composed of none
but Protestant Christians, yet it appropriates the name of the Mohammedan
Bible for its sacred book.
The "Kloran" is called the "white book," and on its front cover bears the
inscription "K-Uno," from which is inferred that it is the first degree of
Ku Kluxism. There is a hint in the "sacred and inspired" pages that there
are other degrees to be taken, after the member has thoroughly imbibed the
pages of the "Kloran," and has passed an examination upon the same. What
these "higher degrees" are, no man, as far as I can learn, knows save only
him, who "for fourteen years" communed with the gods and prepared himself
for the sublime mission of saving the United States from nearly half of
its own citizens.
On the inside cover is the "Ku Klux Kreed" which is borrowed from the
creed of the original Klan, with such further additions as Simmons in his
infinite wisdom saw fit to add, and this is followed by the "order of
business," which is similar to the average secret order, but expressed
"Simmonsly" and not in the usual plain language of other organizations.
The officers of the Klan as then set forth are "The Exalted Cyclops," who
corresponds to the President; the "Klaliff," to the Vice-President;
"Klokard," the lecturer; "Kludd," the Chaplain (borrowed, by the way, from
the name of the high priest of the ancient Druids); the "Kligrapp," the
Secretary; the "Klabee," the Treasurer; the "Kladd," the conductor; the
"Klarogo," the inner guard; the "Klexter," the outer guard; the "Klokann,"
the investigating committee; and the "Night-hawk," who has charge of
candidates.
The text of the "Kloran" starts off with an "Imperial Decree" written in
the "Simmons" language, and signed by "His Majesty," telling the members
that this book is "_the_ book" of the "Invisible Empire," and that the
decree to preserve it, and study its sacred teachings is as binding as the
original obligation. Then follows a complicated diagram of the "Klavern,"
or meeting-place, showing the stations of the numerous officers and the
routes taken by candidates when going through the floor work.
The "opening ceremony," which is supposed to be inflicted upon the Klan
every time it meets, covers eight closely printed pages of the "Kloran,"
and is filled with tiresome and boring conversation between the various
officers. An opening "klode," to the tune of "Greenland's Icy Mountains,"
with its chorus "Home, Sweet Home" is then to be sung, and this is
followed by a long-winded prayer ending with a petition to the Lord to
"bless our Emperor." After more words, the poor Klan at last finds itself
open.
Then follows the "closing ceremony" which contains five pages of the same
sort of wordy discourse, with a verse to the tune of "Blest be the Tie
that Binds," a prayer for the success of the "Invisible Empire," and the
weary Klansmen are then allowed to go home.
The bulk of the "Kloran" is taken up with the "ceremony of
naturalization." In the entire ritual the alleged fraternal order is
called the "Invisible Empire," with only an occasional reference to its
legal incorporated title. The candidate is an "alien" until he has been
bored to death to the extent of about thirty pages, whereupon he is made
"a citizen" of the "Invisible Empire" through the process of
"naturalization." It is rather a curious anomaly that an American citizen,
who does not need to be naturalized to enjoy the privileges of American
citizenship has to be "naturalized" as a Ku Klux, while the foreign born,
the Catholics and the Jews cannot be naturalized at all. They are forever
"aliens."
The ceremony of naturalization consists in walking the candidate from
station to station, causing him to listen to verbose passages, swearing
him to the obligation previously referred to, threatening him with death
if he ever reveals any of the secrets, and finally making him go through a
parody on the solemn and sacred rite of baptism.
As a matter of comparison with the original Prescript of the Old Ku Klux
Klan, there are ten questions which are asked the "alien" upon his first
entrance into the "outer Den" of the "Klavern." These ten questions
unmistakably show an intention on the part of the "Invisible Empire" to
turn the United States in a country controlled by a "class" as opposed to
several "classes," and are so utterly at variance with the requirements of
the original Ku Klux Klan, as to add stronger proof that the present
organization is a historical fraud with no right to use even the name of
the former organization. These questions which can be found on pages 25
and 26 of the "Kloran" are as follows:
"1. Is the motive prompting your ambition to be a Klansman serious
and unselfish?
"2. Are you a native born, white, Gentile American citizen?
"3. Are you absolutely opposed to and free of any allegiance of any
nature to any cause, government, people, sect or ruler that is
foreign to the United States of America?
"4. Do you believe in the tenets of the Christian religion?
"5. Do you esteem the United States of America and its institutions
above any other government, civil, political or ecclesiastical, in
the whole world?
"6. Will you, without mental reservation, take a solemn oath to
defend, preserve and enforce same?
"7. Do you believe in clanishness and will you faithfully practice
same toward Klansmen?
"8. Do you believe in and will you faithfully strive for the eternal
maintenance of white supremacy?
"9. Will you faithfully obey our constitution and laws, and conform
willingly to all our usages, requirements and regulations?
"10. Can you always be depended on?"
In the above questions, the references to the Jew and the negro are
obvious. The third question, "Are you absolutely opposed to and free of
any allegiance of any nature to any cause, government, sect, people or
ruler that is foreign to the United States of America?" refers to the
Catholic, in which the Pope is considered a foreign ruler, and the
allegiance mentioned means spiritual allegiance as well as political. It
will be seen later, upon studying the Prescript of the original Klan, that
no such questions were asked of applicants for membership and no such
restrictions imposed.
After the "alien" has satisfactorily answered the above ten questions, and
has made his "donation," the first two sections of the obligation are
administered, after which follow many papers of tiresome conversation.
After walking the candidate several times around the "Klavern," giving the
various stationed officers the opportunity to spout forth "Simmonsese,"
the "alien" is led to the Exalted Cyclops who addresses a long "charge" to
him, admonishing him of the great seriousness of the organization, and
offering him an opportunity to retire and proceed no further. This offer
is very largely a "bluff," because by this time the curiosity of the
"alien" is at such a state that he would not think of retiring, and
invariably he signifies that he desires to remain for the entire
performance. There is more walking around, more verbose tommyrot, and
then the remainder of the oath is administered, and the candidate is ready
for "naturalization."
The "ceremony of naturalization" of the "Invisible Empire" is a
sacrilegious parody on the holy rite of baptism, following a threat of
death if the "alien" violated his obligation to "use any and all
justifiable means and methods" to carry out the work of the political
machine! There is no fraternal order in America which has ever dared to do
this, and I look back upon the fact that I "baptized" a number of men, who
ought to have known better, with a feeling of regret and humiliation.
After the "alien" has taken the entire obligation he is asked by the
Exalted Cyclops: "Sir, have you assumed without mental reservation your
Oath of Allegiance to the 'Invisible Empire'"? The "alien" answers in the
affirmative.
The Exalted Cyclops then warns him: "Mortal man cannot assume a more
binding oath; character and courage alone will enable you to keep it.
Always remember that to keep this oath means to you honor, happiness, and
life; but to violate it means disgrace, dishonor and _death_. May
happiness, honor and life be yours."
Having been duly warned of death and dishonor, the "alien" is then led to
the "sacred altar" where rests the American flag, upon which is the Holy
Bible, opened at twelfth of--Romans--which Simmons says is his "spiritual
charter"--and across the pages of the Word of God is a naked dagger, grim
reminder of the preceding warning of the snake. The Exalted Cyclops raises
a glass of water, and "dedicates" the "alien," setting him apart from the
men of his daily association to the lofty service of the "Invisible
Empire." He is then caused to kneel upon his right knee, and a parody on
the beautiful hymn, "Just as I am Without One Plea," is sung by those of
the elect who can carry a tune. Behind the "sacred altar" burns the "fiery
cross," which is an upright piece of wood with a cross arm, in which are
set burning candles. When the singing is concluded, the Exalted Cyclops
advances to the candidate and after dedicating him further, pours water on
his shoulder, his head, throws a few drops in the air, making his
dedication "in body," "in mind," "in spirit," and "in life." Having thus
sacrilegiously "baptized" the alien into the "Invisible Empire of Ku
Kluxism," the "Kludd," the chaplain of the Klan--very often a minister of
the gospel--steps forward and delivers a prayer to God to aid the
candidate to keep his obligation, the idea being, no doubt, that if God
cannot or will not prevent the "alien" from "keeping his mouth shut," the
dagger or the secret bullet of the Ku Klux will!
The "alien" is then formally received as a "citizen" of the "Invisible
Empire," in the name of the "Emperor," and is entitled to all of the
secret work of the organization, which is as tiresome and boring as the
whole ritualistic twaddle. Most of this secret work is called the "Way of
the Klavern," and is unimportant. One of the most interesting things of
the "work" is the salute that each Klansman is required to give the
American flag placed on a stand in the center of the room. The same salute
is given whenever addressing the chair. It is the old salute of the
Confederate Army, made with the right hand over the right eye, then
reversing the hand so that the palm is in front.
The excessive number of signs and symbols used by the "Invisible Empire"
are of no importance, but it will be of interest to mention the
"Klonversation" which is a system of code words, by which one Ku Klux can
know another. These code words are composed of the first letters of words
in a sentence, and are used as a dialogue, as follows:
Upon meeting a stranger whom he wishes to test, the Klansman says:
AYAK, meaning, Are You A Klansman? the answer being,
AKIA, A Klansman I Am.
CAPOWE, Countersign And Password Or Written Evidence?
CYGNAR, Can You Give Number And Realm?
No. 1, ATGA, Number One Klan of Atlanta, Ga.
KYGY, Klansman I Greet You.
ITSUB, In The Sacred Unfailing Bond.
(They shake hands with the left hand)
KLASP, Klannish Loyalty A Sacred Principle,
KABARK, Konstantly Applied By All Regular Klansmen.
The Exalted Cyclops then instructs the newly-made Klansman in the
Countersign and Password, which at the present time are the words "White,"
and "Supremacy." The citizen is then solemnly instructed in the "MIOAK,"
or the Mystical Insignia of a Klansman, which is a cheap little celluloid
button that is supposed to be the real innermost secret of Ku Kluxism. The
MIOAK is red in color, and contains the letters KOTOP, with a square, and
an extended open hand, and constitutes the emblem of the Klan. No
explanation of the real meaning of the mystic words has ever been given,
although the Kleagles generally tell their victims that it stands for
"Knights of the Open Palm," a designation arising no doubt from the
eagerness with which the open palm of the Kleagle is extended to receive
the ten dollar "donations" so necessary in the manufacture of "citizens"
from the "alien" raw material. The word Kotop is also used as a hailing
word, its answer being "Potok," a reversal of the previous word. This is
followed by the presentation of "Imperial Instructions," which is a
booklet, "The Practice of Klanishness," containing many pages of the same
wordy stuff with which the ritual is filled. This book enjoins the members
to stick together in all things, but more especially to render at all
times the greatest respect to the "Emperor" who is working day and night
for the "cause," and for whom the "cause" is also working.
There is a long-winded, verbose and ridiculous "lecture" at the end of the
"Kloran" that endeavors to give a history of the original Ku Klux Klan.
In the last two pages of the "Kloran" are to be found "titles and
explanations" of the various officers and subdivisions of the "Invisible
Empire," which have no importance to the general reader. It might be
interesting, however, to note with what modesty "Emperor" Simmons speaks
of himself when he writes:
"IMPERIAL WIZARD--The Emperor of the Invisible Empire; a wise man; a
wonder-worker, having power to charm and control."
CHAPTER VIII
ANTI-NEGRO PROPAGANDA
I am a white man.
I believe that the United States is a white man's country.
By all the instincts and traditions of my race, I believe that the United
States having been created by white men will be ruled by white men. I do
not believe that this doctrine applies merely to Tennessee and the rest of
the Southern States, but to the entire country. In spite of innumerable
criticisms hurled against the South in its handling of the negro, the
entire country is gradually beginning to see that the South is right,
because the South has demonstrated that the white race and the black race
can live side by side and work side by side without friction. In cases
where there is friction, the cause does not come from the best leadership
of the South, as will be shown later on.
Experience has shown that the two races get along better when they are
segregated. I expect to live to see the day when the people of the North
provide separate schools for white and negro children, when negroes will
not be elected to public office by white votes, and when politicians who
cater to negro votes are sent to political oblivion. That such a condition
will exist, I feel sure, but it will not be brought about by such
organizations as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. It will come through an
enlightenment of public opinion.
The activities of the Ku Klux Klan along the lines of race prejudice are
the activities of the "professional Southerner," the political demagogue,
and the sentiment of the "poor white" of the South. They are typical of
the political spirit that has kept the South in bondage for thirty years,
a spirit that has sent mediocre politicians to Congress and to other high
offices, while abler men were shoved into the background.
The professional negro-baiter of the South has been greatly assisted by
white people and negroes in the North, and I believe that the most
valuable propaganda work for the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan which has
been done along racial lines has been that of Senator Boies Penrose, of
Pennsylvania. If Senator Penrose had been on the pay-roll of the Ku Klux
Klan, and had been completely wrapped up in the success of the movement,
he could not have secured more members than he did by issuing a statement
to his negro constituents that the time had come to accord complete
equality to the negro race. Of course Senator Penrose did not mean any
such thing, but a public statement that he favored an equal rights' bill
then pending at Harrisburg was a pleasant sop to the negro voters of
Philadelphia who immediately saw visions of the dining room of the
Bellevue-Stratford Hotel and the Adelphia. The fact that the members of
the Pennsylvania legislature quickly and very quietly choked the bill to
death showed the real sentiment of the white people of the State. The
result in the South, however, was highly inflammatory. Carried by the
Associated Press to every paper, its effect upon the minds of the people,
especially the ignorant and uneducated, was like pouring gasoline on a hot
stove. I am told that the enrollments of the Klan in the States comprising
the "Black Belt" jumped by leaps and bounds, indicating that the ambitious
Kleagles, looking for their four dollars a head, worked overtime in the
use of the Penrose article.
Another piece of political clap-trap that aided the Ku Klux organizers was
the action of the Speaker of the House, in the New Jersey legislature, in
permitting a negro to occupy the speaker's chair during part of the last
session. This was duly featured in the newspapers, and the Ku Klux Klan's
workers very promptly asked the question: "Do you want this sort of thing
to happen again in the South?" The answer came back most emphatically, "We
do not." "Then give me your ten dollars and sign here," the organizer
would reply. If there is a negro in the legislature of New Jersey, he was
elected by white voters.
The periodical attempt of fanatical members of Congress to reduce the
South's representation in that body on the ground that the negro is not
permitted to vote have generally been featured in the newspapers, and much
capital made of them by demagogic politicians. These things have aided the
campaign of the Klan.
Another powerful recruiting force for the Ku Klux organization is the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples, not "colored
people" but "peoples," meaning no doubt people of all races except the
white race. This organization through its press agency has issued
statement after statement that has been eagerly taken up by the few papers
that openly advocate Ku Kluxism, and used as effective propaganda in
securing more members.
An examination of the list of field workers of the Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan throughout the United States reveals the fact that strong propaganda
work is being carried on in cities where there is a large negro
population. In New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and
Indianapolis are active and aggressive headquarters from which encouraging
reports come to the Atlantic headquarters.
As a general proposition, I believe that the very existence of a secret
organization bearing the name Ku Klux is having an effect of promoting
unrest among the entire negro population of the South. While the negro
cuts but little figure in the section in which I was working, I learned
from published reports and from conversations with newspaper men that
there was a feeling of great uneasiness among the Knoxville negroes due to
the activities of the Klan. In Chattanooga, where, on account of its
anti-Catholic propaganda, the Klan is making strong headway, I found that
the racial situation was more accentuated. Chattanooga is a large and
important manufacturing center, and many of the big plants employ negro
labor. A negro workman possessing the skill and ability requisite to hold
his position can work at his trade in Chattanooga, and as a general rule
the laboring classes of the negro race are industrious, contented,
prosperous and happy. In talking, with men closely identified with the
manufacturing interests, I learned that the feeling of discontent and
unrest is taking the place of the negro's former attitude, and that should
the Klan succeed in gaining a substantial foothold it will mean the
emigration of large numbers of negro laborers to Northern States, a thing
that will seriously cripple the industrial life of the city. I found that
the Chattanooga manufacturers, almost to a man, were absolutely opposed to
the idea of having a Ku Klux Klan in the city.
All thinking men agree that the race question in the United States is one
of the most ominous in the entire country. All right thinking people
desire it settled peacefully and in a way that will not disturb the
economic and industrial situation. I believe that, if left alone, the
negro will work out his own salvation. The history of the South for the
past fifty years shows that the negro has been a most important factor in
the development and upbuilding of the section.
My experience and observations on the race question has convinced me that
in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, where friction, serious or
trivial, has occurred between the white and negro races, it has been due
to the lower classes of the two races. Between the better-class white men
and the better-class negro, there is, always has been, and always will be
the best of feeling. I often have had Northern people say to me: "You
Southern people hate negroes!" I always hasten to correct the statement,
by replying, "The best people of the South not only do not hate a negro
but they hold him in high esteem. The better class of Southern white man
is the best friend the negro race has in this country today." The
"hatred," if such is the word, exists between the low-class negro and the
low-class white man, and if it were possible to analyze the real cause of
the racial disorders in the country, it would probably be found that they
are due to bad white men, bad negroes and bad whiskey.
While I make no charge that the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan have taken any
part in them, it is a fact, nevertheless, that since this organization was
started, there have been an abnormal number of instances of interracial
friction. In the State of Georgia, where the Klan is probably strongest,
there has been case after case of disorder. It seems to me that as an
organization designed to aid the authorities in the enforcement of "law
and order," the Ku Klux Klan has utterly failed to prevent these
occurrences. If the Klan is capable of sustaining the arms of the law, why
has it not done so in the State of Georgia?
Early in the summer of 1921, the whole country was shocked at the outbreak
of a race riot in Tulsa, Okla., when an entire community was plunged into
bloodshed and a vast amount of property destroyed. From the published
accounts of the riot, it started from the most trivial cause imaginable,
and in a short time white men and negroes were arrayed against each other
in regular pitched battle. In examining the list of field workers of the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, it is noticeable that there is a large force
of Kleagles at work in the State of Oklahoma, and the presumption is that
there is a Klan of Ku Kluxes in existence at Tulsa. Why did not the Klan
rally to the support of the authorities and "enforce law and order?" The
enforcement of law and order consists of stopping riot. Why was the riot
not stopped? In this connection, I heard the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in
Chattanooga, where I attended a large meeting shortly before resigning,
make the statement that several weeks prior to the outbreak of the Tulsa
riot he had been informed by a travelling man, also a Ku Klux, that a
clash between the races was likely to occur within a short time. If this
condition was a true one, why were the authorities and their valuable aids
and abettors, the Ku Klux Klan, not prepared to stop it?
A great bugaboo that is constantly harped upon by the professional
Southerner and by the Ku Klux organizer is the cry of "social equality"
likely to be forced upon the white people by the negro. This argument
appeals to the ignorant white man, but the intelligent man knows that
social equality between any races or people is a myth. There is no such
thing as social equality between members of the white race. Social
equality is a matter of opinion only, for while I might think that I am
superior to a person, that same person might think that he is superior to
me. Society is split into strata made up largely through community of
interest, and congeniality of ideas and thoughts. The man whose sole
thought in life is the accumulation of money regards only his own kind as
his equal; the social butterfly skilled in the arts of polite society
looks with horror upon the "impossible" person who is not; the scholar
seeks solace and equality among people of brains; and the philosopher,
looking at the whole human race with its follies and foibles, winks at his
brother philosopher and laughs at all of them. When such a thing as
equality exists between the members of the white race, then, and not
until then, will it ever become necessary seriously to consider the matter
of social equality between the white and black races.
While I believe in the principles of a white man's country and a white
man's government, I believe that the negro is as much entitled to his
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as I am, and that he should be
afforded all the protection that the courts and laws of the country can
give him. I have seen cases tried in the South where negroes have been
convicted of crime on evidence which, if presented against a white man,
would be thrown out of court. Such cases are, however, uncommon, as I
believe the average officer of the law in the South is usually fair and
square in his treatment of the negro race.
The only way, in my judgment, that the race question will ever be
successfully handled in the South, is by the promotion of better feeling
among the high-class men of both races, and then have these men work on
the lower classes. Let the leaders of the negro race take a strong stand
in opposition to the vicious negro, whose crimes against women and
children have done much toward placing the ban upon the negro as a whole;
and let the leaders of the white race cast aside the demagogue and impress
upon the lower-class white man that because his skin is white is no excuse
for the exercise of brutality toward the negro. Let the proposition be
sunk home that a white rough-neck, because his skin is white, has no
warrant to ride roughshod over a decent and law-abiding negro because the
latter's skin happens to be black.
In the Northern States, while the better class of negroes attend to their
own business and conduct themselves well, the lower-class negro should be
taught the value of decent behavior and good manners in public. Many
negroes, particularly the vicious element, come to the North, and imagine
that the treatment with which they are accorded gives them the license to
crowd into the street cars, and make themselves offensive generally to
white people. The negro with good manners wins his way wherever he goes,
but the noisy, pugnacious individual, but newly arrived from the country
of the "Jim Crow" street car does much to bring his entire race into
disrepute. At the risk of arousing the ire of my Ku Klux friends, I
advance the thought that a man can be a gentleman and a woman can be a
lady even if their skins are black; and that people who are white can be
offensive and boorish.
I am in favor of wiping out of our national life any organization, agency
or association that tends to stir up the race question in any manner,
shape or form, and leaving the subject to take care of itself under the
guidance of men in the South who are devoting their lives to the work. In
the city of Atlanta, there is an organization known as the Interracial
Association headed by Rev. Ashby Jones, a Baptist minister, whose father,
Rev. John William Jones was a chaplain in the Confederacy under General
Lee. Men of the highest standing, including Dr. C. B. Wilmer, a well-known
Episcopal minister of Atlanta, are in this movement, and I am informed
that since they have commenced their activities, there has been a great
deal of positive good accomplished in the elimination of discord between
the white people and the negroes. On the other side, Doctor Moton, the
head of the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Dr. Booker T. Washington, is
going up and down the South, preaching sane things to the negro and to the
white men. The leadership of these men represents the best thought and the
best effort of both races in the South. The leadership of William J.
Simmons and his Ku Klux Klan does not.
I think that the stirring up of the race question in the South, or
elsewhere, for that matter, is at all times as dangerous as playing with
dynamite, but the Ku Klux Klan has included in their propaganda against
the negro its fight on the Catholics and Jews. While they do not specify
in their ritual that this is the case, they imply it, and I have seen the
actual propaganda as it is handled. The classification of the white
Catholic and Jew with the negro is a stupid blunder, if nothing else. It
is stupid, because, in the event of trouble on an extensive scale stirred
up by this organization or by its psychological effect on the country, it
is splitting the white race into factions at a time when it should stand
together.
As I shall show further on, in discussing the history and structure of the
original Ku Klux Klan, there is absolutely no racial condition in the
South or anywhere in America today that warrants the existence of such an
organization. It is even worse than folly to make the religious element
figure into questions touching a section where racial matters are always
in the acute stage.
In order to swell its roster, and to bring under its banner of discord all
the elements in the country which it thinks it can handle, Ku Kluxism is
attempting to win the people of the Pacific Coast by putting forth the
doctrine of "White Supremacy" in relation to the Japanese question. I have
seen and heard read many reports from California indicating that the
Kleagles on the coast are doing a land office business and that the people
are "donating ten dollars" to the "noble cause" as rapidly as they can
sign the petition for citizenship. Without regard to the merits or
demerits of the Japanese question, as it affects the people of California,
there again creeps into the subject the discrimination against white men
by classing them as foreigners along with the Japanese. I know nothing of
the industrial conditions of California, but I am quite sure that a
portion of the prosperity and greatness of the State has been developed
by Catholic and Jewish people.
As a general proposition Southern people are exceptionally capable of
sympathizing with Californians in their peculiar racial problem, and would
probably back them in every way that is legitimate, but the Japanese
question is an international one, and should be and must be handled by the
State department in Washington, and not by the "Emperor" of the "Invisible
Empire" in Atlanta. The carrying on of a vigorous campaign for members of
the Ku Klux Klan on the Pacific Coast is an infringement on the duties and
prerogatives of the United States Government. If it is not stopped, it is
likely to lead to unpleasant and dangerous international consequences.
CHAPTER IX
RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA
One of the strongest pieces of evidence that the Simmons monstrosity is
not "the genuine original Klan," and that its claim to being "a monument
to the Confederate soldier" is an insult to the cause headed by Jefferson
Davis and Robert E. Lee, is its propaganda of religious animosity and
prejudice, which is directed specifically at Catholics and Jews. While it
claims to be a great and "noble cause" for the "uplift" of humanity, the
protection of womanhood, the enforcement of law and order and the
maintenance of "white supremacy," I am firmly convinced that its
fundamental idea is the creation of a secret political Empire for the
purpose of totally eliminating Catholics and Jews from public life.
It is a rather surprising thing to me that a man who claims to have spent
a part of his life as a professor of history in any college should be so
strangely unfamiliar with the composition of the Southern Confederacy. I
wonder if Simmons ever heard of Judah P. Benjamin! One of the foremost and
ablest men in the cabinet of Mr. Davis was a Jew! I wonder if the Imperial
Wizard and Emperor of the Invisible Empire ever looked into the military
records of the Confederate Army and saw the large number of Jewish names,
and if he knows that among some of the best and bravest soldiers the South
ever had the Jew was very much in evidence. I wonder if Simmons ever heard
of Pat Clebourne, the fighting Irishman who gave a good account of himself
every time he went into action, or if he ever read the beautiful poems of
Father Ryan, a Catholic priest who followed the Stars and Bars into the
very jaws of hell to comfort the wounded and administer to the dying.
There was scarcely a company of infantry, a troop of cavalry or battery of
artillery, that did not have an Irish Catholic on its roster, and they
soldiered and suffered and fought and died for the South along with their
Protestant comrades. Yet, in the year 1915, is commenced the erection of a
"monument to the Confederate soldier" in the shape of a secret,
Jew-baiting, Catholic-baiting, Negro-hating, money-getting proposition
that has the effrontery to call itself the name of the "Ku Klux Klan," and
to presume with its white-robed and masked members, to interfere with the
administration of justice in the United States.
Along the lines of anti-Catholicism, the organization is working hard.
Among the very first consignments of printed matter I received from "The
Gate City Manufacturing Company" of Atlanta was a lot of cards, bearing no
imprint, but asking several questions about the Catholic Church. The
following is a copy:
"DO YOU KNOW?"
"That the pope is a political autocrat.
"That a secret treaty made by him started the war.
"That he is enthroned and crowned and makes treaties and sends and
receives ambassadors.
"That one hundred and sixteen princes of his government are enthroned
in our cities.
"That he has courts here enforcing the canon law.
"That he controls the daily and magazine press.
"That he denounces popular government as inherently vicious.
"That his canon law condemns public schools and forbids children to
attend them.
"That popery enthroned in great cities controls politics.
"That our war industries were placed exclusively in Roman Catholic
hands.
"That no sectarian body or fraternal order but Knights of Columbus
was permitted to do war-relief work in the army and navy.
"That Roman Catholics compose one-sixth of our population and hold
three-fourths of the public offices, being entrenched in national,
state, and city governments throughout the country.
"That they are pouring into our land as immigrants at the rate of two
millions a year.
"That Knights of Columbus declare they will make popery dominant in
the United States.
"Let us arouse the people and save our country as the beacon light of
constitutional liberty and the hope of the world."
Among the methods used by propagandists of the Ku Klux Klan in enlisting
recruits by means of attacks on the Catholic Church is a certain bogus
oath purporting to be the obligation assumed by members of the Fourth
Degree of the Knights of Columbus. This oath first made its appearance in
this country in 1912, and was widely circulated by anti-Catholics. In
1913, in a contested election case involving a seat in Congress from
Pennsylvania, Eugene C. Bonniwell, himself a Catholic, filed charges with
a Congressional Committee that this alleged oath had been circulated by
his opponent Thomas S. Butler, who denied that he had been responsible for
such circulation and had urged his followers that they refrain from
circulating the oath. Purely as a matter of a legal exhibit, a copy of
this "oath" was ordered printed in the Congressional Record, February 15,
1913. The document as given in the Congressional Record reads as follows:
"KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OATH. FOURTH DEGREE
"I, -- ---- ----, now in the presence of Almighty God, the blessed
Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles, St.
Peter and St. Paul, and all the saints, sacred host of Heaven, and to
you, my Ghostly Father, the superior general of the Society of Jesus,
founded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the pontification of Paul the III,
and continued to the present, do by the womb of the Virgin, the
matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that
His Holiness, the Pope, is Christ's vice-regent and is the true and
only head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the earth;
and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing given his
Holiness by my Saviour, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose
heretical kings, princes, States, Commonwealths, and Governments and
they may be safely destroyed. Therefore to the utmost of my power, I
will defend this doctrine and His Holiness's right and custom against
all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever,
especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden,
and Norway, and the now pretended authority and Churches of England
and Scotland, and the branches of same now established in Ireland,
and on the Continent of America and elsewhere, and all adherents in
regard that they may be usurped and heretical opposing the sacred
Mother Church of Rome.
"I do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any heretical
king, prince, or State, named Protestant or Liberals, or obedience to
any of their laws, magistrates, or officers.
"I do further declare that the doctrine of the Churches of England
and Scotland, of the Calvinists, Huguenots, and others of the name of
Protestants or Masons to be damnable, and they themselves to be
damned who will not forsake the same.
"I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any
of His Holiness's agents, in any place where I should be, in
Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, or America, or in any other
kingdom or territory I shall come to, and do my utmost to extirpate
the heretical Protestant or Masonic doctrines and to destroy all
their pretended powers, legal or otherwise.
"I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding that I am
dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the propaganda of
the Mother Church's interest, to keep secret and private all her
agents' counsels from time to time, as they instruct me, and not
divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writing, or circumstances
whatever, but to execute all that should be proposed, given in
charge, or discovered unto me by you, my Ghostly Father, or any of
this sacred order.
"I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion or will
of my own or any mental reservation whatsoever, even as a corpse or
cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesitatingly obey each and
every command that I may receive from my superiors in the militia of
the Pope and of Jesus Christ.
"That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may be sent,
to the frozen regions North, jungles of India, to the centers of
civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the barbarous
savages of America without murmuring or repining, and will be
submissive in all things whatsoever is communicated to me.
"I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity
presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly, against
all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do, to
extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will
spare neither age, sex or condition, and that I will hang, burn,
waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics;
rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crash their
infants' heads against the walls in order to annihilate their
execrable race. That when the same can not be done openly, I will
secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of
the poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank,
dignity, or authority of the persons, whatever may be their condition
in life, either public or private, as I at any time may be directed
so to do by any agents of the Pope or superior of the Brotherhood of
the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus.
"In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, and all
corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now receive I will
subscribe my name written in my blood in testimony thereof; and
should I prove false or weaken in my determination, may my brethren
and fellow soldiers of the militia of the Pope cut off my hands and
feet and my throat from ear to ear, my belly opened and sulphur
burned therein with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me
on earth and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell
forever.
"That I will in voting always vote for a K. of C. in preference to a
Protestant especially a Mason, and that I will leave my party so to
do; that if two Catholics are on the ticket I will satisfy myself
which is the better supporter of Mother Church and vote accordingly.
"That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in my power to
deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will place Catholic girls in
Protestant families that a weekly report may be made of the inner
movements of the heretics.
"That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition that I may be in
readiness when the word is passed, or I am commanded to defend the
church, either as an individual or with the militia of the Pope.
"All of which, I, ---- ----, do swear by the blessed Trinity and
blessed sacrament which I am now to receive to perform and on part to
keep this, my oath.
"In testimony hereof, take this most holy and blessed Sacrament of
the Eucharest and witness the same further with my name written with
the point of this dagger dipped in my own blood and seal in the face
of this holy sacrament." (Excerpts from "Contested election case of
Eugene C. Bonniwell against Thos. S. Butler," as appears in the
Congressional Record ---- house, Feb. 15, 1913, at pages 3215, etc.,
and ordered printed therein "by unanimous consent." Attached thereto
and printed (on page 3216) as a part of said report as above.)"
While I was engaged in the work as Kleagle of the "Invisible Empire," I
was given copies of this "oath" by four travelling men who had previously
identified themselves to me as Klansmen, and was informed that it had been
and was being widely circulated, not only in their home towns, but all
through the South by workers in the Ku Klux cause. I had not previously
seen this oath, and without investigating its authenticity permitted it to
be reprinted and circulated in my territory, although the men who became
members of the Klan under me did not attach any genuineness to the
document. There was, therefore, but comparatively little use made of it in
my territory, but I learned that in Knoxville and Chattanooga it was
freely and industriously circulated. Among the ignorant classes of people,
I learned, the oath was accepted as genuine, and was the means of securing
a large number of members for Ku Kluxism. In Chattanooga, in May, 1921,
the convention of the Southern Baptists was held, and as a great many
speeches were made against Romanism, the public mind was in a very
responsive mood to accept the alleged oath as the real obligation of the
Knights of Columbus. I made inquiry of my King Kleagle as to whether or
not the Atlanta people were printing and distributing the "oath."
In a letter written to me from Chattanooga, dated May 25, 1921, the King
Kleagle, said:
"The Imperial Palace does not get out copies of the K. C. oath but I
find it of value among a certain few.
"I find papers like the _Protestant_ that I suggested your
subscribing for to be the most valuable dope that I can use for it
brings home in a concrete form to them the things we have to guard
against."
Having been, in a limited way, a party to the distribution of this oath, I
feel that it is my duty to print the result of my investigations as to its
nature and also to give in full the real obligation of the Fourth Degree
Knights of Columbus which was made public in the summer of 1921. It
appears from my investigations that several times the authenticity of the
"oath" has been brought into the courts by the Knights of Columbus, and
each time it has been proven to be a fraud. An instance occurred, however,
that is so strongly convincing that every American who believes in fair
play, especially every Mason in the country, should know about it. In Los
Angeles, California, in 1914, the State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus
submitted the entire work, ceremonies and pledges of his order to a
committee of Masons made up of Messrs. Motley Hewes Flint, thirty-third
degree, Past Grand Master of California, Dana Reid Weller, Past Grand
Master, William Rhodes Hewey, Past Master, and Samuel E. Burke, Inspector
of the Los Angeles Masonic District. These gentlemen made a careful
examination of the entire subject, and rendered the following report:
"We hereby certify that by authority of the highest officer of the
Knights of Columbus in the State of California, who acted under
instructions from the Supreme Officer of the Order in the United
States, we were furnished a complete copy of all the work, ceremonies
and pledges used by the Order, and that we carefully read, discussed
and examined the same. We found that while in a sense the Order is a
secret association, it is not an oath-bound organization and that its
ceremonies are comprised in four degrees, which are intended to teach
and inculcate principles that lie at the foundation of every great
religion and every free state. Our examination of these ceremonials
and obligations was made primarily for the purpose of ascertaining
whether or not a certain alleged oath of the Knights of Columbus,
which has been printed and widely circulated, was in fact used by the
Order and whether if it was not used, any oath, obligation or pledge
was used which was or would be offensive to Protestants or Masons, or
those who are engaged in circulating a document of peculiar
viciousness and wickedness. We find that neither the alleged oath nor
any oath or pledge bearing the remotest resemblance thereto in
matter, manner, spirit or purpose is used or forms a part of the
ceremonies of any degree of the Knights Of Columbus. The alleged oath
is scurrilous, wicked and libelous and must be the invention of an
impious and venomous mind. We find that the Order of Knights of
Columbus, as shown by its rituals, is dedicated to the Catholic
religion, charity and patriotism. There is no propaganda proposed or
taught against Protestants or Masons or persons not of Catholic
faith. Indeed, Protestants and Masons are not referred to directly or
indirectly in the ceremonials and pledges. The ceremonial of the
Order teaches a high and noble patriotism, instills a love of
country, inculcates a reverence for law and order, urges the
conscientious and unselfish performance of civic duty, and holds up
the Constitution of our country as the richest and most precious
possession of a Knight of the Order. We can find nothing in the
entire ceremonial of the Order that to our minds could be objected to
by any person."
The real oath or pledge of the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus
reads:
"I swear to support the Constitution of the United States. I pledge
myself as a Catholic citizen and Knight of Columbus, to enlighten
myself fully upon my duties as a citizen and to conscientiously
perform such duties entirely in the interest of my country and
regardless of all personal consequences. I pledge myself to do all in
my power to preserve the integrity and purity of the ballot, and to
promote reverence and respect for law and order. I promise to
practice my religion openly and consistently but without ostentation,
and to so conduct myself in public affairs, and in the exercise of
public virtue as to reflect nothing but credit upon our Holy Church,
to the end that she may flourish and our country prosper to the
greater honor and Glory of God."
When one pauses to examine into the history of the old Ku Klux Klan, and
the objects for which it was organized, it seems almost incredible that
any organization claiming to be the "genuine original Klan" would stoop to
belittle the memory of the old Klan by making capital of religious
prejudice. As will be shown further along in my narrative, there were
absolutely no restrictions in the old Klan as to religious belief, the
Precept clearly setting forth the qualifications for membership. Nothing
whatever was said about a Jew, a Catholic or a person who happened to be
born in a foreign country. While I was working in Johnson City, I took
into the organization an old gentleman who had been a member of the
original Klan at Morristown. There is a rule that "original Klansmen" are
not required to make any "donations" or pay any dues. When this old
ex-Confederate soldier was taken in, it was at the end of my career as
Kleagle, and as I swore him to the un-American obligation, I could not
help feeling ashamed and disgusted. I had several conversations with him
afterwards, and asked him specifically as to the regulations of the old
Klan in reference to members. He stated positively that there were no
rules whatever prohibiting Catholics and Jews from becoming Klansmen, and
that one of the best men in his Den was a German who had been born in
Germany. On account of the fact that he had associated intimately with
Jewish and Catholic Confederate soldiers, the old gentleman expressed
himself as being amazed that, in an attempt to revive the Klan, any such
discrimination should be practiced.
I received a number of copies of the _Protestant_, for which the King
Kleagle McArthur, advised me to subscribe because, he wrote, "It brings
home in concrete form to them the things we have to guard against." This
paper is published in Washington, D. C., and is of the usual type of
rabidly anti-Catholic publication. An examination of some of its headlines
shows the character of its attacks. This paper was eagerly read by Ku
Kluxes wherever it circulated and was indeed a valuable agency in securing
recruits.
I also heard other Kleagles attack Catholicism, most of the attacks
appealing to me as being ridiculous, one especially which stated that the
Catholic Church was financially backing the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored Peoples. It was gravely stated that the Catholics
were arming the negroes of the South and that at the "right time" would
join in an armed uprising to seize the country.
Considerable anti-Catholic propaganda has been and is being published in
the columns of the _Searchlight_ the official organ of the Ku Klux Klan.
Among the statements I have seen was an intimation that the Catholic
Church was responsible for the murder of President Abraham Lincoln. Copies
of the _Searchlight_ are sent to each Kleagle for distribution among his
Klans, and I received a number of copies in my connection with the
organization. In every town there is a Klansman, either paid for his
services or who renders same gratuitously, who makes a speciality of
getting subscribers for the _Searchlight_ and of placing the publication
on the news stands.
In the issue of August 6, 1921, the _Searchlight_ printed on its first
page an article by Rev. Caleb A. Ridley, a Baptist preacher of Atlanta,
part of which stated:
"Some people seem to think that the Ku Klux Klan is a body of men who
have banded together simply to oppose certain things they do not
like--that they are anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, anti-negro,
anti-foreign, anti-everything. But real Klansmen have no fight to
make on any of these. I can't help being what I am racially. I am not
a Jew, nor a negro, nor a foreigner. I am an Anglo-Saxon white man,
so ordained by the hand and will of God, and so constituted and
trained that I cannot conscientiously take either my politics or
religion from some secluded ass on the other side of the world.
"Now, if somebody else is a Jew, I can't help it any more than he
can. Or, if he happens to be black, I can't help that either. If he
were born under some foreign flag, I couldn't help it, and if he
wants to go clear back to Italy for his religion and his politics, I
cannot hinder him; but there is one thing I can do. I can object to
his un-American propaganda being preached in my home or practiced in
the solemn assembly of real Americans."
The propaganda against the Jew is being carried on as viciously as against
the Catholic. In the _Searchlight_ of July 30, 1921, there appeared on the
front page a typical anti-Semitic article in the nature of a letter
written from New York, and signed "American," of which the following is an
extract:
"The Jew is interested in creating war between blacks and whites, not
to benefit the negro, but to destroy our government. For the same
reason, the Jew is interested in overthrowing Christian Russia. But
remember, he does not intend to stop at Russia. Through his Third
Internationale of Moscow he is working to overthrow all the Gentile
governments of the world. I am enclosing an editorial clipped from
the _New York World_ of Saturday, July 23. You will keep in mind that
the _World_ is Jew-owned (as is also every newspaper in New York City
except the _Tribune_).
"My investigation proved to me beyond a doubt that the negro
situation is being made increasingly dangerous by Jewish agitators.
"In all my twenty-five years travelling over this continent, I have
never met a disloyal American who failed to be either foreign born or
a Semite.
"With the best wishes for the success of the Ku Klux Klan."
CHAPTER X
THE ORIGINAL KU KLUX KLAN
The destiny of the United States, like the destiny of the individual, lies
not in dwelling upon the unpleasant things of the past but in a sane and
correct solution of the problems of the present and of the future. We are
all Americans; we live amid conditions that demand national unity and
national sanity; and our principal thought should be the elimination of
sectional discord and internal dissension. Experience has shown me that
there is but little basic difference between average Americans, no matter
in what part of the country they may have been born and reared. Aside from
local customs, variations of accent, and minor provincialisms, the man
from Tennessee is no different from the man from Massachusetts, and the
man from New Jersey is a brother "under his skin" to the "native son" of
the Golden West. To remove the causes of friction, to eliminate sectional
and class hatred, and to inculcate the principles of unified Americanism
among people of diversified interests are the real ideals of this
Republic.
Believing, therefore, that constant dwelling upon the evil of the past is
unhealthful, both to the individual and to the nation, it is neither my
intention nor purpose, in discussing the historical side of the original
Ku Klux Klan to give vent to the passions and prejudices of the South of
the days immediately following the Civil War. In dealing with it, I am
merely narrating facts as set forth by men recognized as authorities of
American history, and these facts can, if need be, be verified by the
reader.
It is a part of the tragedy of war that its termination is followed by a
period of painful reconstruction. Every war ever fought in the world's
history has had its inevitable aftermath of readjustment--the return from
the abnormal to the normal. In some instances this has been so
imperceptible as to entail but little hardship upon the people who have
suffered the terrible effects of armed conflict; in others, the harshness
of the conqueror to the conquered and the brutality of the victor toward
the vanquished have left traces of hatred and lust for vengeance that have
survived for generations.
In the study of the history of the Anglo-Saxon race, there are two
reconstruction periods that stand out in marked contrast. One was the
reconstruction of the Southern States following the Civil War, and the
other was the reconstruction of South Africa by the British government
immediately after the Boer War. The former was handled in a stupid,
ignorant, and insane manner, and based upon the lust of spoils and upon
the most wretched of partisan politics. The latter was disposed of in a
wise, sane, and statesmanly fashion, with impartial consideration for the
welfare of the British Empire and the peace and good will of the Boers.
The reconstruction of the Southern States following the Civil War was
utterly stupid, and Americans of our generation--regardless of Northern or
Southern birth--so consider it, and know that the manner in which the
situation was handed was a political mistake.
The activities of the "carpetbaggers" and their negro allies after the
Civil War were not confined merely to the looting of the public
treasuries. Vicious white men organized the negroes into societies and
stirred up their hatred against the white people, with the result that
unspeakable crimes were committed in all parts of the South. Perhaps the
most notorious of these organizations was that known as the "Loyal
League," which operated in all parts of the South, and which was composed
of negroes and low white men.
I quote from Mr. Wilson's work, the following clear and well-worded
summary:
"The price of the policy to which it gave the final touch of
permanence was the temporary disintegration of Southern society and
the utter, apparently the irretrievable alienation of the South from
the political party whose mastery it had been Mr. Stevens' chief aim
to perpetuate. The white men of the South were aroused by the mere
instinct of self-preservation to rid themselves, by fair means or
foul, of the intolerable burden of governments sustained by the votes
of ignorant negroes and conducted in the interest of adventurers:
governments whose incredible debts were incurred that thieves might
be enriched, whose increasing loans and taxes went to no public use
but into the pockets of party managers and corrupt contractors. There
was no place of open action or of constitutional agitation, under the
terms of reconstruction, for the men who were the real leaders of the
Southern communities. The restrictions shut white men of the older
order out from the suffrage even. They could act only by private
combination, by private means, as a force outside the government,
hostile to it, prescribed by it, of whom opposition and bitter
resistance was expected, and expected with defiance.... But there
were men to whom counsels of prudence seemed as ineffectual as they
were unpalatable, men who could not sit still and suffer what was now
put upon them.... They took the law into their own hands and began to
attempt by intimidation what they were not allowed to attempt by the
ballot or by any course of public action."
The agency by which the South was saved from the devilish scheme of
Thaddeus Stevens to Africanize it and convert it into a mongrel, half-bred
section was the original Ku Klux Klan! Brought into being by chance, and
used as an agency to meet the exigency of the hour, it served its purpose
as many similar systems have served theirs, including the Western
vigilantes, whose work has been commended by Theodore Roosevelt on the
ground of public necessity. Then having restored the South to the control
of its better element, it passed away, to occupy a cherished place in the
history of the Southern States, from which it can never be resurrected.
The reign of Ku Kluxism existed in the Southern States from the year 1866
until President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew the Federal troops from the
South, during which period a number of its phases present themselves for
study and investigation. In some of these, if one accepts the opinions of
radical members of Congress from the Northern States, the whole system was
nothing but evil; while if the extremely radical Southern viewpoint is
accepted, the Ku Klux movement was as spotless as a lily and was
responsible for no acts of lawlessness whatever. Somewhere between the
extreme Northern condemnation and the extreme Southern justification lies
the truth. In any case the Ku Klux movement was the exercise of
extra-legal force for the purpose of meeting a revolutionary condition of
society in a revolutionary manner. In the sense that it had no standing in
law and took upon itself to enforce what its leaders saw fit to declare
was the law, it was an outlaw organization. Taken by itself, in the light
of our present system of government and law enforcement, it has nothing on
which to stand; but, studied in the light of the reconstruction period, it
is shown to have been the last desperate resort of the Anglo-Saxon to
resist and overthrow the attempt to Africanize his country.
The movement was a revolution to meet a situation unparalled in this
country's history, and the history of revolutions has never at any time
manifested the character of pink teas or church socials. Personally I
prefer to adopt the point of view that in a chaotic and despotic condition
of society like the one forced upon the Southern people, the end justified
the means, and would place the entire responsibility of what happened in
the South upon the shoulders of Thaddeus Stevens and other radical leaders
of Congress.
A careful investigation of the history of the original movement shows that
it was divided into three separate and distinct periods. It was first
organized as a secret society for the amusement of its members, without
any serious attempt to act as a "regulator" of social and political
affairs; it was then transformed into a great political-military movement,
enforced law and order, drove the negro and the carpetbagger out of
politics, and was then ordered disbanded; and lastly it attempted in
unorganized fashion, without the authority of its former leaders, to rule
many communities, and an enormous number of acts of violence were
committed either by it or in its name.
There were several different organizations which sprang into existence in
the South during the reconstruction periods, each one operating along the
same general lines but bearing different names. There were the Ku Klux
Klan, the White Brotherhood, the Pale Faces, the Constitutional Union
Guards, and the Knights of the White Camelia, which was larger than any
of them. In the latter days of the reconstruction, when acts of
lawlessness in the South were so bad that an investigation was held by
Congress, the general name of Ku Klux was applied to all extra-legal
Southern movements. As this narrative deals only with the Ku Klux Klan, a
discussion of the other movements is unnecessary.
The Ku Klux Klan was organized in Pulaski, Tenn., in May, 1866. Several
young men who had served in the Confederate Army, having returned to their
homes, found themselves suffering from the inactivity and reaction that
followed army life. There was nothing to do in which to relieve it. There
was but little work to do, and but few had capital to engage in new
mercantile or professional pursuits. The amusements and diversions of
normal society were lacking, and to meet this situation, it was decided to
form a secret society merely for the purpose of burlesque and fun-making.
After the society was organized, and a name was sought, one of the members
suggested the word "_kukloi_" from the Greek word "_Kuklos_" meaning
circle. Another member then suggested: "Call it 'Ku Klux,'" and this
suggestion was at once adopted, with the addition of the word Klan.
The new society was a success from the start. The "joiner" of 1866 was no
different from the "joiner" of 1921. The boys made the organization one of
deep mystery; they adopted grotesque and hideous costumes which they wore
to and from their places of initiation; they gave out hints of the wonders
of the new society, which played on the curiosity of the public; and they
had mysterious communications printed in the local newspapers. The members
were required to maintain profound and absolute secrecy with reference to
everything connected with the order, and went at their work with great
glee, to the added mystification of the community. The result was that
everybody in the city of Pulaski and all throughout the surrounding
country, became possessed of the "joiner's itch" and sought admission. No
applications were solicited for membership, because the organizers knew
human nature well enough to know that if they gave out the impression that
they wished to be exclusive the applications would be both voluntary and
numerous. The organization grew very rapidly, and strangers coming to
Tennessee from other Southern States learned of it, became members, and
secured permission to start local organizations. By the fall and winter of
1866 the order had grown all over the South, and in nearly every community
there was a "Den" of Ku Kluxes enjoying the baffled curiosity and wild
speculations of a mystified public.
In March, 1867, the Reconstruction Acts were passed by Congress, and in
the month of April the actual work of reconstruction began. Then it was
that the Ku Klux Klan underwent its second stage of development and
became transformed into a band of regulators to handle the alarming
situation that immediately followed. Perhaps the best available authority
on the Klan in the country today is a little book written by Capt. John C.
Lester and Rev. D. L. Wilson, giving an insight into its organization and
real history. Captain Lester was one of the six original organizers, and
Mr. Wilson, while not a member, was a resident of Pulaski and was closely
in touch with the entire movement. In this work they stated that the
transformation of the society was effected in three ways:
(1) The impressions made by the order upon those who joined it; (2) the
impressions made upon the public by it; (3) the anomalous and peculiar
condition of affairs in the South at the time. The impression made upon
the man who joined was that behind all the amusement features of the
organization and, unexpressed in its ritualistic work, was a deep
purpose--a solemn mission that would be undertaken later. What it was none
knew, but the feeling existed that a mission existed, just the same. The
impressions made upon the public immediately showed the Klansmen that the
organization possessed a certain power that nobody had imagined it would
possess. This power was largely one of fright and intimidation, and was
shown in the case of the ignorant and superstitious negro more than in
that of the white people. Negroes would see the ghostly nocturnal Ku
Kluxes and imagine that they were spirits of deceased Confederate
soldiers, and the Klansmen were very quick to grasp the idea and use it to
the fullest advantage. In some cases a figure in white would ride up to a
negro's house, dismount and ask for a drink of water. The frightened negro
would hand him a gourd, which the rider would pour into a rubber bag,
concealed under his robe, and then demand a whole bucketful of water,
which he would dispose of in the same way, remarking, "That was the first
drink of water I have had since I was killed at Shiloh." In other cases
the Ku Klux members would wear false heads, ride up to a negro and,
removing the head, ask the negro to hold it. Skeleton hands would be
fastened to the wrist and held out for a handshake, which procedure
usually caused the terrified negro to make a hasty retreat. With the
superstition and natural tendency of their race to magnify happenings, the
negroes soon spread alarming tales among themselves as to the Ku Klux and
its doings, until presently the name was one that invoked horror and
terror. It is but natural, therefore, that knowing this new power of
frightening the negro, the members of the strange order exercised it to
the fullest extent.
In May, 1867, in order to form a strong sectional organization, a
convention was secretly held at Nashville, Tenn., and the Prescript of the
order was revised and amended by delegates from all of the States. Plans
were made for extensive work, and for propagating the order in every
community in the South. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, having previously heard of
the organization made a careful investigation of it, and consented to
become its head, assuming the office of Grand Wizard immediately after the
Nashville Convention. He had been one of the South's most successful and
distinguished cavalry officers, was recognized as being able to handle men
in a masterful manner, and was a person of coolness and clear-headed
judgment. He at once set to work to reorganize the order, which had become
more or less demoralized under loose management, and made it a real factor
in handling the serious situation which grew more serious as the
reconstruction proceeded. He brought the membership in Tennessee up to
40,000 and the total membership in the South to 550,000, and did all he
could to keep the force in strong control.
A great many of the most prominent men in the South became members of the
organization, and were either active in the work or served in an advisory
capacity. Among them were Generals John B. Gordon, A. H. Colquitt, G. T.
Anderson and A. R. Lawton, of Georgia, Gen. W. J. Hardee, Gen. John C.
Brown, Capt. John W. Morton, Gen. George W. Gordon, and Gen. Albert Pike,
who later became one of the foremost Masonic authorities in the country.
Gen. Pike was the chief judicial officer of the Klan.
Among the first policies inaugurated by General Forrest was the courting
of widespread publicity, and an order was issued for a parade in full
regalia on July 4, 1867. In every Southern city parades of the Ku Klux
Klans were held, and served to act as an advertisement to the people of
the South that they were being protected, and to serve notice on the
carpetbagger and the negro that a new force had arisen for the purpose of
meeting their encroachments upon the liberties of the white people.
Then began the reign of the mysterious organization that ended in the
various restorations of the State government to the white people of the
South, most of which occurred in 1870, the last States to throw off the
yoke being South Carolina and Louisiana. What occurred during that time in
the way of actual events is but vaguely stated.
The fact that the whole period was one of the bitterest of partisan
politics makes it necessary to discount to a large degree the statements
of both sides of the controversy. It has been told by some that the
original Ku Klux Klan enforced its decrees and maintained law and order,
not so much by the overt acts it committed but by reason of the vague fear
and surmises on the part of the negro and carpetbagger as to what the Klan
could do.
In an address before the Bar Association of Texas in 1906, Hon. Thomas W.
Gregory, later Attorney-General of the United States, gave a history of
the old Klan, and in speaking of its work said:
"It is safe to say that ninety per cent of the work of the Klan
involved no act of personal violence. In most instances mere
knowledge of the fact that the Ku Klux were organized in the
community and patrolled it by night accomplished most that was
desired. In the case of nocturnal meetings of the negroes, organized
by scalawags and carpetbaggers, which proved disorderly and
offensive, sheeted horsemen would be found drawn up across every road
leading from the meeting place; and although not a word was spoken
and no violence whatever offered, that meeting was usually adjourned
_sine die_.... But masked riders and mystery were not the only Ku
Klux devices. Carpetbaggers and scalawags and their families were
ostracized in all walks of life--in the church, in the school, in
business, wherever men and women or even children gathered together,
no matter what the purpose or the place, the alien and the renegade,
and all that belonged or pertained to them were refused recognition
and consigned to outer darkness and the companionship of negroes.
"In addition to these methods, there were some of a much more drastic
nature. The sheeted horseman did not merely warn and intimidate,
especially when the warnings were not heeded. In many instances
negroes and carpetbaggers were whipped and in rare instances shot or
hanged. Notice to leave the country was frequently extended and
rarely declined, and if declined the results were likely to be
serious. Hanging was promptly administered to the house burner and
sometimes to the murderer; the defamer of women of good character was
usually whipped and sometimes executed if the offense was repeated;
threats of violence and oppression of the weak and defenseless if
persisted in after due warning met with drastic and sometimes cruel
remedies; mere corruption in public office was too universal for
punishment or even comment, but he who prostituted official power to
oppress the individual, a crime prevalent from one end of the country
to the other, especially in cases where it affected the widow and
orphan, was likely to be dealt with in no gentle way, in case a
warning was not promptly observed; those who advocated and practiced
social equality of the races and incited hostility of the blacks
against the whites were given a single notice to depart in haste, and
they rarely took time to reply."
Whether one looks upon the methods of the Ku Klux Klan as wise and humane
or as rough and cruel, the fact remains that its work was accomplished,
and state governments under carpetbag control, negro militia, acts of
Congress and proclamations of the President though backed by the army of
the United States, made but little headway against the silent force of
white men which was making a last desperate stand for all they held
sacred.
Lester and Wilson in commenting on the work of the Klan, even before it
was transformed into a movement of regulators say:
"The order contained within itself, by reason of the methods
practiced, sources of weakness. The devices and disguises by which
the Klan deceived outsiders enabled all who were so disposed, to
practice deception on the Klan itself. It placed in the hands of its
own members the facility to do deeds of violence for the
gratification of personal feeling, and have them credited to the
Klan. To evilly disposed men membership in the Klan was an inducement
to wrongdoing. It presented to all men a dangerous temptation, which,
in certain contingencies at any time likely to arise, it required a
considerable amount of moral robustness to resist. Many did not
withstand it. Up to this time, the majority had shown a fair
appreciation of the responsibilities of their self-imposed task of
preserving social order. But under any circumstances the natural
tendency of an organization such as this is to violence and
crime--much more under such circumstances as those then prevailing."
In September, 1868, Governor Brownlow of Tennessee called the legislature
into session, and caused a drastic act to be passed comparable only to the
Reconstruction Acts of Congress. Under its terms association or connection
with the Ku Klux Klan was punishable by a fine of $500 and imprisonment in
the penitentiary for not less than five years. Any inhabitant of the State
was constituted an officer possessing power to arrest without process any
one known to be or suspected of being a member of the organization; and to
feed, lodge or conceal a member was made a criminal offense punishable by
fine and imprisonment, and informers were allowed one-half the fine. In
spite of this drastic law, the Klan continued to actively operate in
Tennessee for over six months.
Partly because of this law, and partly because of the fact that in many
cases some of the "Dens" had gone beyond their instructions in coping with
the situation, and were showing a tendency to get beyond the control of
the men who were trying to conduct the movement honestly, but principally
because the purpose of its regulation work had been accomplished and there
remained no reason for its existence, General Forrest, in the latter part
of February, 1869, issued a proclamation as Grand Wizard declaring the Ku
Klux Klan dissolved and disbanded.
The substance of his order is included in his summary which reads:
"The Invisible Empire has accomplished the purpose for which it was
organized. Civil law now affords ample protection to life, liberty
and property; robbery and lawlessness are no longer unrebuked; the
better elements of society are no longer in dread for the safety of
their property, their persons, and their families. The Grand Wizard,
being invested with power to determine questions of paramount
importance, in the exercise of the power so conferred, now declares
the Invisible Empire and all the subdivisions thereof dissolved and
disbanded forever."
Thus ended the second period of Ku Kluxism in the South. A large number of
"Dens," however, paid no attention to the order of General Forrest, but
continued to act independently, and kept up their work until the late
seventies. The "Pale Faces," the "Constitutional Union Guards," the "White
Brotherhood," "White League," and the "Knights of the White Camelia" were
also kept up for several years after the organization of the Ku Klux Klan
was officially abandoned, it being very likely that many of the Klan units
joined in with these movements. It is generally understood that the work
done by these organizations, and by the irresponsible people who still
used the name of the old Klan, was more reckless and violent in its
character and was the cause of more bloodshed than the original movement.
At any rate there was less justification for the movement after 1870 than
in the first years of the reconstruction.
Ku Kluxism occupied a great deal of attention of Congress in 1870, 1871
and in 1872, the President issued proclamations against it backed by the
army, committees were sent by Congress to visit every section of the
South, volumes of testimony were taken, hundreds of speeches were made, in
some instances martial law was declared, and a drastic act was passed by
Congress intended to check the movement. It went on, however, until the
Federal troops were withdrawn, the carpetbaggers left the country, and all
of the State governments were in the control of the white men of the
South.
Mr. Gregory in summing up the whole Ku Klux movement said:
"Did the end aimed at and accomplished by the Ku Klux Klan justify
the movement? The opinion of the writer is that the movement was
fully justified, though he of course does not approve of the crimes
and excesses incident to it.
"The abuses under which the American colonies of England revolted in
1776 were mere child's play compared to those borne by the South
during the period of reconstruction, and the success of the later
movement as a justification of a last resort to revolutionary methods
was as pronounced as that of the former.
"The Ku Klux machine has been stored away in the Battle Abbey of the
nation as obsolete, we trust, as the causes which produced it; it
will stand there for all time as a reminder of how useless is the
prostitution of forms of law in an effort to do that which is
essentially unlawful, but it will also remain an eternal suggestion
to the vigilance committee and the regulator."
CHAPTER XI
THE PRESCRIPT OF THE OLD KLAN
In the study of the original Ku Klux Klan, it is fortunate that there have
been preserved documents which fully set forth its structure and
composition, and these documents demonstrate conclusively that the modern
organization has no claim whatever to recognition as the "genuine original
Ku Klux." The most important of these documents is the "prescript" or
constitution of the old Klan.
In its early stages, the old organization adopted a "Prescript," but this
was in 1867 revised and amended, and the second document became the law of
the organization, under which it functioned until it was disbanded. When
General Forrest issued his order disbanding the Ku Klux Klan, all copies
of the revised and amended prescript were ordered destroyed. One copy
escaped destruction and is now in the library of Columbia University where
it is carefully preserved as a valuable historic paper. As an exhibit in
the case against the present organization, I give the "Prescript" in full.
It is a booklet of twenty-four pages, and at the top of each page is a
Latin quotation. Without attempting to follow the typography of the
original text, I am reproducing it as a continuous document, placing the
quotations where they appear in the booklet, as follows:
"PRESCRIPT"
Exact copy of the Revised and Amended
Prescript
of the
ORDER
of the
*
* *
"_Damnant quod intelligent_"
"APPELLATION"
This organization shall by styled and denominated, The Order of * * *
"CREED"
"We, the Order of the * * *, reverentially acknowledge the majesty and
supremacy of the Divine Being, and recognize the goodness and providence
of the same. And we recognize our relation to the United States
Government, the supremacy of the Constitution, the Constitutional Laws
thereof, and the union of States thereunder.
"CHARACTER AND OBJECTS OF THE ORDER"
"This is an institution of Chivalry, Humanity, Mercy, and Patriotism
embodying in its genius and its principles all that is chivalric in
conduct, noble in sentiment, generous in manhood, and patriotic in
purpose; its object being,
"First: To protect the weak, the innocent, and the defenseless from the
indignities, wrongs, and outrages of the lawless, the violent, and the
brutal; to relieve the injured and oppressed; to succor the suffering and
unfortunate, and especially the widows and orphans of Confederate
Soldiers.
"Second: To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and
all laws passed in conformity thereto, and to protect the States and the
people thereof from all invasion from any source whatever (_Nec scire fas
est omnia_).
"Third: To aid and assist in the execution of all constitutional laws, and
to protect the people from unlawful seizure, and from trial except by
their peers in conformity to the laws of the land.
ARTICLE I
TITLES
"_Section 1._ The officers of the Order shall consist of a Grand Wizard of
the Empire, and his ten Genii; a Grand Dragon of the realm, and his eight
Hydras; a Grand Titan of the Dominion, and his six Furies; a Grand Giant
of the Province, and his four Goblins; a Grand Cyclops of the Den, and his
two Night Hawks; a Grand Magi, a Grand Monk, a Grand Scribe, a Grand
Exchequer, a Grand Turk, and a Grand Sentinel.
"_Section 2._ The body politic of the Order shall be known and designated
as 'Ghouls.'
ARTICLE II
TERRITORY AND ITS DIVISIONS
"_Section 1._ The territory embraced within the jurisdiction of this Order
shall be coterminous with the States of Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee; all combined
constituting the Empire.
"_Section 2._ The Empire shall be divided into four departments, the first
to be styled the Realm, and coterminous with the boundaries of the several
States; the second to be styled the Dominion and (_Amici humani generis_)
to be coterminous with such counties as the Grand Dragons of the several
Realms may assign to the charge of the Grand Titan; the third to be styled
the Province, and to be coterminous with the several counties; provided,
the Grand Titan may, when he deems it necessary, assign two Grand Giants
to one Province, prescribing at the same time the jurisdiction of each.
The fourth department to be styled the Den, and shall embrace such part of
a Province as the Grand Giant shall assign to the charge of a Grand
Cyclops.
ARTICLE III
POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
_Grand Wizard_
"_Section 1._ The Grand Wizard, who is the supreme officer of the Empire,
shall have power, and he shall be required to appoint Grand Dragons for
the different Realms of the Empire; and he shall have power to appoint his
Genii; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for his department, and
he shall have the sole power to issue copies of this "Prescript," through
his Subalterns, for the organization and dissemination of the Order; and
when a question of paramount importance to the interests or prosperity of
the Order arises, not provided for in this "Prescript," he shall have the
power to determine the question, and his decision shall be final until the
same shall be provided for by amendment as hereinafter provided. It shall
be his duty to communicate with, and receive reports from the Grand
Dragons of Realms as to the condition, strength, and progress of the Order
within their respective Realms, and (_Quemcunque miserum videris, hominem
scias_) it shall further be his duty to keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list
of the names (without any caption or explanation whatever) of the Grand
Dragons of the different Realms of the Empire, and shall number such
Realms with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3 etc. _ad finem_; and he shall
direct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and disbursement he
shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his hands.
_Grand Dragon_
"_Section 2._ The Grand Dragon, who is the chief officer of the Realm,
shall have power, and he shall be required to appoint and instruct a
Grand Titan for each Dominion of his realm (such Dominion not to exceed
three in number for any Congressional District), said appointments being
subject to the approval of the Grand Wizard of the Empire. He shall have
power to appoint his Hydras; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for
his department.
"It shall be his duty to report to the Grand Wizard, when required by that
officer, the condition, strength, efficiency, and progress of the Order
within his Realm, and to transmit, through the Grand Titan, or other
authorized sources, to the Order, all information, intelligence, or
instruction conveyed to him by the Grand Wizard for that purpose, and all
such information or instructions as he may think will promote the interest
and utility of the Order. He shall keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of
the names (without caption) of the Grand Titans of the different Dominions
of his Realm, and shall report the same to the Grand Wizard when required,
and (_Magna est veritas, et prevalebit_) shall number the Dominions of his
Realm with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, etc. _ad finem_. And he shall
direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and
disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his
hands.
_Grand Titan_
"_Section 3._ The Grand Titan, who is the chief officer of the Dominion,
shall have power and he shall be required to appoint and instruct a Grand
Giant for each Province of his Dominion such appointment, however, being
subject to the approval of the Grand Dragon of the Realm. He shall have
the power to appoint his Furies; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer
for his department. It shall be his duty to report to the Grand Dragon,
when required by that officer, the condition, strength, efficiency, and
progress of the order within his Dominion and to transmit through the
Grand Giant, or other authorized channels, to the Order, all information,
intelligence, instruction, or directions conveyed to him by the Grand
Dragon for that purpose, and all such other information or instruction as
he may think will enhance the interest or efficiency of the Order.
"He shall keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of the names (without caption
or explanation) of the Grand Giants of the different Provinces of his
Dominion, and shall report the same to the Grand Dragon when required; and
shall number the Provinces of his Dominion with the Arabic numerals 1, 2,
3, etc. _ad finem_. And he shall direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer
as to the appropriation and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of
the Order that comes to his hands. (_Ne tentes aut perfice._)
_Grand Giant_
"_Section 4._ The Grand Giant, who is the chief officer of the Province,
shall have power, and he is required, to appoint and instruct a Grand
Cyclops for each Den of his Province, and such appointment, however, being
subject to the approval of the Grand Titan of the Dominion. And he shall
have the further power to appoint his Goblins; also a Grand Scribe and a
Grand Exchequer for his department.
"It shall be his duty to supervise and administer general and special
instructions in the organization and establishment of the Order within his
Province, and to report to the Grand Titan, when required by that officer,
the condition, strength and progress of the Order within his Province, and
to transmit through the Grand Cyclops, or other legitimate sources, to the
Order, all information, intelligence, instruction, or directions conveyed
to him by the Grand Titan or other higher authority for that purpose, and
all such other information or instruction as he may think would advance
the purposes or prosperity of the Order. He shall keep, by his Grand
Scribe, a list of the names (without caption or explanation) of the Grand
Cyclops of the various Dens of his Province, and shall report the same to
the Grand Titan when required; and shall number the Dens of his Province
with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, etc. _ad finem_. He shall determine and
limit the number of Dens to be organized and established in his Province;
and shall direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation
and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to
his hands. (_Quid faciendum?_)
_Grand Cyclops_
"_Section 5._ The Grand Cyclops, who is the chief officer of the Den,
shall have power to appoint his Night Hawks, his Grand Scribe, his Grand
Turk, his Grand Exchequer, and his Grand Sentinel. And for small offenses
he may punish any member by fine, and may reprimand him for the same. And
he is further empowered to admonish and reprimand his Den, or any of the
members thereof, for any imprudence, irregularity, or transgression
whenever he may think that the interests, welfare, reputation or safety of
the Order demands it. It shall be his duty to take charge of his Den under
the instruction and with the assistance (when practicable) of the Grand
Giant, and in accordance with and in conformity to the provisions of this
Prescript, a copy of which shall in all cases be obtained before the
formation of a Den begins. It shall further be his duty to appoint all
regular meetings of his Den, and to preside at the same; to appoint
irregular meetings when he deems it expedient; to preserve order and
enforce discipline in his Den; to impose fines for irregularities or
disobedience of orders; and to receive and initiate candidates for
admission into the Order, after the same shall have been pronounced
competent and worthy to become members, by the Investigating Committee
hereinafter provided for. And it shall further be his duty to make a
quarterly report to the Grand Giant of the condition, strength, efficiency
and progress of his Den, and shall communicate to the Officers and Ghouls
of his Den all information, intelligence, instruction or direction
conveyed to him by the Grand Giant or other higher authority for that
(_Fiat justicia coelum_) purpose; and shall from time to time administer
all other counsel, instruction, or direction, as in his sound discretion,
will conduce to the interests, and more effectually accomplish, the real
objects and designs of the Order.
_Grand Magi_
"_Section 6._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Magi, who is the second
officer in authority of the Den, to assist the Grand Cyclops, and to obey
all the orders of that officer; to preside at all meetings in the Den, in
the absence of the Grand Cyclops; and to discharge during his absence all
the duties and exercise all the powers and authority of that officer.
_Grand Monk_
"_Section 7._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Monk, who is the third
officer of the Den, to assist and obey all the orders of the Grand Magi;
and in the absence of both of these officers he shall preside at and
conduct the meetings in the Den, and shall discharge all the duties, and
exercise all the powers and authority of the Grand Cyclops.
_Grand Exchequer_
"_Section 8._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Exchequers of all the
different departments to keep a correct account of all the revenue of the
Order that comes to their hands, and of all paid out by them; and shall
make no appropriation or disbursement of the same except under the orders
and direction of (_Dormitus aliquando jus, moritus nunquam_) the chief
officer of their respective departments. And it shall further be the duty
of the Exchequers of Dens to collect the initiation fees, and all fines
imposed by the Grand Cyclops, or the officer discharging his functions.
_Grand Turk_
"_Section 9._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Turk, who is the executive
officer of the Grand Cyclops, to notify the officers and Ghouls of the Den
of all informal or irregular meetings appointed by the Grand Cyclops, and
to obey and execute all the orders of that officer in the control and
government of his Den. It shall further be his duty to receive and
question at the outpost, all candidates for admission into the order and
shall there administer the preliminary obligation required, and then
conduct such candidate or candidates to the Grand Cyclops, and to assist
him in the initiation of the same.
_Grand Scribe_
"_Section 10._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Scribes of the different
Departments to conduct the correspondence and write the orders of the
Chiefs of their Departments when required. And it shall further be the
duty of the Grand Scribes of Dens to keep a list of the names (without any
caption or explanation whatever) of the officers and Ghouls of the Den, to
call the roll at all meetings, and to make the quarterly reports under the
direction and instruction of the Grand Cyclops. (_Quieta non movere._)
_Grand Sentinel_
"_Section 11._ It shall be the duty of the Grand Sentinel to take charge
of post and instruct the Grand Guard, under the direction and orders of
the Grand Cyclops, and to relieve and dismiss the same when directed by
that officer.
_The Staff_
"_Section 12._ The Genii shall constitute the staff of the Grand Wizard;
the Hydras, that of the Grand Dragon; the Furies, that of the Grand Titan;
and the Night-Hawks that of the Grand Cyclops.
_Removal_
"_Section 13._ For any just, reasonable, and substantial cause, any
appointee may be removed by the authority that appointed him, and his
place supplied by another appointment.
ARTICLE IV
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
"_Section 1._ The Grand Wizard shall be elected biennially by the Grand
Dragons of Realms. The first election for this office to take place on the
first Monday in May, 1870 (a Grand Wizard having been created by the
original 'Prescript,' to serve three years from the first Monday in May,
1867); all subsequent elections to take place every two years thereafter.
And the incumbent Grand Wizard shall notify the Grand Dragons of the
different Realms, at least six months before said election at what time
(_Quid verum atque decens_) and place the same shall be held; a majority
vote of all the Grand Dragons _present_ being necessary and sufficient to
elect a Grand Wizard. Such election shall be by ballot and shall be held
by three Commissioners appointed by the Grand Wizard for that purpose; and
in the event of a tie, the Grand Wizard shall have the casting vote.
"_Section 2._ The Grand Magi and the Grand Monk of Dens shall be elected
annually by the Ghouls of Dens; and the first election for these officers
may take place as soon as ten Ghouls have been initiated for the formation
of a Den. All subsequent elections to take place every year thereafter.
"_Section 3._ In the event of a vacancy in the office of Grand Wizard, by
death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, the senior Grand Dragon of the
Empire shall immediately assume and enter upon the discharge of the duties
of the Grand Wizard, and shall exercise the powers and perform the duties
of said office until the same shall be filled by election; and the said
Senior Grand Dragon, as soon as practicable after the happening of such
vacancy, shall call a convention of the Grand Dragons of the Realms, to be
held at such time and place as in his discretion he may deem most
convenient and proper. _Provided_, however, that the time for assembling
such convention for the election of a Grand Wizard shall in no case exceed
six months from the time such vacancy occurred; and in the event of a
vacancy in any other office the same shall immediately be filled in the
manner hereinbefore mentioned.
"_Section 4._ The Officers heretofore elected or appointed may retain
their offices during the time for (_Art est colare artem_) which they have
been so elected or appointed, at the expiration of which time said offices
shall be filled as hereinbefore provided.
ARTICLE V
JUDICIARY
"_Section 1._ The Tribunal of Justice of this Order shall consist of a
court at the Headquarters of the Empire, the Realm, the Dominion, the
Province, and the Den, to be appointed by the Chiefs of the several
departments.
"_Section 2._ The Court at the Headquarters of the Empire shall consist of
three Judges for the trial of Grand Dragons and the Officers and attaches
belonging to the Headquarters of the Empire.
"_Section 3._ The Court at the Headquarters of the Realm shall consist of
three Judges for trial of Grand Titans, and the Officers and attaches
belonging to the Headquarters of the Realm.
"_Section 4._ The Court at the Headquarters of the Dominion shall consist
of three Judges for the trial of Grand Giants, and the Officers and
attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Dominion.
"_Section 5._ The court at the Headquarters of the Province shall consist
of five Judges for the trial of Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magis, the Grand
Monks, and the Grand Exchequers of Dens, and the officers and attaches
belonging to the Headquarters of the Province.
"_Section 6._ The Court at the Headquarters of the Den shall consist of
seven Judges from (_Nusquam tuta fides_) the Den for the trial of Ghouls
and the Officers belonging to the Headquarters of the Den.
"_Section 7._ The Tribunal for the trial of the Grand Wizard shall be
composed of at least seven Grand Dragons, to be convened by the senior
Grand Dragon upon charges being preferred against the Grand Wizard; which
Tribunal shall be organized and presided over by the senior Grand Dragon
_present_; and if they find the accused guilty they shall prescribe the
penalty, and the senior Grand Dragon of the Empire shall cause the same to
be executed.
"_Section 8._ The aforesaid Courts shall summon the accused and witnesses
for and against him, and if found guilty, they shall prescribe the
penalty, and the Officers convening the Court shall cause the same to be
executed. _Provided_, the accused shall always have the right of appeal to
the next court above, whose decision shall be final.
"_Section 9._ The Judges constituting the aforesaid Courts shall be
selected with reference to their intelligence, integrity, and
fair-mindedness and shall render their verdict without prejudice, favor,
partiality, or affection, and shall be so sworn, upon the organization of
the Court; and shall further be sworn to administer even-handed justice.
"_Section 10._ The several courts herein provided for shall be governed in
their deliberations, proceedings, and judgments by the rules and
regulations governing the proceedings of regular courts-martial. (_Fide
non armis._)
ARTICLE VI
REVENUE
"_Section 1._ The revenue of this order shall be derived as follows: For
every copy of this 'Prescript' issued to Dens $10 will be required; $2.00
of which shall go into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand
Giant; $2.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Titan;
$2.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Dragon, and the
remaining $4.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Wizard.
"_Section 2._ A further source of revenue to the Empire shall be ten per
cent of all the revenue of the Realms, and a tax upon realms when the
Grand Wizard shall deem it necessary and indispensable to levy same.
"_Section 3._ A further source of revenue to Realms shall be ten per cent
of all the revenue of Dominions, and a tax upon Dominions when the Grand
Dragon shall deem it necessary and indispensable to levy the same.
"_Section 4._ A further source of revenue to Dominions shall be ten per
cent of all the revenue of Provinces, and a tax upon Provinces when the
Grand Titan shall deem such tax necessary and indispensable.
"_Section 5._ A further source of revenue to Provinces shall be ten per
cent of all the revenue of Dens, and a tax upon Dens when the Grand Giant
shall deem such tax necessary and indispensable. (_Dat Deus hisquoque
finem._)
"_Section 6._ The source of revenue to Dens shall be the initiation fees,
fines, and a _per capita_ tax, whenever the Grand Cyclops shall deem such
tax necessary and indispensable to the interests and objects of the Order.
"_Section 7._ All the revenue obtained in the manner aforesaid shall be
for the _exclusive_ benefit of the Order, and shall be appropriated to the
dissemination of the same and to the creation of a fund to meet any
disbursement that it may become necessary to make to accomplish the
objects of the Order and to secure the protection of the same.
ARTICLE VII
ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP
"_Section 1._ No one shall be presented for admission into the Order until
he shall have first been recommended by some friend or intimate who _is_ a
member, to the Investigation Committee (which shall be composed of the
Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magi, and the Grand Monk), and who shall have
investigated his antecedents and his past and present standing and
connections, and after such investigation, shall have pronounced him
competent and worthy to become a member. _Provided_, no one shall be
presented for admission into, or become a member of this Order, who shall
not have attained the age of eighteen years.
"_Section 2._ No one shall become a member of this Order unless he shall
_voluntarily_ take the following oaths or obligations, and shall
_satisfactorily_ answer the following interrogatories, with (_Cessante
causa, cessat effectus_) his right hand raised to heaven, and his left
hand resting on the Bible.
PRELIMINARY OBLIGATION
"I ---- solemnly swear or affirm that I will never reveal anything that
may this day (or night) learn concerning the Order of the * * * and that I
will true answer make to such interrogatories as may be put to me touching
my competency for admission into the same. So help me God."
INTERROGATORIES TO BE ASKED
"_First._ Have you ever been rejected, upon application for membership in
the * * * or have you ever been expelled from the same?
"_Second._ Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Radical
Republican party, or either of the organizations known as the 'Loyal
League' and the 'Grand Army of the Republic'?
"_Third._ Are you opposed to the principles and policy of the Radical
Party, and to the Loyal League, and the Grand Army of the Republic, so far
as you are informed of the character and purposes of these organizations?
"_Fourth._ Did you belong to the Federal Army during the late war, and
fight against the South during the existence of the same?
"_Fifth._ Are you opposed to negro equality, both social and political?
"_Sixth._ Are you in favor of a white man's government in this country?
"_Seventh._ Are you in favor of Constitutional liberty and a Government of
equitable laws instead of a Government of violence and oppression? (_Cave
quid, dicis, quando, et cui._)
"_Eighth._ Are you in favor of maintaining the constitutional rights of
the South?
"_Ninth._ Are you in favor of the re-enfranchisement and emancipation of
the white men of the South, and the restitution of the Southern people to
all their rights, alike proprietary, civil and political?
"_Tenth._ Do you believe in the inalienable right of self-preservation of
the people against the exercise of arbitrary and unlicensed power?
"If the foregoing interrogatories are satisfactorily answered, and the
candidate desires to go further (after something of the character and
nature of the Order has thus been indicated to him) and to be admitted to
the benefits, mysteries, secrets, and purposes of the Order, he shall then
be required to take the following final oath or obligation. But if said
interrogatories are not satisfactorily answered, or the candidate declines
to proceed further, he shall be discharged, after being solemnly
admonished by the initiatory officer of the deep secrecy to which the oath
already taken has bound him, and that the extreme penalty of the law will
follow a violation of the same.
FINAL OBLIGATION
"I ---- of my own free will and accord, and in the presence of Almighty
God, do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will never reveal to any one, not
even a member of the Order of the * * * by any intimation, sign, symbol,
word or act, or in any (_Nemo tenetur seipsum accura_) other manner
whatever, any of the secrets, signs, grip, pass words, or mysteries of the
Order of the * * *, or that I am a member of the same, or that I know any
one who _is_ a member; and that I will abide by the Prescript and Edicts
of the Order of the * * * So help me God.
"The initiating officer will then proceed to explain to the new member the
character and objects of the Order, and introduce him to the mysteries and
secrets of the same and shall read to him this Prescript and the Edicts
thereof, or present the same to him for personal perusal.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS
"This Prescript or any part of the Edicts thereof shall never be changed,
except by a two-thirds vote of the Grand Dragons of the Realms, in
convention assembled, and at which convention the Grand Wizard shall
preside and be entitled to a vote. And upon the application of a majority
of the Grand Dragons for that purpose, the Grand Wizard shall call and
appoint the time and place for said convention, which, when assembled,
shall proceed to make such modifications and amendments as it may think
will promote the interest, enlarge the utility, and more thoroughly
effectuate the purposes of the Order.
ARTICLE IX
INTERDICTION
"The origin, mysteries and Ritual of this Order shall never be written,
but the same shall be communicated orally."
(_Deo adjuvante, non timendum_)
ARTICLE X
"EDICTS"
"1. No one shall become a member of a distant Den where there is a Den
established and in operation in his own immediate vicinity; nor shall any
one become a member of any Den, or of this Order in any way, after he
shall have been once rejected upon application.
"2. No Den, or officer, or member, or members thereof, shall operate
beyond their prescribed limits, unless invited or ordered by the proper
authority to do so.
"3. No member shall be allowed to take any intoxicating spirits to any
meeting of the Den; nor shall any member be allowed to attend a meeting
while intoxicated; and for every appearance at a meeting in such condition
he shall be fined the sum of not less than one nor more than five dollars
to go into the revenue of the Order.
"4. Any member may be expelled from the Order by a majority vote of the
officers and Ghouls of the Den to which he belongs; and if after such
expulsion, such member shall assume any of the duties, regalia, or
insignia of the Order, or in any way claim to be a member of the same, he
shall be punished. His obligation of secrecy shall be as binding upon him
after his expulsion as before, and for any revelation made by him
thereafter he shall be held accountable in the same manner as if he were a
member.
"5. Upon the expulsion of any member from the Order, the Grand Cyclops, or
any officer acting in (_Spectemus agendo_) his stead, shall immediately
report the same to the Grand Giant of the Province, who shall cause the
fact to be made known and read in each Den of his Province, and shall
transmit the same, through the proper channels, to the Grand Dragon of the
Realm who shall cause it to be published to every Den in the Realm, and
shall notify the Grand Dragons of contiguous Realms of the same.
"6. Every Grand Cyclops shall read, or cause to be read, this Prescript
and these Edicts to his Den, at least once in every month; and shall read
them to each new member when he is initiated, or present the same to him
for his personal perusal.
"7. The initiation fee of this Order shall be one dollar, to be paid when
the candidate is initiated and received into the Order.
"8. Dens may make such additional Edicts for their control and government
as they may deem requisite and necessary, _Provided_, no Edict shall be
made to conflict with any of the provisions or Edicts of this Prescript.
"9. The most profound and rigid secrecy concerning any and everything that
relates to the Order shall at all times be maintained.
"10. Any member who shall reveal or betray the secrets of this Order shall
suffer the supreme penalty.
ADMONITION
"Hush! thou art not to utter what I am; bethink thee, it was our covenant!
(_Nemo nos impune lacessit_)
REGISTER
I
1. Dismal
2. Mystic
3. Stormy
4. Peculiar
5. Blooming
6. Brilliant
7. Painful
8. Portentious
9. Fading
10. Melancholy
11. Glorious
12. Gloomy
II
I White, II Green, III Yellow, IV Amber, V Purple, VI Crimson, VII
Emerald.
III
1. Fearful
2. Startling
3. Wonderful
4. Alarming
5. Mournful
6. Appalling
7. Hideous
8. Frightful
9. Awful
10. Horrible
11. Dreadful
12. Last
IV
CUMBERLAND
_Ad unum omnes_
L'ENVOI
"To the lovers of law and order, peace and justice, we send greeting; and
to the shades of the venerated dead we affectionately dedicate the Order
of the * * *
RESURGAMUS
(Author's note: The "register" above given, was used by the original Ku
Klux Klan as a code to indicate the day and hour for meeting. The first
section indicated half of the hours in the day, the second section the
days of the week, and the third section the remaining twelve hours. The
word "Cumberland" seems to have been a general code expression.)
CHAPTER XII
COMPARISON OF OLD AND NEW KLANS
Having briefly sketched the causes which led up to the organization of the
original Ku Klux Klan, and to some extent the actual work accomplished by
that Order, and having shown in detail the rules and regulations governing
it in the form of its "Revised and Amended Prescript," we can easily see
by a comparison of the old and new organizations that the claim of the
latter that it is "the genuine and original Klan" is a historical fraud.
The modern system, while appropriating to itself the name, regalia, and
some of the nomenclature of the original Klan, is different in conception,
organization and purpose.
In certain respects the character of the two organizations is about the
same. General Forrest when called before a Congressional investigating
committee in 1872, stated that the Ku Klux Klan was a political-military
organization with branches in every voting place in the South, and that,
in addition to its work as a regulator of the peace, it was also engaged
in the task of fighting the Republican Party at the polls. The modern
organization states in its secret constitution that it is a military
organization, and a study of its oath and its literature as herein
presented proves conclusively that it is also a political organization,
which intends, when it develops the necessary strength, to drive from
public office in the United States every Jew, Catholic, and foreign-born
citizen.
The original Klan presents in its defense that it policed and enforced law
in a badly demoralized country, brought order out of chaos, and protected
the widow and the orphan. The new Klan has at times given out a few
charities, largely for advertising purposes, and whenever this has been
done has sought as much publicity as possible from its work. It has
announced that it intends to protect the womanhood of the country, and one
Klan in Texas has issued a warning that "husbands must spend more time
with their own wives," without, however, consulting the wishes of either
of the parties to ascertain if the same was agreeable. As far as has been
printed in the newspapers, however, the Klan in its eagerness to protect
womanhood has not discovered and punished the masked and white-robed
people who stripped Mrs. Beulah Brown of her clothing at Tenasha, Tex.,
whipped her and covered her body with tar and feathers.
The two organizations have something in common in the proven cases of
violence that have been reported in the public prints. According to the
statements of writers, who were members of the old Klan, there were men in
the organization who acted unwisely and selfishly, and who committed acts
of violence that were impossible to control. Precisely the same situation
has already developed in the United States today and the "Emperor" of the
"Invisible Empire" has had to discipline three of his chartered Klans for
proven acts of lawlessness. There is another point of similarity in the
two systems. The old Klan had hardly started its work of wearing disguises
to regulate public affairs when there sprang up imitators who used similar
disguises to aid them in performing acts of viciousness and crime. These
men were not members of the Klan and did things that had neither the
sanction nor approval of the Klan, yet their acts showed that the wearing
of disguises by the old Klan tended to promote lawlessness and crime in
others. As will be shown later there has been, since the modern Klan was
organized, an epidemic of crime in the South, usually committed by men
wearing disguises. Whether these acts have actually been done by Klansmen
or by imitators, it shows nevertheless that the admitted right of one
class to go about disguised puts the community at the mercy of any class
that chooses to employ similar tactics.
In spite of these resemblances, however, the difference between the old Ku
Klux Klan and the new is appalling. One of the first questions that
presents itself is, "What is the necessity at the present time for such an
organization?" The student of American history--in view of the abnormal
political situation in the Southern States during the Reconstruction
Period--can readily understand how and why such an organization should
have come into existence, and its justification lies solely in the
necessity of some agency to cope with the social upheaval of that time.
Public opinion in America today, as reflected by the editorial comments of
a vast majority of the leading newspapers, is practically unanimous in the
view that there is absolutely nothing in our present system of government
that would justify the existence of any kind of extra-legal Ku Klux
organization. Every state in the Union has a constitution which provides
for the creation and maintenance of legislative, judicial, and executive
branches, and in every State these branches are performing their regularly
constituted functions. None of them is perfect; none of them ever will be.
At the same time, the machinery is there, is being handled well, and there
are but few complaints against non-enforcement of the law, except in some
Southern States where men are going about in disguise terrorizing the
community. The Southern States are every one governed by white men. White
men make their laws; white men enforce their laws; and white men sit upon
the bench and interpret their laws. There is no danger in the South of a
repetition of the scenes of the Reconstruction, and no danger whatever of
the "White Supremacy" of the South being destroyed or set aside unless
the same is done by white men, who, under the false pretense of "pure
Americanism," seek to array white men against white men by the stirring up
of religious and racial hatred and prejudice. Where then, is the necessity
either in the South or anywhere else in America for this modern Ku Klux
monstrosity? From a standpoint of necessity, neither the facts of history
nor modern conditions offer the remotest excuse for its existence.
It is, however, the comparison of the _organization_ of the old Klan and
the new which refutes absolutely the claim of the latter to any
"genuineness" whatever. The "Prescript" of the old Klan reads: "The Grand
Wizard shall be elected biennially by the Grand Dragons of Realms." In the
secret constitution of the new Klan it is provided that the Imperial
Wizard shall hold his office for life, and can only be removed by the
_unanimous_ vote of his hand-picked Imperial Kloncilium.
Another important and interesting comparison is that of the personalities
of the two heads of the organizations. When the convention was held at
Nashville, Tenn., in 1867, for the purpose of choosing a Grand Wizard, it
selected Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the most distinguished and
capable officers in the late Confederate army, and recognized today among
military students as one of the foremost cavalry leaders of all times.
General Forrest was selected for his ability, his integrity, his
unselfish devotion to the Southern people, and his desire to aid them in a
great crisis. A careful search of every available record fails to reveal
that he ever received one penny as compensation for his labors, or that
his office as Grand Wizard ever brought him any gifts, perquisites, or
emoluments. His military title was unimpeached, his last commission being
that of lieutenant-general. He never called himself "Emperor," never
signed any of his official orders as "His Majesty," and never assumed any
of the titles or styles of royalty. He was a plain, unassuming soldier and
gentleman, who, having a great task to perform, did his work gratuitously
and from motives of patriotism only, and then, the work having been
completed, disbanded his organization and retired.
What a marked contrast to the gallant Forrest is "Colonel" (?) William
Joseph Simmons, Imperial Wizard, "Emperor" of the "Invisible Empire,"
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. I can find no record of any military
service that gives him privilege to use the honorable title of "Colonel,"
a title that has been won by American soldiers by virtue of hard service
in the army and by desperate deeds of valor on the field of battle. Where
then did "His Majesty" get the right to use this military title? According
to the _Literary Digest_, "his friends bestowed it upon him."
Forrest, as far as can be ascertained, served his country for patriotism;
"Emperor" Simmons, on the other hand, is promoting the cause of "pure
Americanism" for cash. Prior to his elevation to the responsible position
of "Emperor" of the whole United States he was, among other activities, a
professor of history at Lanier College in the good state of Georgia. He is
also said to have been a Methodist exhorter earlier in his career. So far
as the general public is informed, the remuneration of professors in our
colleges and universities, even the greatest, is not particularly high. As
Lanier College is a small institution that has had to struggle along in
the face of more or less poor circumstances, it is not unreasonable to
suppose that it is no exception to the general rule. In August, 1921, the
newspapers reported that it had been taken over by the Ku Klux Klan, and
that "Emperor" Simmons, "in addition to his other duties" would be its
President. It is reasonably safe to say that the average income of "His
Majesty" during his career as an educator could not have exceeded $2500 a
year. Behold, however, the great change that comes with elevation to the
Imperial Throne: "Friends of 'Colonel(?)' Simmons," at the Klonklave of
the Klan which was held in Atlanta, in May, 1921, presented him with a
$25,000 home on Peachtree Street--Atlanta's fashionable
thoroughfare--together with handsome furniture.
In addition to this wonderful munificence of his "friends"--whoever they
were--he is also paid a salary, which according to the "Emperor" himself
is $1000 a month, and recently his hand-picked Kloncilium voted him
$25,000 back pay. This stipend is augmented by the fact that the secret
constitution provides that the "Imperial Wizard" shall also be the
"Supreme Kleagle," and that he shall be entitled to "appropriate to
himself" the entire ten-dollar "donations" paid by any members he may
choose to solicit. Since the ordinary garden variety of Kleagle, with only
four dollars "rake-off," can make a very tidy sum by selling memberships,
the reader can draw his own conclusions as to the possible selling ability
of the chief monarch. There is also the Gate City Manufacturing Company
with its enormous revenue from the sale of robes, the Searchlight
Publishing Company, the Clarke Realty Company, and Lanier College, which
are interlocking corporations or business concerns conducted by persons
connected with the Ku Klux Klan. Where the revenue derived from these
enterprises goes has not been reported in the newspapers. The only thing
made public in connection with them was the statement that the "Emperor"
had been elected President of Lanier College. College presidents are
usually paid salaries. When one thinks of the unpaid Forrest and the
trying problems he solved, one can scarcely suppress a feeling of disgust
in the effrontery of this man of modern times, who declares that this "is
the genuine original Klan," and that he is engaged in the work of "pure
Americanism." Why, the man doesn't know what pure Americanism is!
The most important differentiation, however, between the old Ku Klux Klan
and its spurious successor is the character of their membership. It will
be recalled upon a study of both systems that in each candidates were
required to answer satisfactorily ten qualifying interrogatories before
being finally accepted for membership. Let us compare these together.
ORIGINAL KLAN MODERN KLAN
"1. Have you ever been "1. Is the motive prompting
rejected, upon application your ambition to be a Klansman
for membership in * * * serious and unselfish?
or have you ever been
expelled from the same?
"2. Are you now, or have "2. Are you a native born,
you ever been, a member white, Gentile American
of the Radical Republican citizen?
Party, or either of the
organizations known as the
Loyal League and the Grand
Army of the Republic?
"3. Are you opposed to the "3. Are you absolutely opposed
principles of the Radical to and free of any allegiance
Party, and to the Loyal of any government, people, sect
League, and the Grand Army or ruler that is foreign to the
of the Republic, so far as United States of America?
you are informed of the
character and purposes of
these organizations?
"4. Did you belong to the "4. Do you believe in the tenets
Federal Army during the late of the Christian religion?
war, and fight against the
South during the existence
of the same?
"5. Are you opposed to negro "5. Do you esteem the United
equality, both social and States of America and its
political? institutions above any other
government, civil, political
or ecclesiastical in the
whole world?
"6. Are you in favor of a "6. Will you, without mental
white man's government in reservation, take a solemn
this country? oath to defend, preserve and
enforce same?
"7. Are you in favor of "7. Do you believe in
constitutional liberty and clannishness, and will you
a Government of equitable faithfully practice same
laws instead of a Government towards Klansmen?
of violence and oppression?
"8. Are you in favor of "8. Do you believe in and
maintaining the will you faithfully strive
constitutional rights of the for the eternal maintenance
South? of white supremacy?
"9. Are you in favor of the "9. Will you faithfully obey
re-enfranchisement of the our constitution and laws,
white men of the South and and conform willingly to all
the restitution of the our usages, requirements and
Southern people to all their regulations?
rights, alike proprietary,
civil and political?
"10. Do you believe in the "10. Can you be always depended
inalienable right of on?"
self-preservation of the
people against the exercise
of arbitrary and unlicensed
power?"
_From the Prescript of the _From the "Kloran."_
Original Klan._
A careful reading of these requisites for membership in the two
organizations fails to show, except as to the matter of "white supremacy,"
that there is the remotest resemblance between them. Nowhere in the
"Prescript" of the original Klan, or in any printed publication relating
to it, can there be discovered any restriction whatever against the Jew,
the Catholic, or the foreign-born American citizen. On the contrary, old
men, who claim to have been members of the original movement, state that
Jews, Catholics and foreigners were members. The fact that the modern
movement is anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic and is opposed to the admission
of foreign-born citizens of the country brands it _ipso facto_ as a
historical fraud.
Another link in the chain of evidence against the modern organization lies
in the provisions governing eligibility for membership. Article VII of the
old "Prescript" reads:
"No one shall be presented for membership into the Order until he
shall have first been recommended by some friend or intimate who is a
member, to the Investigating Committee (which shall be composed of
the Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magi, and the Grand Monk), and who
shall have investigated his antecedents and his past and present
standing and connections, and after such investigation, shall have
pronounced him competent and worthy to become a member."
It is here observed that in the selection of members the old Klan
exercised the utmost care and scrutiny, and endeavored to throw around the
organization every possible safeguard against the admission of undesirable
characters. Even with precautions like those, men who were members of the
Klan and left behind them written testimony declare that many men of bad
character became connected with the order. How utterly different is the
modern system with its indiscriminate solicitation of membership, with its
advertising methods, its open and notorious canvassing, and its selling
campaigns by means of literature, letters, motion pictures, agents and
speakers.
Also, as far as the records show, there was no propagation department in
the old Klan, no system of Kleagles, King Kleagles, Goblins, or Imperial
Kleagle. All that is a Simmons innovation, designed to gather in large
sums of money from a large number of people, money that goes mostly into
the pockets of paid workers whose chief interest in the "noble cause" is
that of plunder and not of patriotism. The initiation fee of the old Klan
was the paltry sum of one dollar. The new Klan, in its great piety and
altruism denies that it has an initiation fee at all. It claims that
"citizenship" in the "Invisible Empire" cannot be bought. Accordingly it
requires that before attaining this delectable privilege, the "alien" must
make a "donation" of ten dollars. A "donation" covers a multitude of sins.
Where a victim makes a free-will offering to a "noble cause" he can hardly
claim afterwards that his money has been taken from him under false
pretenses.
In August, 1921, it was announced that "the Invisible Empire" had amended
its constitution so that women would be eligible for membership. This is a
further point of dissimilarity between the two organizations, for while
women were of great assistance to the original Klansmen in making robes
and in giving information, the more serious work was done by the actual
members who were men. In announcing that women were to be admitted to
membership the "Emperor" said:
"_First._ The influence of women over the youth of the land shapes
the destiny of the nation, and it is in the cradles of the American
homes where the principles and ideals of Americanism should first be
instilled into the minds and hearts of the young. To the preservation
of these principles the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is dedicated.
"_Second._ The loyalty of the women to the original Klan of the
Reconstruction period convinces us that as members of the Klan today
there will be equal loyalty and devotion to the fundamental
principles underlying the Order.
"_Third._ We know women can keep a secret, because they made with
their fingers 160,000 robes for members of the old Klan and not one
of them ever disclosed the identity of any man who wore one of those
robes.
"It is through the influence of women today that we have some of the
strongest men in the Order. And the time has come to give the women
recognition and to allow them to partake of the honor and glory of
membership in the organization."
In his statement, however, the "Emperor" failed to elucidate point Number
Four, which was no doubt the principal incentive that caused the admission
of women. Each lady Ku Klux will be required to donate ten dollars to the
"noble cause," and the admission of women doubles the number of
"prospects" to whom the Ku Klux "gold brick" can be peddled. It is
doubtful if the effort to "work" this new field will prove successful, as
the women of the South are more or less antagonistic to the movement. The
Daughters of the Confederacy of Virginia, at a convention held in the
spring of 1921, passed a resolution condemning the organization, and
asking the Virginia authorities to suppress it. It is hardly likely that
the daughters of the women who "made with their fingers 160,000 robes for
the old Klan" would care to become associated with the Gate City
Manufacturing Company, which is selling robes to all members at $6.50 a
robe, with a handsome profit on the side. Women, as a rule, are good
buyers, and it is hardly probable that they will look upon membership in
the "Invisible Empire" as a bargain even at ten dollars. Women are also
the chief supporters of the churches of the country, and it is doubtful
if they would care to go through a "Naturalization" ceremony that is a
blasphemous and sacriligious parody on the sacred and Holy rite of
baptism.
Another point of comparison between the two organizations lies in the
attitude of the old Klan and the new in reference to allowing members to
study their constitutions. We find, in the case of the original Klan, the
following edict:
"Every Grand Cyclops shall read, or cause to be read, this Prescript
and these Edicts to his Den, at least once in every month; and shall
read them to each new member when he is initiated, or present the
same to him for his personal perusal."
Here we have openness, frankness, and a disposition to take every member
into the confidence of the Order, so that each Klansman, at all times,
would have an opportunity to study and to understand the laws of the
organization under which he was working. During the time I was an active
member and worker in the modern Ku Klux Klan, the constitution was a
secret document. Members under me repeatedly asked for a copy of it, and I
transmitted their requests to my immediate superior who could not comply
with it for the reason that he had never seen a copy of it himself. It was
only after he had served as King Kleagle of Tennessee for six months that
he was permitted to have one copy for which he had to give an iron-clad
receipt. I was allowed to glance through the booklet comprising the
document, which afforded me the opportunity of noting a few salient
points, but this happened just as I was leaving the work. The officials of
the organization dare not permit the booklet I saw to be generally
circulated among their members.
As a final comparison of the two organizations it is interesting to note
that the leader of the old Klan recognized that it was brought into being
for the accomplishment of a specific, a definite and a concrete purpose.
It fulfilled its mission, and as soon as it became evident that this was
the case General Forrest ordered its disbandment. He stated that with the
courts properly functioning and the government properly established, there
was no longer any need for the Klan's existence. The new Klan, on the
other hand, aside from taking money away from the public, has not made any
public statement as to its real intentions. In some of the pronouncements
printed in the official organ, there is an indication that the "citizens"
of the "Invisible Empire" generally understand that the movement has a
definite national mission. It is a matter of serious conjecture as to what
kind of mission a secret, military, "Invisible Empire" can have in the
United States. That there is no intention of disbanding the organization
is evident by the fact that every attack made upon the system has so far
resulted in a redoubling of efforts by the propagation agents. Statements
reiterating the idea of "pure Americanism" and giving expression to
high-sounding and sanctimonious platitudes come in unending streams from
the pen of the "Emperor," who brazenly insists that his organization
intends to enforce law and order.
The old Ku Klux Klan has a very deep place in the hearts of the Southern
people, and it holds the added glamour of being an organization about
which little was known by the public up to a few years ago. Knowing this
feeling, the promoters of the modern organization have worked overtime
upon the sympathies of the South in fostering an entirely different
proposition. No matter what may be the ultimate objects of this
organization, its claims to "genuineness" are fraudulent. Some of the
leading men of the South and most of the newspapers have detected the
fraud, but a great many unthinking men have joined the new movement under
the impression that they were becoming members of the old organization.
These men, when they have learned the truth, and have taken the trouble to
study for themselves what I have discovered, will, I believe, withdraw
from the organization and denounce it for what it is--an historical
fraud.
CHAPTER XIII
LAWLESSNESS AND CRIME
Before presenting, for the thoughtful consideration of the reader, the
facts to be set forth in this chapter, I submit for comparison certain
portions of the Constitution of the United States, and the concluding
portion of the "oath of allegiance" of the "Invisible Empire," Knights of
the Ku Klux Klan.
The former consists of what is known as the "Bill of Rights," and read:
"_The right of the people to be secure in their persons_, houses,
papers, and effects, _against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated_, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable
cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing
the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
4th Amendment.
"_No person shall be held to answer for a capital or other infamous
crime unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury_, except
in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when
in actual service, in time of war or public danger; nor shall any
person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of
life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a
witness against himself, _nor be deprived of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law_; nor shall private property be
taken for public use without just compensation."
5th Amendment.
"_In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and
district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which districts
shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of
the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining
witnesses in his favor and to have the assistance of counsel in his
defence._"
6th Amendment.
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed,
_nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted_."
8th Amendment.
Having thoroughly studied the above portions of the Constitution of the
United States, I now ask the reader to again study the concluding section
of the Ku Klux oath:
"I swear that I will _most zealously and valiantly_ shield and
preserve, _by any and all justifiable means and methods_, the sacred
constitutional rights and privileges of free public schools, free
speech, free press, separation of church and state, _liberty_, _white
supremacy_, just laws, and the _pursuit of happiness, against any
encroachment, of any nature, by any person or persons_, political
party or parties, _religious sect or people_, _native_, naturalized
or foreign, _of any race, color_, creed, lineage, or tongue
whatsoever."
Without comment, I merely offer the above extracts for study and
comparison, and let the reader draw his own conclusions at the end of the
chapter.
A large number of outrages, consisting of lawless acts of various kinds,
have been reported in the newspapers as having been committed in the
Southern States since early in 1921. Men have been taken from their homes
and conveyed to lonely spots where they have been beaten, tarred, and
feathered; women have been stripped of their clothing and covered with tar
and feathers; some men have been boldly kidnapped in broad daylight and
driven in automobiles to obscure places and there flogged; others have
been whipped and mutilated for alleged immorality; a sixty-eight year old
farmer was taken from his bed at night and beaten; an Episcopal clergyman
was given a coat of tar and feathers; a New Yorker was shot and beaten;
and, numerous "warnings" have been given both publicly and privately of
"secret law enforcement" and of dire threats to "lay off" investigating
the perpetrators.
_In practically every instance of physical violence the criminal
acts--committed in the name of "law and order"--have been perpetrated by
men wearing disguises, described as white robes and masks._
In several cases of violence the white caps, after finishing their work,
have left on the bodies of their victims the letters, "K. K. K." either
burned on the body with acid, or printed on placards tied to the person
maltreated. In cases where private warnings have been sent through the
mails the same letters have been used, and in public warnings placards
have been posted conspicuously bearing the actual name of the "Ku Klux
Klan." Taking these facts into consideration, the evidence shows that the
outrages were committed by men actuated with the spirit of Ku Kluxism,
whether they were all committed officially by Klans in Simmons'
organization or not. That remains to be determined, but one salient fact
stands out very suspiciously and it is this: outrages committed in this
fashion have only been epidemic since the "Invisible Empire" began its
propagation in the States affected. In this connection, it might be well
to recall the conversation I had with the King Kleagle of Tennessee in
May, 1921.
Charters were about to be granted to three Klans in upper East Tennessee.
I asked the King Kleagle this question:
"My people want to know what to do when they get their charters. What
shall I tell them?"
_"Tell them to clean up their towns," he replied._
Among the first reported cases of violence on the part of masked men
occurred in Atlanta, Ga., the headquarters of Ku Kluxism, the home of the
"Invisible Empire." J. C. Thomas, a white man, received an anonymous
letter advising him to "leave alone" a certain woman named Myers, upon
penalty of action, but paid no attention to the warning. One night Thomas
was enticed into entering a motor car in which were several strangers, the
false representation being made that the "Chief of Police wanted to see
him about some bad checks." The car was driven to Lakewood, an amusement
park, and Thomas was ordered to get out. He refused to obey the order,
drew his knife, and put up a fight, killing Fred Thompson, one of his
abductors and wounding another. The Grand Jury of Fulton County failed to
indict Thomas, but did indict two of his captors.
_Simmons admitted that Thompson was a member of the Ku Klux Klan._
Numerous cases have been reported in Atlanta where threatening letters
have been sent and received. A young Scotchman was threatened for making
improper remarks about social equality, while a physician was warned on
account of alleged neglect of his family. According to J. H. Leavitt, an
Atlanta lawyer, who was himself threatened, not only was he himself marked
for violence but included in the same category were Dr. C. B. Wilmer, the
Episcopal clergyman and Ex-Senator Hoke Smith.
In Durham, North Carolina, a Greek restaurant proprietor received an
anonymous warning signed "K. K. K." ordering him to leave town. It
appeared that he had permitted the intermingling of the races in his place
of business. The Greek refused to take the matter seriously, employed a
lawyer and laughed the incident out of town. Nothing came of it.
After a careful and searching investigation made by the _New York World_,
there have been disclosed a large number of cases of violence and
lawlessness in the South, and a study of the synopsis of these cases is
interesting. It will be noted that the majority of outrages have occurred
in the State of Texas, where the masked regulators have been extremely
active, and where the Ku Klux Klan is strongly organized. These outrages
have been so numerous in Texas as to attract the attention of the entire
country, and have caused an upheaval in the Lone Star State. Some of the
really law-abiding Texas people, who do not believe in "invisible
government" and irresponsible censorship of morals, have attempted to
secure some sort of action at the hands of the Texas legislature. Their
efforts in the summer of 1921 were not successful, one legislator even
going so far as publicly to defend the Ku Klux Klan. Other indignant
citizens announced that they would band themselves secretly together and
wage war on Ku Kluxism.
A chronological summary of the published cases of lawlessness in the
South, indicating the methods of Ku Kluxism, is as follows:
February 5, 1921.--In Houston, Texas, B. I. Hobbs, a lawyer, was
seized, had his hair clipped and was ordered to leave town, the
charge against him being "too close fraternization" with negroes.
Hobbs then went to Alvin, Texas, a short distance away, and on
February 8, 1921, was run out of that town by eight masked men.
March 3, 1921.--At Houston, Texas, J. La Fayette Cockrell, a negro
dentist, was mutilated by masked men for alleged association with
white women. A race riot nearly resulted from this attack.
March 7, 1921.--A. V. Hopkins, a merchant of Houston, Texas, was
mutilated, tarred, and feathered for annoying high school girls.
April 1, 1921.--Alexander Johnson, a negro bell boy, of Dallas,
Texas, was taken out by masked men, whipped, and the letters "K. K.
K." burned on his forehead with acid. He was said to have associated
with white women.
April 10, 1921.--Gus Beck, stock man, of Webster, Texas, was tied to
a telegraph pole by masked men, beaten and left there all night.
April 10, 1921.--At Houston, Texas, J. S. Allen, prominent attorney,
was seized in a crowded downtown street by masked men, and conveyed
to the country in an automobile. He was there tarred and feathered.
He was then returned to the city, and was dumped from a car into the
middle of a street in the most prominent business section, in a nude
condition except for the coating of tar and feathers. In the reports
of the case there is no record of police interference.
April 15, 1921.--Bill Harris, negro bell boy, at Dallas, Texas, was
beaten by masked men for alleged insult of white women.
April 26, 1921.--At Houston, Texas, J. W. McGee, an automobile
salesman, was whipped by masked men for annoying high school girls.
May 1, 1921.--"Red" Kemp, a jitney driver, was whipped, tarred and
feathered by twelve masked men at Goose Creek, Texas.
May 4, 1921.--Sam King, Marshal at Brenham, Texas, was tarred and
feathered. He then resigned his office.
May 7, 1921.--At Beaumont, Texas, Dr. J. S. Paul was seized by
fifteen masked men, whipped, tarred, and feathered and given
forty-eight hours in which to leave the city. At the same time R. F.
Scott, a Marine Corps veteran of Deweyville was given the same
treatment. These two acts were publicly admitted by the Beaumont
Klan, and their charter was revoked by "Emperor" Simmons.
May 20, 1921.--One thousand men marched through the streets of
Dallas, Texas, at night, mounted and unmounted, all of them attired
in the Ku Klux regalia. They carried a fiery cross, and several
banners bearing these words: "The Invisible Empire," "White
Supremacy," "Pure Womanhood," "Dallas Must Be Clean," "Our Little
Girls Must Be Protected," "All Native Born," "The Guilty Must Pay."
They rode and marched through the streets silently and without
interference from the authorities. Announcements of the purposes and
objects of the Klan had previously been accepted and printed by the
Dallas papers.
May 21, 1921.--At Sour Lake, Texas, Joe J. Devere, a justice of the
peace, was tarred and feathered.
May 23, 1921.--Ku Klux Klan paid $10 fine in police court at Dallas,
Texas, for tacking signs on telegraph poles.
May 23, 1921.--At Dallas, Texas, John Moore, white, was seized in his
home by masked men, taken to the out-skirts of the city, stripped of
his clothing and lashed with a horsewhip. He was accused of attacking
a twelve-year-old girl. He fled town.
May 23, 1921.--At Houston, Texas, Ira McKeown, taxi driver, was
beaten.
May 24, 1921.--At Dallas, Texas, John Parks was flogged by masked
men.
May 25, 1921.--Jack Morgan, of Shreveport, was tarred and feathered
by masked men.
June 8, 1921.--Dr. R. H. Lenert, at Brenham, Texas, was whipped,
tarred, and feathered by eight masked men. He was charged with
"disloyalty during the war" and with "speaking German."
June 8, 1921.--At Waco, Texas, K. Cummings was taken from his home by
masked men, but escaped from his abductors.
June 8, 1921.--At Sea Breeze, Fla., Thomas L. Reynolds, a New Yorker,
was assaulted while in his hotel by masked men, and beaten and shot.
June 13, 1921.--At Dallas, Texas, Edward Engers, filling station
proprietor, was flogged by masked men and ordered out of town.
June 14, 1921.--At Houston, Texas, J. W. Boyd, a lawyer, was taken
from his office by masked men and whipped. He was charged with
annoying young girls.
June 17, 1921.--At Belton, Texas, James Collins, a negro, was given
sixty lashes by masked men, and a placard, "Whipped by Ku Klux Klan,"
placed on his back, following his release from jail after a Grand
Jury had failed to indict him on the charge of making insulting
approaches to white women.
June 18, 1921.--At Goose Creek, Texas, E. L. Bloodworth and Olan
Jones, oil field workers, were whipped, tarred and feathered by
masked men, who charged their victims with being "undesirable
citizens."
June 20, 1921.--At Goose Creek, Texas, W. Stewart, a jitney driver,
was whipped, tarred, and feathered by twelve men after three
passengers had lured him to a lonely spot. He was then ordered to
leave town.
June 25, 1921.--At West Columbia, Texas, an unknown man was tarred
and feathered and ordered to leave town.
June 21, 1921.--At Wharton, Texas, Henry Schultz was whipped, tarred
and feathered after being kidnapped by masked men.
June 26, 1921.--At Yoakum, Texas, a white man, name withheld, citizen
of the place for twenty years, was found on a lonely road, tarred,
feathered and blindfolded.
June 27, 1921.--At Austin, Texas, Ku Klux Klan placards were posted
warning against violation of moral codes.
July 1, 1921.--At Fort Worth, Texas, a white man whose name was not
printed was taken from his home at 9 P.M. and given twenty lashes for
alleged mistreatment of his wife.
July 4, 1921.--At Austin, Texas, Governor Neff, chief executive of
the State in an address before the Rotary Club said that a crime wave
had struck the State and that "the entire administration of the
criminal code had broken down." On the same day warnings of the Ku
Klux Klan were posted on the State Capitol grounds.
July 5, 1921,--At Fort Worth, Texas, Benny Pinto was tarred and
feathered and ordered out of town. A woman found with him in his
automobile was taken home by his abductors.
July 8, 1921.--At Glidden, Texas, Harry Adams, a gardener, was beaten
and choked by masked armed men. Then found to be the wrong man, he
was released.
July 12, 1921.--At Enid, Okla., Walter Billings, a motion-picture
operator, was given a coating of cotton and crude oil, after being
whipped by masked men.
July 14, 1921.--One hundred masked men gathered at the jail at
Greeneville, Texas, and unsuccessfully attempted to lynch Matt
Olizen, negro, charged with killing Orbie Standlee.
July 14, 1921.--A delegation from Duncanville, Texas, warned the
Dallas authorities that if Archie Holsome, charged with attacking a
white woman was released, he would be lynched.
July 16, 1921.--At Tenaha, Texas, Mrs. Beulah Johnson, a white woman,
was seized from the porch of a hotel, taken to the woods, stripped of
her clothing, tarred and feathered preceding which her hair was
clipped. Masked men wearing white uniforms attacked her, the woman
said. They drove up to the hotel in three automobiles. Mrs. Johnson
had been arrested on a charge of bigamy at Center, Texas, and was out
on bond when she was seized.
July 17, 1921.--At Nacogdoches, Texas, J. M. McKnight was beaten by
masked men.
July 17, 1921.--At Miami, Fla. At the close of his evening services,
eight masked men waylaid the Rev. Philip S. Irwin, archdeacon of the
English Episcopal Church, and head of the work of that church among
South Florida negroes, carried him into the woods, whipped him, and
then applied a coat of tar and feathers to his body. He was placed in
a sack and taken in an automobile to a spot in the center of the town
and dumped into the street. The following Tuesday, in response to a
telegram from Rev. R. T. Phillips, rector of Trinity Church, Right
Reverend Cameron Mann, Bishop of Southern Florida reached Miami and
conferred with several officials, also appearing before the Grand
Jury in order to make a statement as to Archdeacon Irwin's work. In
his report to the Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church
of the United States, Bishop Mann said:
"About the middle of the afternoon, while I was consulting with the
mayor and the circuit judge, the commander of the local post of the
American Legion came in and stated that he had reliable information
that if Archdeacon Irwin remained in the city he would be lynched,
and that in all probability church property would be burned and
numerous lives lost. He therefore asked that Archdeacon Irwin should
agree to leave the city that afternoon."
The charge made by the mob against the clergyman was that he had
preached "race equality" and "intermarriage." Bishop Mann declares
unequivocally that Archdeacon Irwin does not hold to social or
political equality for negroes in the United States, has never taught
it, and in his missionary work has incurred disfavor with some
negroes by his opposition to societies and movements which upheld the
doctrine.
It was reported in the papers that the judge who brought the case to
the attention of the Grand Jury told that body that, while the right
of free speech is guaranteed, strangers should not defy the
sentiments and traditions of the public.
July 16, 1921.--At Bay City, Tex., W. M. Hoopengarner, a banker, was
tarred and feathered and beaten. The reason alleged was domestic
infidelity.
July 18, 1921.--G. C. Benson beaten at Dickinson, Tex.
July 18, 1921.--E. H. Peters, of Athens, Tex., was dragged from his
room, beaten, dumped out of an automobile and seriously hurt.
July 19, 1921.--At Tenaha, Tex., J. W. McKnight was seized a second
time by masked men.
July 19, 1921.--Declaring that he had information that fifty per cent
of the members of the Oklahoma City police department belonged to the
Ku Klux Klan, Mayor John C. Welton directed Chief Glitsch to
investigate and to discharge every police officer who did not resign
immediately from the Klan. On July 24, Mayor Welton was called on the
telephone, and was told: "We warn you to lay off the Ku Klux Klan, or
we will have to wait on you." The mayor paid no attention to the
warning.
July 22, 1921.--At Hillsboro, Tex., a note from the Ku Klux Klan was
received and published in the local paper as a "warning to some
married men who should spend more time with their own wives."
July 26, 1921.--At Topeka, Kan., a warning was sent to Senator
Capper's newspaper to "leave the Ku Klux Klan alone."
July 29, 1921.--Ben Wiley, of Lufkin, Tex., was put into a sack and
tarred and feathered.
In the State of Missouri, a farmer aged sixty-eight years, was taken
from his bed at night, removed out of doors and severely beaten by
masked men; and a woman in Birmingham, Ala., was also maltreated by a
mob composed of the same sort of individuals.
In most cases local sentiment appears to have been strongly with the
perpetrators of the outrages, this being especially true at Waco, Tex. A
man was assaulted by masked men at that place, but the victim succeeded in
escaping from his attackers, recognizing three of the men who had seized
him. He had them arrested, and they were bound over to await the session
of the Grand Jury. Five preachers and the President of a Texas University
signed the bonds of the men accused of mob violence.
In some parts of Texas, however, the depredations of masked individuals
brought into being a counter movement, and the _Dallas News_ notes the
receipt of the following anonymous communication:
"To the citizens of North Texas and the Ku Klux Klan:
"The Anti-Ku Klux Klan of North Texas announces its being in the form
of a mob.
"We intend and will do no violence unless the Ku Klux Klan shows
violence. We are in being and in force. If necessary we will travel
in force to do business in the form of open warfare.
"The law will have its chance to show that we have laws against mobs,
white-capping, and acts of violence. But we warn that being in Rome
we do as the Romans do.
"We are unknown and unknowable. We will remain that way. We hope that
we will not have to resort to populating lamp posts and using cold
steel, but if so, Oakland and Greenwood will boast of much activity
and the price of black crepe will rise. 'Anti-Ku Klux Klan of North
Texas.'"
A similar organization was announced from southeast Texas. In an
Associated Press dispatch from Beaumont, under date of July 27, 1921, it
was reported:
"Organization is said to have been effected of a band of men to
combat the alleged activities of the Ku Klux Klan, in South East
Texas, with the announced intention of conducting open warfare
against the members of the Klan if necessary 'because officers have
not the nerve or desire to place under arrest its members who have
violated the law.'
"First announcement of the new organization was set forth yesterday
in a communication addressed to the Ku Klux Klan and sent to a local
newspaper for publication. 'Squads of special service men,' the
notice stated, 'have been appointed to locate members of the Klan.'
It added that summary punishment would be inflicted upon any who are
found. The communication said in part:
"'We have formed a club, or mob, you may call it, of more than one
hundred fearless men and we are going to stop you people with hot
lead and hot steel at the first opportunity, and that will not be far
off. We have sworn vengeance on such people and will shoot down like
a mad dog men whom we learn to be members of the Klan.'"
Some of the newspapers of Texas have fearlessly taken a stand against the
widespread epidemic of masked violence, even going so far as to charge
them directly to the Ku Klux Klan. Notable among these has been the
_Houston Chronicle_. In an editorial printed in August, 1921, under the
heading "Law, or Secret Cult," it said:
"Once more the nation comes to a parting of the ways.
"The issue is clearly defined. No one but the unimaginative can
misunderstand it.
"Constituted authority must prevail, or we are in for a reign of
masked and irresponsible terror.
"The fine phrases with which apologies for the Ku Klux Klan defend it
fall flat before what happened to that woman in Tanaha and that other
woman in Birmingham.
"'Law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear,' they declare, but what
does that amount to when any citizen can be accused, seized and
violently used without a hearing?
"Why do we bother about trial by jury, if the evidence of an angry
and impulsive mob is sufficient to convict?
"Why have we built up a complicated system of justice, except to
protect indicted citizens?
"'Those eyes that see everything' and 'those ears that hear
everything' have evidently missed the Magna Charta, the Bill of
Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the
United States.
"Once more they would thrust us back on the evidence of passion, and
conviction by emotion.
"Once more they would rob the defendant of his right to be heard, to
summons witnesses, to appeal to an impartial tribunal.
"Once more they would have punishment decided upon and inflicted by a
council that cannot be held accountable.
"Once more they would expose everybody; whether criminal or not, to
disguised tyranny.
"And they call it Americanism--this semi-barbaric horseplay that
gives its victim no chance, that comes upon him unawares, that shuts
his mouth and overpowers him by force.
"Innocent, or guilty, he has no privilege but to accept the
inevitable, and that is what they call loyalty to their country and
their country's institutions.
"Two women have been stripped and flogged, and this they say was done
in the name of chivalry.
"Their names are written on a secret roster and their faces are
covered, and this they assert is in keeping with those traditions of
frankness, candor and open dealing which have been essentially
characteristic of the United States.
"'Those eyes that see everything' and 'those ears that hear
everything' are evidently blind and deaf to the great struggle and
dearly bought experiences by which Anglo-Saxon civilization has
struggled from a state of tribal law to organized justice.
"A law that cannot be written is not fit to enforce. A charge that
cannot be proved in an open manner is not fit to be made the basis of
punishment.
"Persons who will not make accusations in the daylight are not fit to
be believed.
"A theory of justice that does not afford the accused any time or
right of defense is not fit to be defended.
"We are face to face with a mad conception of government, with an
impossible basis of law enforcement.
"There can be no compromise with it, no half-hearted attitude. Either
this idea of a secret cult purveying the morals of the people must
go, or the sovereignty of the State will cease to exist.
"When a legislator defends the 'Invisible Empire' his allegiance is
manfully divided. He is serving two masters--one of them created by
the people, the other by a class within the people.
"True loyalty permits of no such divided allegiance, true patriotism
recognizes but one master. Unless the overthrow of this government is
intended, there is no place or excuse for the 'Invisible Empire.'"
CHAPTER XIV
SIMMONS FORCED TO ACT
The cases of lawlessness set forth in the foregoing chapter have been laid
at the door of the "Invisible Empire," but "Emperor" Simmons has denied
that the acts involved were committed by members of his organization.
There have been, however, three specific cases where outrages have been
_proven_ to have been committed by members of the "Invisible Empire," and
in these cases the "Emperor" has been forced to take action against his
own Klans, revoking charters in two instances and suspending the charter
of the third. This action on the part of the "Emperor" has been
extensively advertised by him as a guarantee of good faith that he intends
to keep his "Invisible Empire" free from the control of lawless
characters; but, public opinion, in the shape of widespread editorial
comment of leading newspapers, does not agree with his point of view.
Editors agree that no matter how altruistic may be the claims of the
"Invisible Empire," a movement of secret government, acting extra-legally
cannot be held in control; and it having been demonstrated in three
specific instances that the Ku Klux Klan has been guilty of lawlessness,
thus necessitating the "Emperor's" summary action, it follows that the
whole system has no place in American affairs.
Believing that these developments in the Ku Klux situation fully sustain
my position that the "Invisible Empire" is not a fraternal order, but a
combination seeking to govern the American people by intimidation and
force, I shall take up these cases in detail, the facts in each instance
having been fully verified by the _New York World_ in its investigations.
The first instance of lawlessness developed in Mobile, Ala., when people
of that city awoke one morning in the spring of 1921, to find Ku Klux
warnings on many billboards, trees, and telephone poles, and in other
public places. Most of them laughed, but some of the negroes took the
signs seriously and prepared to leave the city. A Northern exodus was
threatened, but with all the excitement the newspapers of the city
remained silent, not even printing the notice found stuck up about the
place, although a New Orleans paper carried the story which was read by
the negroes of Mobile. Fearing the action of public opinion, "Emperor"
Simmons revoked the charter of the Mobile Klan.
The warning read:
"Law violators! This is the first and last time that we will warn
you! You must either heed this warning or take the consequences, for
if you have any doubts in your mind that you will not be able to
comply with the laws of this city and county then you had better
leave at once; 'for be ye well assured' that we will attend to you
without fear or favor.
"This warning is for the taxi drivers, street smashers, bad women,
shinny dealers, gamblers, thieves, loafers, and any and all violators
of the law. We know you and have your names, and should you violate
one of the laws after receiving this warning be ye assured that we
will attend to you without hesitation, as the laws of this county
must be complied with.
"No law-abiding citizens need fear anything from this organization
for we stand back of the laws and see that they are enforced
regardless. This is no negro whipping organization, but should
occasion arise, be ye assured that we will not hesitate.
"This warning also applies to colored doctors. Seventy-two hours
after this notice you must have the word 'colored' posted on your
sign. This waiting on white patients must be stopped. We know you,
and the next case that you attend don't blame us, as you have been
warned.
"Bad women, you must obey the laws or then you must leave the city.
This county shall be clean. Married men, you must look after your
families and quit carousing; violation of this warning means
unhealthy steps for you.
"We stand for the chastity of womanhood, peace and harmony in the
home, law enforcement and protection of our homes and our families.
Mobile County must be clean. Law violators, this means you.
"We are one hundred per cent Americans, and stand back of law
enforcement, regardless.
"We do not fight anyone on account of their religious scruples nor
will we tolerate same regardless.
"This warning is for those living in the jurisdiction of the Klan,
and we are here twenty-five hundred strong to see that these warnings
are carried out. Your next warning will be in person.
"(Signed) The Ku Klux Klan, Mobile City and County."
If the Mobile Klan really had twenty-five hundred members at the time its
charter was revoked, it means that it had paid $25,000 into the coffers of
the Ku Klux agents, to say nothing of some $16,000 paid to the Atlanta
office for robes. It seems rather unkind of the "Emperor" not to have
allowed the Mobile outfit something in return for its heavy outlay. Had it
been permitted to continue, it could easily have beaten and tarred and
feathered a few helpless women, driven out of town some of the taxi
drivers and gamblers, and mutilated a few negro men. As it turned out, the
Klansmen suddenly found themselves "all dressed up and no place to go,"
and in pretty much the same position as a lot of little boys who have been
playing pirate and whose stern parents ordered them to come home.
The second instance of admitted lawlessness on the part of the national
organization occurred at Pensacola, Fla., and was a particularly brazen
attempt on the part of secret mob government to assume to enforce its own
laws. About half past eight o'clock on the night of July 8, 1921, a
delegation of the local Ku Klux Klan drove in automobiles up to the cafe
of Chris Lochas, three cars loaded with Klansmen, wearing white robes and
helmets, while other cars, similarly filled, stopped on the corner of the
street. Three members of the Klan walked into the cafe and handed a letter
in an envelope to Lochas. The message read:
"You are an undesirable citizen. You violate the Federal prohibition
laws, the laws of decency, and you are a running sore on society.
"Several trains are leaving Pensacola daily. Take your choice, but
don't take too much time.
"Sincerely in earnest."
When the letter was handed to Lochas, Captain Harper of the Police
Department was standing inside the cafe, talking to the proprietor. Lochas
opened the letter, looked at it and put it into his pocket, and thinking
the matter a joke paid no attention to it. A few minutes later some
negroes, who had seen the members of the Klan and recognized them for what
they were, came into the cafe and their stories of the Klan caused Lochas
to examine the letter more carefully and show it to the police. After
delivering the message, the three members of the Klan walked out of the
cafe, entered their automobiles and the three cars drove away into the
night. The street was crowded at the time of the visit and hundreds of
people saw the men in white robes halt their cars in front of the cafe and
on the street corner, saw the messengers enter and leave the cafe and saw
the cars drive away. In addition to the police captain who was on the
inside of the cafe, a uniformed policeman was on duty immediately outside
the door, yet neither the police nor any person present noted the license
numbers of the cars or made any attempt to interfere with the visitors.
The _Pensacola News_ in an editorial printed July 9, 1921, said:
"Good citizens expressed themselves freely today concerning the
occurrence of last night and were unanimous in the opinion that in a
community where the courts are open and where the law is enforced by
officers chosen by the people, there is not the slightest
justification or excuse for any oath-bound secret organization,
setting itself up above the law and usurping the functions of the
duly constituted officers of the Government, meeting in
out-of-the-way places, acting in secret, and moving in disguise,
setting up its own standards of right and wrong, acting as accuser,
witness, judge and executioner, and that the activities of such an
organization will not be tolerated in this community even if it
should become necessary to appeal to Federal authorities and invoke
the aid of the Government secret service men to arrest its
activities.
"The opinion was freely expressed that if one body of men acting in
secret can command a resident to leave the city under a veiled threat
of personal injury, because the organization conceives the idea that
the man is violating the prohibition law, another secret organization
of men has an equal right to invite a young woman to leave town
because perchance she might go in bathing in a bath costume not in
accordance with the views of that organization; and another secret
organization of men might call an employer to his door at midnight
and give him a warning that he must raise the wages of his employees
or grant them shorter working hours, or suffer personal violence.
"The activities of last night have been reported to United States,
State, and county officials, who are considering what steps to take
in the matter. It is made a criminal offense by city ordinance for
any persons to appear in public in disguise, and police officers have
been instructed to arrest any person appearing in public in disguise.
It is made a crime against the United States for two or more persons
to conspire against another to deprive him of his civil rights, and
it is made a criminal offense by the laws of the State for two or
more persons to conspire or confederate to commit a breach of peace,
and the State laws prohibit a rout, which is defined to be the
assembling of three or more persons for any unlawful purpose. It is
believed that the laws of the United States, the State and the city
are ample to arrest the activities of any secret organization of the
character mentioned."
As a result of indignation of the best citizens of Pensacola, Simmons
suspended the charter of the Pensacola Klan, and offered to aid in
discovering the perpetrators of the lawlessness, issuing a long statement
which appeared on the front page of the Pensacola morning paper July 14,
1921, wherein he stated, with his usual sanctimonious whine that his
organization stood for "the supremacy of pure Americanism without fear and
without reproach," and gave expression, in his usual bad English, to his
usual platitudes.
The _Pensacola News_ in an editorial the same day challenged the "Emperor"
to aid the authorities in detecting the criminals by giving the names of
the members of the local Klan so they could be called before the Grand
Jury and be examined under oath, and the names of the guilty parties
thereby ascertained. The _News_ further said:
"'Pure Americanism' stands for equal opportunity, unabridged freedom
within the law, orderly government, and the enforcement of the laws
by the processes ordained by the Constitution. The anonymous
communication, the ganging together of many to attack one, the
affecting of a disguise, and the secret organization of men who took
the law into their own hands in Pensacola on last Friday night, are
the methods of the black hand, the mafia, and the nihilists. These
organizations had their origin in Europe and cannot flourish upon
American soil.
"There is no room beneath the Stars and Stripes for anarchy and
bolshevism, for any organization that cannot afford to give the
prosecuting attorneys of the Federal and State government the names
of its members. The secrets of the organization will not be pried
into, but the criminals will be handed over to the State for
prosecution in the manner provided for by law.
"We repeat, the situation in Pensacola affords the K. K. K. and its
Imperial Wizard an opportunity to show that their organization does
not stand for lawlessness, that its members are law abiding, and that
the organization will not countenance crime or its concealment by its
members."
Simmons, of course, has never complied with this challenge, as far as has
been reported in the newspapers, and it is doubtful if he ever will. He
has issued a long-winded, verbose statement since that time rehashing the
same platitudes that have characterized all his writings and speeches, but
has not turned over to the authorities the names of his local members. The
charter of the Pensacola Klan has merely been suspended, although the
offense committed was far more flagrant and specific than the case of the
Mobile Klan, and it is quite likely that should the matter "blow over" the
Pensacola organization will be reinstated.
The third case in which the "Emperor" found it necessary to take public
action against one of his Klans which had gone too far in publicly
advertising the "noble cause" occurred in Beaumont, Tex., and attracted
newspaper attention on a nation-wide scale in the month of July, 1921. It
was the first time that a Klan openly and publicly admitted its
participation in an overt act of lawlessness. The case was so brazen that
the "Emperor" revoked the Klan's charter.
It appears from an examination of the facts in the case that masked men
entered the office of one Dr. J. S. Paul, in the city of Beaumont, on the
night of May 7, 1921, forced the physician to accompany them to a waiting
automobile, conveyed him to the country, whipped him, tarred and feathered
him and ordered him to leave town. A short time after that, similar
treatment was meted out to one R. F. Scott, described in the dispatches as
a veteran of the Marine Corps. Much excitement prevailed in Beaumont,
until on July 21, 1921, a communication was received by the local
newspapers under seal of "Klan No. 7, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," of
Beaumont, accompanied by a long statement of alleged facts in the cases of
the two men who had been beaten.
Frankly admitting that its members had attacked Paul and Scott, the
statement went into details as to the characters and conduct of the two
men. It was charged that Paul had, for a long time, been making a business
of criminal operations on women, of the sale of drugs and whiskey, and had
waxed fat and powerful in this alleged illicit business. It was charged
that for the past five years repeated attempts had been made to have him
indicted and convicted, but that on account of wealth and political
influence, he had succeeded in evading the law. The climax of his alleged
practices was reached in the case of a young woman, her name was not given
in the statement, who was brought to Paul for an alleged operation. It
appears from the charges made by the Klan that Scott was involved in the
matter. According to the statements of the Klan, an operation was
performed, from the results of which the woman was caused to suffer severe
consequences, it being claimed that death nearly resulted from her
condition. It appears further from the allegations that the woman called
to see Doctor Paul and demanded financial assistance, asking for $1000 to
reimburse her for her expenses incurred during her illness. This,
according to the statement, Paul refused to pay, offering instead $500,
which was refused, after which the woman was said to have been ordered out
of the office. The rest of the story, told in the exact words of the Klan
reads:
"Following this visit to Doctor Paul the girl visited the county
attorney and related her story to him, but she pleaded that her
father and mother be spared the shame of parading her misfortune to
the world. She was assured by the county attorney that he was
powerless to act unless she herself would file the complaint and
testify against Doctor Paul. This she felt she could not do and left
the court of law in despair. Then followed several days of unceasing
agony the sufferings of the pangs of hunger and the remorselessness
of a conscience that had been violated. The depths of despair were
reached, suicide was the next logical step. The anguish-laden cry of
that poor girl was heard by men who respect the great moral law more
than the technicalities of the legal code. The heavy hand of the Ku
Klux was laid upon Doctor Paul.
"For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingles in selfish strife, Lo! freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps."
(Ku Klux Ritual)
"The eyes of the unknown had seen and observed the wrong to be
redressed. Doctor Paul stood convicted before God and man as the
murderer of unborn babies, the despoiler of little children, the
social leper who sells the life of a human being for a money
consideration. His victim was a poor girl. Doctor Paul was wealthy.
Between the two stood the majesty of the law, draped in the
technicalities of changes of venue, mistrials, appeals,
postponements, eminent counsel skilled in the esoteric art of
protecting crime and interpreting laws involved in a mass of legal
verbiage, the winding and unwinding of red tape, instead of the
sinewy arm of justice, wielding the unerring sword. The law of the
Man is justice.
"Doctor Paul was approached in his office by three men on the night
of May 7, and instructed to go with them. He was placed in a waiting
automobile and escorted a few miles out of town. The judgment of the
Klan was read to him and charges were related to him, none of which
he would deny. In a cowardly, whimpering plea, he plead that others
were as guilty as he. The lash was laid on his back and the tar and
feathers applied to his body. He was then informed that it was the
will of the Klan that he should leave the city within forty-eight
hours. Upon the return of the party to Beaumont, Doctor Paul was
discharged from an automobile at the intersection of two of the main
streets of the city that he might be a warning to all of his ilk that
decent men and women no longer wanted him in the community. Doctor
Paul complied with the instructions of the Klan that he leave the
city and returned for a few days to his former home at Lufkin. During
this time he was under the constant surveillance of the Klan."
When Doctor Paul returned to Beaumont, according to the statement, he was
invited to appear before the Grand Jury for the purpose of testifying
about his attackers, but upon appearing before that body, he was
confronted with the girl in the case, who, it appears, for some reason not
mentioned in the statement, had decided to make a public complaint against
Doctor Paul in the manner prescribed by law. Why it was any more improper
for the woman to have testified before the Grand Jury in the first place
than in the second the Klan does not mention, but, according to its
explanation, Doctor Paul was indicted on several counts, along with Scott,
the other man involved, and was released on bail. Here follows some very
excellent Ku Klux humor:
"Doctor Paul immediately made bond and was released from custody,
Scott was later arrested and in a few days made bond and released.
Doctor Paul for many days, in company with his hired henchman, openly
paraded the streets of the city armed to the teeth in open defiance
of the law."
Here is Ku Kluxism in all of its glory. "In open defiance of the law,"
utterly repudiating the Bill of Rights of both Federal and State
constitutions, which guarantee a man the right of trial by jury, this
organization had abducted a citizen, tried him secretly, convicted him,
and punished him and then whines because its former victim armed himself
as a protection against further mob violence. Regardless of any and all of
the allegations against Doctor Paul, the assumption of any set of men to
secretly handle the law enforcement of a community is nothing more or less
than anarchy.
It is very interesting and illustrative of the Ku Klux state of mind to
study this remarkable document, for which reason I am giving copious
extracts. It appears that efforts of all kinds according to the Ku Klux,
were made by Paul and Scott to kill the case, and the Klan claims that
Scott was persistent in his efforts to induce the woman in the affair to
leave town. The statement continues:
"Scott was warned that his conduct towards the girl must cease and
that he would be required to stand trial at the appointed time. This
warning served no purpose to him and his annoyances to the girl
continued. Then Scott, who had been constantly watched by the Klan,
whose number is legion, and whose eye is all seeing and whose methods
of gathering information are not known to the alien world, was
apprehended and punished in the same manner Doctor Paul had been
dealt with. He was taken to the woods and guarded until nightfall.
His captors during this time treated him with kindness and
consideration. They provided him with food and fruit to eat and ice
water to drink. During the day he was questioned and admitted all the
charges the Klan had accused him of. The judgment of the Klan was
that he was to be given ten lashes across the bare back and that he
was to be tarred and feathered and brought to Beaumont to deliver two
messages, one to Doctor Paul that he must comply with the decision of
the Klan that he should leave town, but that he must return for trial
at the proper time. The other message was to another person that the
Klan would not allow the technicalities to cheat justice any further
in this case."
The statement concludes by an attack on Scott's army record, and the
allegation that he had served a prison sentence, adding:
"Yet he poses to the gullible public and sensational newspapers as a
patriot and a hero. All these things the eyes of the unknown have
seen and their ears have heard. We cannot be deceived and justice
will no longer be mocked."
Immediately following the publication of this frank statement, "Emperor"
Simmons revoked the charter of the Beaumont Klan, and announced his
intention of sending investigators to Texas for the purpose of looking
into the various cases that had been reported where men in disguise had
taken the law into their own hands. Up to the time that this was written,
however, no such investigations have been made or attempted, so far as the
public has been informed through the press.
The American people should view with alarm the propagation of any
organization, the result of which has been the establishment of _one_ unit
which assumes to itself the secret regulation of law enforcement. Yet,
when one studies the ritual and the oath of the Ku Klux Klan but little
blame can be attached to the men in Beaumont for obeying what seemed to
them the teachings of the "Invisible Empire." They had sworn to "use any
and all justifiable means and methods" and, taking the literal
construction of the oath, they saw what appeared to them a bad condition
existing in their community, which they proceeded to rectify. The prime
responsibility for the Beaumont case rests upon William J. Simmons for
having solicited men to take an obligation that is in itself a violation
of the letter and spirit of the laws of this country. His action in
revoking the charter was forced by the publicity given to the case, and by
the frankness and openness of his followers in assuming the blame for
their acts. Speaking in ordinary street parlance, the action of the
"Emperor" was merely "passing the buck" to his own people who had been
"caught with the goods." When men are given a dangerous explosive to play
with, the blame for the explosion that follows should be placed upon the
person or corporation that gave it to them.
CHAPTER XV
SUGGESTED LEGAL REMEDIES
The task of ridding the United States of the "Invisible Empire" will not
be an easy matter. The people are prone to wait until the horse has
completely disappeared before they begin to look after the security of the
barn door. Until public sentiment is thoroughly aroused over the dangerous
possibilities of an "Invisible Empire," such as is now being developed, it
is unlikely that even the first steps will be taken toward suppressing it.
The idea is so foreign to all the established order in this country that
people will be slow in realizing what it is all about. Appreciating this
fact and knowing that I possessed but limited facilities for bringing the
matter to public attention, I felt prompted to turn over to the _New York
World_ all the information I possessed, and have that great newspaper
inaugurate a nation-wide investigation followed by a publicity campaign
that would make the "Invisible Empire" visible.
Exposure of a system, however, marks but the first step in eliminating
that system. Publicity must be followed up by official action aimed at the
accomplishment of concrete results, for unless this is done, the public
mind is soon diverted from the subject, and the exposure becomes merely a
newspaper episode. In the present instance, exposure of the "Invisible
Empire," without legal action, will have the effect of advertising it
without harming it in the slightest degree--and swelling its ranks with
thousands of new recruits.
In my opinion, the authorities of this country should use every available
piece of legal machinery to stop the propaganda, and new laws should be
immediately enacted rendering it impossible to promote such a scheme in
this country in the future. It must be remembered that the men who have
launched this proposition have built up a large organization, many of the
members of which are fanatics. The promoters have already seen the
possibilities of the scheme as a business proposition; they have the names
of the present members, which can be used again; they have a fully
equipped plant for future operations; and in the event the Ku Klux scheme
fails, they will probably try another one along similar lines. The system
itself must be destroyed and prohibited from further action, either in its
present costume or in any other. Several lines of action suggest
themselves, but they may be broadly classified under the two heads:
Federal and State. There should be concurrent action on the part of these
two governments.
I believe that Congress should enact legislation directed specifically at
organizations of the character of the "Invisible Empire." It should be
provided that all organizations, secret or open, engaged in promoting
racial or religious discord, should be prevented from sending their
literature through the mails. The statute should be broad enough to
include any kind of organized attempt to stir up class hatred, and
officials of all such organizations should be held to strict
accountability for the accuracy of statements sent through the mails.
Misrepresentation of facts as to national, state or local conditions
should be the basis of Federal action in breaking up such organizations.
In the exercise of a national police power, Congress should be able to
give the Federal Government the right to act against the heads of
organizations, as well as a few individuals. In the cases that have come
to light where there has been acknowledged violation of law by local
Klans, Simmons has side-stepped responsibility by revoking and suspending
charters. If Congress will pass legislation declaring that national
officers of secret organizations are responsible for acts of their
subordinates, and are subject to indictment, an important step will be
taken in the right direction.
Since the chief asset of the "Invisible Empire" is its secrecy, Congress
should pass an act providing that all secret orders or societies using the
United States mails or engaged in the business of interstate commerce--as
the "Invisible Empire" undoubtedly is--should be required to furnish the
Government with a list of names of their members. The list should be
required to be in duplicate, one copy to be placed on file, for public
inspection, in the office of the local postmaster, while the other copy
should be placed on file in Washington. The Government should also have
the right to inspect all books of account, showing funds that have been
derived from members either by interstate commerce or by the use of the
United States mails. This removal of secrecy would, to a considerable
extent, lessen the danger of Ku Kluxism as a political force, and
requiring publicity as far as membership rosters is concerned would
materially aid in making the system harmless. I am quite sure that a
publicity statute would not work any great hardship on the existing
standard fraternal orders for most of them have a yearly printed roster
for distribution.
Under the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution, the Attorney-General of the United States can maintain
actions against the "Invisible Empire" on account of its activities in
Texas, and have no doubt that an official investigation of alleged
outrages would show some interesting facts. In order to make the matter
effective, however, the investigation must be gone into very carefully and
all of the facts uncovered. In August, 1921, the United States District
Attorney in Chicago announced that he intended to investigate the Ku Klux
Klan. In a few days, according to newspaper reports, he stated that he had
been shown the charter of incorporation and other literature of the
organization, and that he could not discover anything upon which he could
base legal action. The charter of the organization does not tell all the
facts, as has been demonstrated in the preceding pages.
Concurrently with the action of the Federal Government, the States can do
some valuable work in stamping out Ku Kluxism, and preventing both the
present "Invisible Empire" and its future imitators from operating. The
"Invisible Empire" is known legally as the "Knights of the Ku Klux Klan,
Inc." and was incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia. So far
as has been published in the newspapers, the only State in the Union where
it has been granted a license to do business outside of its home state,
has been in Indiana, where its charter was filed in August, 1921. In every
State where it has not filed its charter and complied with the corporation
laws it has no legal standing whatever. Actions could be brought by the
Attorneys-General of the various States restraining the Klan from further
operation and also indictments might lie against the promoters for
operating without compliance with the law.
As soon as it can be conveniently done, the legislatures of the States
should enact various laws for the purpose of killing Ku Kluxism, laws
directed against membership corporations stirring up religious and racial
prejudice, against secret membership, against unwarranted interference
with the law-enforcing branches of the Government, and against going about
the community in disguise. More stringent laws should also be enacted
providing for the registration of foreign membership corporations seeking
to do business from another State, especially where money is taken from
the public. If the passage of "Blue-Sky" laws has had the effect of
protecting the public from being victimized by all kinds of stock-selling
schemes, surely legislation could easily be enacted to carefully
scrutinize all alleged fraternal orders.
As to permitting foreign membership corporations to do business in a
State, it should be enacted that before being permitted to engage in the
business of soliciting members from whom initiation fees or "donations"
are to be secured, the corporation should be required to file with the
Secretary of State a sworn statement of all its national officers, its
plans for doing business, a copy of its charter of incorporation, its
constitution and laws, and, where agents are employed to canvas for
members it should be specified what compensation they are to be paid.
These agents should be licensed by the State as the "Blue Laws" require
the licensing of stock salesmen. The organization should, furthermore, be
required to file a bond with the Secretary of State insuring the good
behavior of the organization while engaged in business in the State, and
it should be specified that the bond be forfeited should any local branch
be guilty of committing a lawless act, in which case, also, the right of
the corporation to do business in the State should automatically be
terminated. No foreign corporation which permits its members to go about,
in other States, disguised should be permitted to enter. After having
complied with the foregoing provisions, the act should further provide
that at stated intervals the secretary of each local branch be required to
make two copies of the roster of membership of his branch, filing one copy
with the county clerk of his county, and mailing one copy to the Secretary
of State. These two copies should be open for public inspection at all
times. In the event that the local branch fails or refuses to file its
roster, the right of the national organization to do business in the State
should automatically terminate.
As a matter of safeguard to the community, every State in the United
States should have a statute enacted along the lines of the Tennessee Ku
Klux act (Sections 6668, Shannons Code _et seq._) which reads:
"6668. If any person or persons, masked or in disguise, shall prowl,
or travel, or ride, or walk through the country or towns of this
State, to the disturbance of the peace, or to the alarming of the
citizens of any portion of this State, on conviction thereof (they)
shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five
hundred dollars, and imprisoned in the county jail of the county
wherein convicted, at the discretion of the jury trying the case.
"6669. If any person or persons, disguised or in mask, by day or by
night, shall enter upon the premises of another, or demand entrance
or admission into the house or inclosure of any citizen of this
State, it shall be considered _prima facie_ that his or her intention
is to commit a felony, and such demand shall be deemed an assault
with an intent to commit a felony, and the person or persons so
offending, shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the
penitentiary not less than ten years nor more than twenty years.
"6670. If any person or persons, so prowling, traveling, riding, or
walking through the towns or country of this State, masked or in
disguise, shall or may assault another with a deadly weapon, he or
they shall be deemed guilty of an assault with intent to commit
murder in the first degree, and, on conviction thereof, shall suffer
death by hanging; provided that the jury trying the case may
substitute imprisonment in the penitentiary for a period of not less
than ten years nor more than twenty-one years."
In connection with this Tennessee statute, it is interesting to note that
the leading case, reported in the State, based on the act fully sustained
the statute. In the case of Walpole against the State, 9 Baxter 369,
delivered in 1878 by a Supreme Court composed entirely of Democrats, with
several Confederate soldiers the court held:
"It is apparent that the object of this statute was to repress a
great evil which arose in this country after the war, and which grew
to be an offense of frequent occurrence, that of evil-minded and
mischievous persons disguising themselves to terrify or to wrong
those who happened to be the objects of their wrath or resentment.
This was a kind of mob law, enforced sometimes by a multitude of
vagabonds, who grew to be a great terror to the people and placed
human life and property at the mercy of bad men, whose crimes could
scarcely ever be punished because of the disguises under which they
were perpetrated."
In closing its opinion the court said:
"The penalties of a violation of this law are severe, but they have
proved themselves wholesome in the partial suppression already of one
of the greatest of the disturbing elements of social order in this
State. Affirm the judgment."
If every State in the Union will pass a law along similar lines to the
above Tennessee statute, there will be no Ku Klux parades, no midnight
burnings of the fiery cross, and no repetition of the tar and feathers
occurrences that have been prevalent in the State of Texas. I think that
there should be a modification, however, of the Tennessee statute, making
it a misdemeanor to go about disguised in the daytime, and a felony at
night.
There are already enough laws on the statute books of the States against
mob violence, assault, murder, mayhem and other crimes, and the
enforcement of these laws will go a long way toward killing the "masked
terror." No law, however, is enforceable unless public sentiment is behind
it, and if the public officials, especially the sheriff's forces and the
city police departments are filled with men sworn to obey
"unconditionally" the orders of the "Invisible Empire" and to use "any and
all justifiable means and methods" in the accomplishment of the Ku Klux
program even public sentiment can do but little. In this connection, I
want to call attention to an editorial which appeared in the
_Searchlight_, the official organ of the Ku Klux Klan, under date of July
23, 1921, which reads:
"It is sometimes amusing to note the ridiculous situations which
ignorance oftentimes leads men, even of more than average
intelligence. For instance, it doubtless is amusing to members of the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to hear a judge instruct a grand jury to
probe that organization because of its 'lawlessness and
un-Americanism,' when they know that anywhere from a third to
one-half the members of the grand jury are members of the K. K. K.,
and know that the good judge is all unconsciously making an ass of
himself by attempting to express an opinion on a subject that he
knows nothing about."
The attempt of the Ku Klux Klan to enlist the police authorities in its
organization and bind them with its vicious oath is the most serious count
in the indictment against the system. The potentialities are far-reaching,
and unless the organization is checked in that direction, the consequences
must necessarily be grave. How the situation, in that respect should be
met, I leave to others.
The foregoing suggestions are merely intended to set people to thinking,
and from these ideas may come better suggestions as to the proper methods
which should be pursued in checking and eliminating the rising tide of Ku
Kluxism. It should be carefully remembered, however, that the task of
wiping out Ku Kluxism will not be an easy matter. The organization is
headed by a shrewd individual who has already tasted the sweets of
success. All the energy that desperation and cunning can devise will be
used in resisting any effort that will be made to suppress the
organization. Behind this individual are thousands of fanatics, who for
one reason or another believe that this "noble cause" is the salvation of
the country. While fully one-half of the men who have parted with ten
dollars went into the organization out of curiosity, and will probably
drop it, the other element will do all it can to keep the movement alive,
even in spite of the exposure made by the _New York World_.
Behind the publicity of the _World_ should therefore come the united
efforts of every agency in America which discountenances such a scheme.
Every organization engaged in civic work should bring all the available
pressure to bear upon the legislative branches of both State and Federal
governments to secure the enactment of suitable laws against Ku Kluxism.
Then when adequate laws are secured, the power of public opinion should
demand that these laws be enforced and irresponsible and secret
government, private regulation of the public peace, interference with
law-enforcing authorities, and class hatred and prejudice should be
crushed.
Half-hearted measures will do no good. Unless the American people are
prepared to deal vigorously with Ku Kluxism, they may as well turn over to
the system the free and untrammelled right to carry out its secret
program, because mild measures will have but little effect in stemming the
tide this movement must inevitably bring should its propaganda be
successful.
CHAPTER XVI
THE _World's_ EXPOSURE
I turned over to the _New York World_ early in July, 1921, the facts and
documentary evidence I had in my possession, and initiated the exposure
with the understanding that the paper would make a complete investigation
before printing a single story. Under the direction of Mr. Herbert Bayard
Swope, the Executive Editor and Mr. William Preston Beazell, Assistant
Managing Editor, the investigation was immediately begun. Mr. Rowland
Thomas was assigned to handle the investigation and direct the efforts of
the force which began working on it. This work was done for two months,
during which time I acted as an assistant to Mr. Thomas.
On September 6, 1921, the _World_ began the publication of its series
exposing the Ku Klux Klan. Associated with the _World_ were thirty other
newspapers covering practically the entire United States, and for
twenty-one days the exposure of Ku Kluxism held over five million
newspaper readers spellbound in their absorbing interest in the story of
the organization. The series comprised twenty-one articles, and occupied
the front page in the _World_ to the exclusion of every big piece of news
of national or international importance.
The exposure covered in the main facts and documents which I submitted to
the paper. It fully substantiated and vindicated the charges made by me in
my letter of withdrawal that the organization was un-American, that it was
being propagated by spreading religious and racial hatred, that it was a
money-making scheme for the benefit of a few insiders, that its oath was
illegal and its ritual a sacrilege, and the various other matters referred
to by me which are set forth in my letter in a previous chapter. With but
few exceptions the entire American press agreed with my position in the
matter by endorsing the _World's_ exposure, and a vast number of the most
prominent men and women in America publicly expressed themselves as
gratified over the action of the _World_ in showing up the Ku Klux Klan.
One of the most interesting developments made by the _World_ in the course
of its exposure was its publication of facts collected by the paper in
connection with the relations of Edward Young Clarke, the Imperial Kleagle
and head of the Southern Publicity Bureau, and his business associate Mrs.
Elizabeth Tyler.
On Saturday, September 10, 1921, four days after the _World_ commenced the
publication of its series, Mrs. Tyler arrived in New York and engaged an
elaborate suite of rooms in one of the most conspicuous hotels in the
city. She had obviously been sent by Clarke for the purpose of securing
favorable publicity for the Klan, and immediately upon her arrival gave a
story to an evening paper as "bait" for the Sunday papers. Although her
mission was but a partial success, she did succeed in getting her picture
in a few papers, together with prepared statements deploring the "unjust
attacks" that had been made on the organization, and expounding its "noble
aspirations." She was particularly emphatic on the proposition that one of
the main objects of the Klan was to "protect the purity and chastity of
womanhood and to preserve the sanctity of the American home." She stated
that women were to be admitted to membership, that she had been made the
first woman member, and that she would have charge of the women's
department. While she was in New York "Emperor" Simmons issued one of his
typically bombastic proclamations, composed in pure Simmonsese,
designating Mrs. Tyler as his "Grand Chief of Staff." This proclamation
read as follows:
"To all Genii, Grand Dragons and Hydras of Realms, Grand Goblins and
Kleagles of Domains, Grand Titans and Furies of Provinces, Giants,
Exalted Cyclops and Terrors of Cantons, and to all citizens of the
Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, in the name of our
valiant and venerated dead, I affectionately greet you:
"In view of our Nation's need and as an additional force in helping
on the great work of conserving, protecting and making effective the
great principles of our Anglo-Saxon civilization and American ideals
and institutions, the Imperial Kloncilium, in regular session
assembled, after deliberate care and earnest prayer, decided that
there shall be established within the bounds and under the supreme
authority and government of the Invisible Empire an organization that
will admit the splendid women of our great national commonwealth, who
are now citizens with us in directing the affairs of the Nation.
Which decision of the Imperial Kloncilium I have officially ratified
after serious, careful and devoted consideration of all matters and
things involved by this move.
"In view of the foregoing, I hereby officially declare and proclaim
that such organization does now exist in prospect. Plans, methods,
ritualism and regulations of same are now in process of formation and
will be perfected at an early date and officially announced.
"I do further proclaim that in order to have the proper assistance in
the formation and perfecting of this organization, I have this day
and date selected and officially appointed Mary Elizabeth Tyler of
Atlanta, Fulton County, Ga., to be my Grand Chief of Staff, to have
immediate charge of work pertaining to said woman's organization
under my authority and direction.
"Further information will be duly and officially communicated from
time to time.
"Done in the Aulic of His Majesty, Imperial Wizard, Emperor of the
Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, in the Imperial City
of Atlanta, Commonwealth of Georgia, United States of America, on
this, the ninth day of the ninth month of the year of our Lord, 1921.
"Duly signed and sealed by His Majesty.
"WILLIAM JOSEPH SIMMONS,
"Imperial Wizard."
Mrs. Tyler went back to Atlanta, complacently happy in the proud
consciousness that she had "pulled" a wonderful piece of publicity.
On Monday, September 19, 1921, however, the _World_ and its associated
newspapers printed a story that sent a shock of consternation into the
hearts of the entire Ku Klux organization, stripped the mask from Mrs.
Tyler and Clarke, and sent a ripple of merriment and disgust from one end
of the country to another.
The story, which has been fully verified by the _New York World_, read as
follows:
(_Special Despatch to The World from a Staff Correspondent._)
"ATLANTA, September 18.--The _World's_ exposure of Ku Klux took an
astounding turn here yesterday when a staff correspondent obtained
evidence of the truth of rumors which have long been matters of
gossip in Atlanta. This evidence proves that:
"1. A few days prior to October 31, 1919, Edward Young Clarke of
Atlanta, who is at present, by appointment of Imperial Wizard
Simmons, the Imperial Kleagle or boss organizer of the Ku Klux Klan,
and Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler of Atlanta, who recently, also by
appointment and proclamation of Imperial Wizard Simmons, was made
Grand Chief of the newly formed woman's division of Kluxters, were
arrested at midnight and in their sleeping garments, in a notorious
underworld resort at 185 South Pryor Street, Atlanta, run by Mrs.
Tyler, and taken to the city prison, where Clarke was immediately
placed in a cell and where Mrs. Tyler, after being searched, was also
locked up.
"2. The two prisoners gave assumed names, as 'Jim Slaton' and 'Mrs.
Carroll,' respectively, and being unable to obtain bail at that hour,
were imprisoned until morning, when Francis Clarke, now managing and
then city editor of an Atlanta newspaper and brother of Edward Young
Clarke, now Imperial Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan, appeared at the
city prison and by giving $50 bonds effected the release of both
prisoners.
TRIED UNDER REAL NAMES
"3. On October 31, 1919, 'Jim Slaton' and 'Mrs. Carroll' were brought
into the Recorder's Court in Atlanta for trial on charges of
disorderly conduct. After consultation with Policewoman Davis, who
had participated in the raid and arrests, Recorder George E. Johnson
ordered the prisoners docketed under their real names of Edward Young
Clarke and Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, and under those names they were
tried, found guilty of disorderly conduct and sentenced to pay $5.00
fines or each work twelve days on the streets or other public works
of Atlanta. They paid the fines.
"4. Additional charges of possessing whiskey, based on the finding
and seizure of such liquor by the police in the Pryor Street resort
at the time of the raid, stood against both Clarke and Mrs. Tyler,
but were dismissed when J. Q. Jett of Atlanta, the son-in-law of the
Mrs. Tyler who is feminine chief of the Ku Klux Klan, came into the
Recorder's Court, claimed ownership of the seized whiskey and was
fined $25 by the court.
"5. Clarke, Imperial Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan, in its drive for
$10 'one hundred per cent' Americans, consecrated and baptized to
uphold and enforce the law and protect the sanctity of American homes
and the chastity of American womanhood, at this moment stands on the
public records of the Fulton County (Ga.) courts and the Atlanta City
police courts as a man who has deserted and abandoned his wife and
child and has not to this day denied these charges.
TESTIMONY GIVEN BY POLICE
"Imperial Kleagle Clarke and Mrs. Tyler were arrested at midnight in
their bedclothes in the resort, according to the testimony of the
witnesses, Policeman Jameson, since dead, and Policewomen Davis and
Voss, still on active duty. The resort was at 185 South Pryor Street,
corner of Fair Street, and it was operated by Mrs. Tyler. The raid
occurred a few days prior to October 31, 1919, which is the date of
the hearing before Recorder Johnson, at which the verdicts of guilty
were rendered and sentences imposed. The numbers of the cases of the
City of Atlanta versus E. Y. Clarke and the City of Atlanta versus
Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler on the Recorder's docket are 17,005 and 17,006,
and the page number of the 1919 docket upon which they are listed is
305.
"Most surprising in view of Clarke's efforts then in progress to make
America dry by collecting funds to help the Anti-Saloon League is the
fact that the police found whiskey in the house and seized it.
"But next morning as stated the super-Prohibitionist and the Ku Klux
feminist were absolved from the legal responsibility involved in the
discovery of liquor on the premises when Jett claimed the whiskey and
paid the fine of $25."
This story created one of the greatest sensations of the whole exposure,
and was a blow to the entire propagation department. One Kleagle, A. B.
Bate of New Jersey, wired to "Emperor" Simmons demanding the immediate
removal of the offending pair. In reply to his telegram he was summarily
dismissed as a Kleagle by Mrs. Tyler herself. For a few days chaos reigned
in the Ku Klux Kamp. Clarke at first denied the truth of the story of his
arrest, then made excuses, and then sent in his resignation to the
"Emperor." Mrs. Tyler issued a statement branding Clarke as a "weak-kneed
quitter," and repudiating him entirely. Simmons, knowing that the pair of
professional publicity uplifters had made his organization declined to
take any action against either of them, declaring that he had heard rumors
of the story, but attached no credence to it.
Aside from showing up the records of a precious pair of "uplifters," the
Clarke-Tyler episode has no great bearing upon the menace of Ku Kluxism.
But the aftermath of the story's publication developed two sinister things
that make necessary its introduction into this narrative. One of these was
the printing in the _Searchlight_ of a violent article which was
practically a call to arms against the Catholics and others who were
attacking the Klan. The other was the theft of the police records in the
city of Atlanta, covering the cases against Clarke and Mrs. Tyler,
obviously an inside job and showing the extent to which Ku Kluxism had
control of the public officials of that city.
The incendiary article in the _Searchlight_ from the pen of one Carl F.
Hutcheson was headed "American Patriots, Hark!"
"American patriots! The womanhood of this country has been criminally
assaulted in the most diabolical and satanic manner known to the
human race--_an attempt_ has been made to ruin the character of a
good woman by the most dastardly methods of current times. That
dastardly, cowardly and infamous instrument of murder comprises
certain daily and powerful newspapers of this country!
"Murder! Yes, murder of the worst type! Those murderers who wield the
pen, and strew infamy throughout every nook and corner of this nation
by their millions of papers with their thunder-bolts of publicity
against fair woman! Every word written in opposition to a great
patriotic woman of Atlanta reeks with the blood of a grand innocent
lady of Southern birth and standing. A woman's character destroyed
(only temporarily), but that arch enemy of Americanism, the _New
York World_, and its string of subsidized, patronizing, fawning and
syncophantic sheets through America, commonly called 'newspapers,'
but which are nothing more than organs, _and specialists as character
assassins of the most despicable, contemptible and depraved sort_!
"The unwarranted murderous attack sprung from the brain of Pulitzer,
who disgraces the name of his great father. His paper is located in a
city and community where woman's virtue is played with, and her fair
name is no higher regarded than a mere chattel lying upon a
crockery-shop shelf for sale at a few pence. Had the so-called editor
above referred to, and his blasphemous sheet, had any measure of
fairness, justice, and just common canine decency, an effort to
materialize effort in its opposition to the Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan, he and his corps would never have focused their salacious and
foul guns upon a lone, defenseless woman! I said alone? Defenseless?
Not yet. By the eternal gods of justice, she is not alone and
defenseless, as every mother's son of true Southern manhood and those
of every other section of this country is aroused! We issue the bugle
call to all of you to buckle on your armor, and defend this good
lady, even with your lives!
"To you American patriots, we address ourselves! Unleash your dogs of
war and make these hounds of convict stripe pay penalty for the great
injury done. To you we appeal! Southern womanhood has been
slaughtered! No woman's good name is safe from the glaring spotlight
of a pernicious newspaper and its set of hirelings. Your mothers,
sisters and daughters are unsafe from the millionaire newspaper
owners, who prostitute their columns by crushing to death the fair
name of a woman. They hesitate at no methods, regardless of how low
in order, to carry out their designs as a means to their ends!
"Who is back of the damnable juggernaut which extinguishes a woman's
life, character and reputation, in order to carry on the fight
against the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan?
"Who is back of William Randolph Hearst's local paper, the _Atlanta
Georgian_, which lifts from the _World_ the false charges against our
beloved woman, and defames her in her home?
"Whose tremendous influences, with their serpentine poison, inflames
the negro of the North and East against the whites?
"Whose hands are seen beneath the cover of this murderous and
slanderous propaganda?
"What manner of man was he who came into Atlanta for the _World_ and
wired back lies of the falsest and basest sort against an honest
woman?
"By what license does a newspaper use its news columns to assert
false charges as true?
"Who are the cowardly assassins in the background, who are pushing
forward the fight against real Americans, by using weak-kneed
Protestants and others?
"Who are the real murderers before and after the fact in the case of
the fair woman murdered?
"Patriots, I take pleasure in tearing from their demoniacal faces,
the masks!
"Patriots, _view the hellish countenances of Hundreds of Thousands of
Knights of Columbus and millions of members of the Roman Catholic
Church_! The latter despise real Americanism, hate our government,
hate you, Patriots! They class your mothers, sisters and daughters as
harlots, while the former is the monstrous iron wheel upon which the
Roman Catholic Church hopes to crush America, American government,
American institutions and purity of our women for the sake of the
Dago on the Tiber--the hope of the Roman Catholic Church!
"Patriots, if ever red blood ran through your veins for pure American
womanhood, innocent and undefiled Southern womanhood, for the purity
of your home and household, let it run now with a warmth that knows
no quenching! Yea, let your blood spurt fire!
"If there must be war with the Roman Catholics, the Knights of
Columbus, and the hireling newspapers, editors and reporters, let it
come! We are ready!"
The theft of the records from the police court occurred about ten days
after the _World_ had printed the Clarke-Tyler story. The representative
of the paper, in getting the evidence of the arrest of the two persons had
procured certified copies of the record, and had personally seen the
original entries in the books. Upon going back again to look over the
books, he found that all traces of the original record had been
obliterated, the pages having been cut out and removed. The records were
supposedly in the custody of the proper public officials who were
responsible for their safety and their preservation from mutilation. No
other organization aside from the Ku Klux Klan would have had the
slightest interest in destroying the records.
CHAPTER XVII
THE KLAN BEFORE CONGRESS
Congress was not in session when the _World_ began the publication of its
articles, and did not resume its sessions until the close of September,
1921. Many of the members of both houses were in Washington, however, and
they followed the exposure of the Kluxes with close attention. Senators
and Representatives expressed themselves as being gratified that the work
was being carried on, and it became evident that when Congress resumed its
session, there would be several resolutions introduced demanding an
investigation of the Ku Klux organization. This proved to be true, and
resolutions were introduced immediately after the two houses assembled by
Representatives James A. Gallivan, of Massachusetts, Thomas J. Ryan of New
York, Leonidas C. Dyer, of Missouri, and Peter F. Tague, of Massachusetts.
As these resolutions were very much alike, the following, introduced by
Representative Tague will be the only one reproduced:
"WHEREAS, There is being organized within the United States an
anti-American organization known as the Ku Klux Klan, the objects and
purposes of which are the exile and suppression of persons, members
of certain races and religious sects, and
"WHEREAS, The accomplishment of such objects and purposes is in
direct contravention of Articles I, XIII and XV of the Constitution
of the United States, and
"WHEREAS, The organization known as the Ku Klux Klan has in more than
one hundred instances been charged with unlawful seizure, abduction,
trial and punishment of certain free citizens and residents of the
United States, and
"WHEREAS, Such seizure, abduction, trial and punishment is a
usurpation of legally constituted authority and in direct
contravention of Articles IV, V and VI of the Constitution of the
United States; therefore be it
"RESOLVED, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives be
directed to appoint a special committee of five members of the House
of Representatives, which committee is authorized and directed to
proceed at once with an investigation of the organization, purposes
and all matters connected with the Ku Klux Klan and to report its
findings to the House of Representatives at the earliest practical
day, together with such recommendations as it may see fit to make
concerning the Ku Klux Klan, if any, and for this purpose the
committee is authorized to send for persons, books and papers; to
administer oaths; to employ a stenographer at a cost not exceeding
$1.00 per printed page to report such hearings as may be had in
connection with any subject which may be pending before said
committee, the expenses thereof to be paid out of the contingent fund
of the House of Representatives, and that said committee may sit
during the sessions or recess of the House of Representatives."
All of the resolutions were referred to the Rules Committee of the House
for the purpose of making a preliminary examination as to the advisability
of appointing a special committee to investigate the Klan. This committee,
of which Representative Philip P. Campbell, of Kansas was Chairman, met
on Tuesday, November 11, 1921, for the purpose of examining witnesses.
"Emperor" Simmons had been previously invited, and appeared with counsel.
Rowland Thomas, appearing in behalf of the _New York World_, was the first
witness examined. He placed before the committee the entire facts that had
been collected by the paper, showing specifically that the Ku Klux
organization in some portions of the country had been guilty of
circulating anti-religious and anti-racial propaganda; that in some cases
acts of violence had been admitted by the local Klans; and that the
proposition was in all essentials a money-making scheme. Covering every
phase of the system, Mr. Thomas concluded his statement as follows:
"We found also that they boasted or declared that they were setting
up an invisible empire here in the United States. We found that their
chief man had taken the title of emperor and that he issued imperial
and secret decrees from an imperial palace. We found also, having
secured a copy of their oath, that every man who joined this order
pledged himself to obey without question all the instructions of the
emperor, who had been elected for life. We found that severe
penalties were threatened to him if he failed ever in obedience. We
found that part of this oath was a pledge of impenetrable secrecy
surrounding all the doings of the Klan. We found that each member
promised to keep at all costs, even that of life, in the face of any
coercion, persecution, or punishment, all secrets of the Klan and all
knowledge of the Klan committed to him, with only four exceptions. He
was not obliged to keep to himself a violation of the oath of the
Klan, treason against the United States of America, malicious murder,
and rape. Those four secrets, apparently, he could give up to other
persons, three of them the crimes, supposedly, he was at liberty to
reveal to peace officers and judicial officers of the United States
Government. All others, as far as the phraseology of the oath can be
read, he was to keep to himself. They belong to the Klan and to the
invisible empire and not to the United States of America.
"We found them boasting that they had succeeded in securing as
members bound by this oath and made citizens in this invisible empire
many men who are also officials of the visible, constituted
Government of the United States.
"'Emperor' Simmons more than once made statements that Members of the
Congress of the United States--both Representatives and
Senators--belonged to his invisible empire, and therefore were under
his imperial orders. He boasted that governors, mayors, and other
administrative officers, members of city councils, were citizens of
this invisible government, and that sheriffs, policemen, police
chiefs were citizens of the invisible empire and that judges on the
bench were members of it.
"The statement has been made publicly in print that it amused a
Klansman when he read in the press that a judge had charged a grand
jury to investigate the Klan, because all Klansmen knew that a
substantial part of the membership of that grand jury would be
Klansmen; that the judge was a joke in making such a suggestion of
investigation."
C. Anderson Wright, who had formerly been a King Kleagle, was also
examined and verified in many instances the facts that had been presented
by the _World_, although his testimony in some respects lost its value by
exaggeration of financial estimates of the Imperial Palace. He assisted,
however, in verifying the fact that the Atlanta organization had never
undertaken any charitable or public work, and appeared to be more of a
financial scheme for the benefit of the insiders of the movement.
Post-Office Inspector O. B. Williamson furnished the committee facts and
figures relating to the financial and business side of the organization.
Mr. Williamson had been to Atlanta, talked with Clarke and Mrs. Tyler, and
had gone through the books of the Klan. Among the first bubbles to burst
was that of the purchase of Simmons $25,000 home on Atlanta's fashionable
Peachtree Street. It had been claimed by Simmons & Company that this home
had been presented the "Emperor" by admiring members of the Klan, the
money constituting the purchase price having been "donated" in small
amounts ranging from twenty-five cents to one dollar. According to the
real facts, Mr. Williamson showed the arrangements for payments to have
been as follows:
"Ten thousand dollars was paid in cash, and one note maturing October
15, 1921, was given for $15,500. The deed was made in the name of E.
Y. Clarke. The ten thousand dollar cash payment consisted of $1000
secured by subscription from Klansmen, $5000 from the Klan treasury,
and $5000 advanced by Clark and Mrs. Tyler."
It appeared from a statement of E. Y. Clarke, quoted by Mr. Williamson,
that this use of Klan funds for private purposes was part of a
press-agent scheme to add to the dignity and apparently high standing of
Simmons, as the latter was living in an unpretentious part of the city in
a house not in keeping with his important position as "Emperor," and it
was "therefore in the interest of the Klan to put him in a better home and
one that would reflect credit on the organization."
Mr. Williamson also showed how Klan funds were diverted for private
purposes in the purchase of Lanier University, introducing a statement of
Clarke as follows:
"The Lanier University has existed for only a few years. It has been
a Baptist institution of learning, operating under a charter granted
by the State of Georgia and controlled by a board of trustees of
fifteen men. Some time in July, this year, representatives of this
university approached Colonel Simmons and myself with a proposition
to purchase the university outright and assume, of course, its debts,
which amounted to $50,000. We had our attorney to investigate the
matter fully and we found the indebtedness much larger than claimed.
We therefore rejected the proposition to purchase and submitted a
counter proposition. The counter proposition was accepted and was in
substance as follows: First, that the managing board elect Colonel
Simmons president of the university. Second, that they agree to make
it nonsectarian. Third, that the present existing board elect new
trustees, as named by Colonel Simmons, the present board resigning in
their favor.
"Now, following that is other information, the material part of which
is that the Klan paid to this university $22,474.32, a part of which
was out of the Klan treasury and which is not secured in any way."
Mr. Williamson testified that he had gone over the books of the
organization and had found that while the financial records of the
organization had been accurately kept since June 15, 1921, there had been
no accurate record kept prior to that time, embracing a period of one year
during which time the Klan had been propagated under the contract of E. Y.
Clarke, printed in a previous chapter. The gross receipts of the
organization, according to Mr. Williamson were $1,148,710.97; the books
showed 85,126 members; and statements of Clarke placed the membership at
126,000. The Post-Office Inspector stated that prior to June 15, 1921,
about $151,000 had been spent by the organization, but that he had been
unable to secure any statement as to the manner in which it had been
disbursed. In utter disproof of the claim that the organization had been
established for benevolent purposes, it is interesting to follow a part of
the testimony of Mr. Williamson in detail:
"MR. CAMPBELL. The ritual of the order and the proclamation hold out
the order as one for benevolent and high purposes?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Yes, sir; and not for selfish profit.
"MR. CAMPBELL. What did you discover with respect to the use of money
for beneficial purposes to the public?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Well, when I went to Atlanta I found that the
imperial palace itself, which had been bought in part with Klan
funds, was in the name of Mr. Clarke. I found that the home of Mr.
Simmons, which had been bought in part with Klan funds, was in Mr.
Clarke's name. I found also that some $21,000 of Klan funds had been
given the Lanier University without security. And in that connection
I might say this: That whenever anybody pays his $10 for the purpose
of joining this Klan, he is given a receipt which says that this
money is received in trust for the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
(Inc.). That is printed on each and every receipt.
"MR. CAMPBELL. What is the amount that has been paid out for salaries
of officers in Atlanta--out of the money that has been collected, if
you know?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Well, I can tell you that, from the propagation
department alone, $15,247 has been paid as executive salaries.
"MR. CAMPBELL. To whom has that been paid?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Well, I take it, from the word "executive," that it
must be Mr. Clarke, and Mrs. Tyler, because they are the two
executives of that department. Then the field men--they are the
Kleagles--have been paid, in round numbers, $464,000. That would be
$5 out of the $10, of which $4 would go to the Kleagle and $1 would
go to the King Kleagle. That uses up $5. Then 50 cents goes to the
Grand Goblin. And it is all used up but $4.50 and $2 goes to the
Klan.
"MR. CAMPBELL. And all of the $8, then, is used up in paying officers
or agents of the Klan?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. That is true.
"MR. CAMPBELL. How much of the remaining $2 has been spent, if you
know, for the benefit of needy people, or for helpful purposes in
communities--charitable purposes?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Well, if you call Mr. Simmons a needy person, then
some thousands of dollars have been spent for him. But general
charity, I do not think, has received any of it; at least it does not
appear on the accounts.
"MR. CAMPBELL. What is Mr. Simmons' salary, if you know?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Mr. Simmons at present gets $1,000 a month. He has
been getting that since the first of August."
When questioned as to the activities of Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, Mr.
Williamson described her as a business woman who was engaged in the work
of propagating Ku Kluxism as she would in any other mercantile pursuit,
without any altruistic motives whatever. This is brought out in the
following colloquy:
"MR. CAMPBELL. It is purely a business proposition, so far as she is
concerned?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. Absolutely.
"MR. CAMPBELL. She is using the mysticism, the regalia, the
paraphernalia, the masks, and all of the literature of the order for
the purpose of making money out of it? Is that correct?
"MR. WILLIAMSON. That is correct. In fact, she told me at least twice
that she was in the business for the purpose of making money, just
like she was in any other business for that same purpose."
William J. Burns, Director of the Bureau of Investigation of the
Department of Justice, was called as a witness, but stated that his
department was still investigating the Ku Klux Klan and that he had
nothing to offer at the present time.
His Majesty William Joseph Simmons, "Emperor" of the "Invisible Empire,"
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was the last witness examined.
Having a good conception of the theatrical, he had arranged to be
introduced to the committee by Congressman W. D. Upshaw, of Georgia. In
spite of the remark from Chairman Campbell that Simmons did not need an
introduction to the committee, the "Cracker" Congressman cleared his
throat and delivered the following "spread-eagle" speech:
"Knowing his sterling character, as I do, I am prepared to underwrite
his every utterance as the truth of an honest patriotic man. I do not
know "what all" Colonel Simmons has been doing behind closed doors,
but I do know that, as a sturdy and inspiring personality, as a
heroic veteran of the Spanish-American War, as an honored Knight
Templar and member of something like a dozen other honored and
well-known fraternities, as a consecrated churchman, and a
God-fearing citizen, he is as incapable of an unworthy, unpatriotic
motive, word or deed, as the chairman of this committee, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, or the President of the United
States.
"I have known this good man to use his great influence to stop an
incipient race riot. I have known him to dispense benevolence to a
negro educational institution. I have known him to prevent negroes
from being mobbed for crime, even as they were recently mobbed for no
crime by white men in Omaha, in Chicago, in Indiana and even here in
the Nation's capital.
"Not for one minute would I stand for personal or organized
wrongdoing by any man or any friend. More than any other Congressman,
because of my relationship to this district, I want to know the light
and I want the world to know the light and I want the country to know
the light concerning this organization and other secret organizations
whose deeds are questioned by many and whose memberships are limited
by race, creed, or color.
"I have the privilege, gentlemen of the committee, of presenting to
you my long-time, personal friend and constituent, Col. William
Joseph Simmons."
Simmons, no doubt, expected great applause from the committee, but,
instead, was met with the cold remark often used by the police
authorities: "You are notified that whatever you may say will be used
against you."
The "Emperor" was on the stand for three days and his testimony before the
committee with its accompanying exhibits fill over a hundred printed pages
of the record of the proceedings. Analyzing his statements, I should say
that in many respects he was an excellent witness who verified completely
the charges made against his organization by the _New York World_ and
myself.
Denouncing me for repudiating my oath of allegiance to his "Invisible
Empire" by exposing its secrets, he proceeded to go much farther than I
had done, by turning over to the committee his ritual, oath and many other
documents to which I had never had access.
His testimony can be classed partly as confession and avoidance; partly as
denial of facts that were clearly proven by the _World_; partly as
attempted cheap wit that had no element of humor whatever in it;
considerable denunciation of the _World_ and of myself; many wild and
erratic statements without foundation of fact; and a great deal of praise
both for himself and for the organization he represented.
Among his denials, for example, he stated that Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler had no
connection with the organization except as an assistant of Clarke in his
publicity work. This statement was made in the face of the fact that less
than thirty days previously he had issued a "ukase" making the Queen of
South Pryor Street his "Grand Chief of Staff." He denied that the Klan at
Beaumont, Tex., had perpetrated the outrages against Doctor Paul, when it
had been proven under the official seal of that Klan that it had
maltreated Paul. He denied responsibility in the Pensacola and Mobile
cases, in spite of the fact that he had taken official action himself. He
denied that he had given the interview to the _Searchlight_ previously
mentioned, in which he predicted direful things would happen to the
enemies of the Klan. These are merely a few denials of previously
established facts, facts so well established that any jury in the country
would accept them.
He was particularly bitter against the _World_, and lost no opportunity of
denouncing it. Included in some of his choicest attacks on the paper were
the following:
"The attacks against the Klan were originated and started by the _New
York World_, which is owned or controlled by a Jew, Mr. Pulitzer,
whose main purpose is circulation and revenue. The circulation
manager of this paper stated to one of the newspaper trade
publications, the editor and publisher of New York which published
this statement, that the Ku Klux attacks had added a hundred thousand
circulation to the _World_ and additional advertising.
"The _World_, according to their own statement, spent over four
months, with unlimited resources at their command, in an
investigation of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, using trained
investigators, newspaper men, and covering every section of the
country. In the face of this careful investigation the _World_ has
not been able to prove anything detrimental to the Klan except their
own colored views of unfounded rumor and expressing the attitude of
its Jewish ownership.
"The _World_ saw that the Klan was the fastest growing purely
Protestant, non-political organization in the United States. The
_World_ knew that when you strike at a man's religious and fraternal
organizations you are striking at the very fiber of his being and
that then all political affiliations and party lines are forgotten.
"The _World_ is the stronghold of the Democratic newspapers and the
Democratic Party, and it has been said by those in a position to know
that if the _World_ could, by shrewd propaganda and untruthful
slanders, force a Republican Congress and administration to throttle
or destroy a purely local American Protestant fraternal organization,
as is the Ku Klux Klan, that its hundreds of thousands of members,
friends, and those who think as does the Klan, would at the polls
three years from now forget party lines and preference and vote the
Democratic ticket.
"I wish to notify the chairman of this committee that there are plans
on foot at the present time whereby one of the representatives of the
_New York World_ is to be tarred and feathered in the name of the
Klan, and that this plan has been originated and its details worked
out by representatives of the _New York World_ so that it will appear
that the Klan did this in a spirit of revenge. Furthermore, through
this plan the _World_ hopes to be able to secure additional
circulation and advertising for their paper in keeping alive this
matter. The congressional investigating committee that I want to
investigate the Klan will receive the sworn proof of this plan of the
representatives of the _World_ to further try to discredit or harm
the Klan."
These statements are fairly good examples of the misinformation and
erratic statements the "Emperor" gave the committee. He probably did not
know that Ralph Pulitzer is a communicant of St. Thomas Episcopal Church,
and that the exposure of his political-financial scheme was no more Jewish
in origin than Simmons is himself. That the circulation of the _World_
increased 100,000 copies a day is the truth, but it was due to the fact
that the American people wanted to find out the facts about Ku Kluxism,
and it is significant that, in New York City, from which all this gain in
circulation came, Ku Kluxism has been unable to make any progress since
the exposure was made.
Among the exhibits, presented by Simmons to the Rules Committee was his
secret constitution, which up to that time had been a private document.
This revealed the fact that Simmons has created for himself a life-time
position at a good salary. The Constitution, Article 8, Section 2, reads:
"The Imperial Wizard shall hold office for life or during good
behavior. He may be removed for just cause by an unanimous vote of
the Imperial Kloncilium, or after charges have been preferred and a
trial upon three-fourths vote of said body in session assembled."
This unusual section did not appear to the "Emperor" to be anything
extraordinary, his comment being: "As long as the old horse is pulling
well, it is no use to take him out of the harness when you have him
harnessed up. He cannot do you any harm."
Simmons modestly stated to the committee that he had no vision of turning
the United States into an Empire. He stated, among other things:
"If tomorrow morning our great President Harding should resign, and
all the functioning faculties of our great American Government would
become instantly paralytic and if the American people should rise up
and proclaim me the monarch of America, I would die before I would
accept it."
While modestly laying aside the Imperial crown, Simmons, however, placed
himself in the distinguished company of Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ and
George Washington, as he gave utterance to the following choice outburst:
"Julius Cæsar had his Brutus, Jesus Christ had his Judas, and our
great and illustrious Washington had his Benedict Arnold. Sir, I can
state to you that I can enter the fellowship of all three of those
because I have suffered in my soul as a result of the treasonous and
treacherous conduct of traitors. I refer to one in the beginning of
my statement this morning. Right recently, those who have furnished
material to the outside world and whose names have been put across
the page, are one man by the name of Craven, of North Carolina;
another man by the name of Fry, who hails from Tennessee; another man
by the name of Wright, who hails, so far as I know, from New York.
Mr. Craven was a disgruntled office seeker who tried to have me
appoint him as State head of the State of North Carolina. When I had
not made any appointments along that line, and had not gotten to
that, I understood he was trying to get the appointment to use it for
political purposes. The appointment was not made at the time he
wanted it, and he sent threatening letters, and because he did not
get it, or because he could not get that appointment, he became a
disgruntled office seeker in this Order and proved a traitor to his
sacred trust. Mr. Fry, or Captain Fry, as he is called, was in our
field force. He also proved a traitor, and violated as solemn an oath
as a man can take."
Simmons admitted, in discussing his ritual that he had appropriated
without any credit the immortal poem of Josiah G. Holland entitled "God
Give Us Men," but made no effort to defend himself against the charge of
plagiarism, frankly stating that he had taken the poem and but slightly
paraphrased it.
The climax of Simmons testimony was a highly theatrical and emotional
"break down," which some observers have declared to have been deliberately
staged for the effect it produced, although Simmons claims that it was
caused by an illness from which he was suffering at the time. After
concluding his long-winded statements and verbose testimony he turned to
the committee and cried:
"Again I want to express to you, Mr. Chairman, my deep gratitude and
thanks for the courtesies you have extended to me. I want to say to
all those men and women who have given assurance, with your
permission, of their belief in me that they have my thanks, and I
want to say to my persecutors and the persecutor of this organization
in all honesty and sincerity no matter to what creed or race you may
belong in your persecutions, through the medium of the press or
otherwise, that you do not know what you are doing. You are ignorant
of the principles as were those who were ignorant of the character
and work of the Christ. I cannot better express myself than by
saying to you who are persecutors of the Klan and myself, 'Father,
forgive you, for you know not what you do,' and 'Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do.'
"Mr. Chairman, I am done."
He then fell forward, face downward on the table.
CHAPTER XVIII
CONCLUSION
The facts which I have endeavored to set forth in these pages should have
caused the reader to do some serious thinking, for serious thought is
something this country at present needs above all else. The United States
has but lately emerged from the greatest war in the annals of the race.
When we laid down our arms the might and power of the German Emperor was
forever crushed. Having assisted materially in crushing a visible Empire
in Europe, the American people should be able to make short work of
exterminating an "Invisible Empire" at home. When this righteous task is
accomplished, they should pause a little and reflect upon some of the
conditions that exist in this country today--conditions that must be
soberly and earnestly faced.
There has never been a period in American history where sounder, saner,
and more intelligent leadership was a prime necessity than it is at
present. Totally unprepared in every way to enter a war on such stupendous
a scale, American idealism and American practical sense were fully
adequate to meet the abnormal situation; but the termination of the war
found the country still functioning abnormally. To accomplish
successfully the return to normal, pre-war conditions has been, is, and
will be the chief thought of the leaders and the people. Economic
conditions require readjustment, important matters of trade must be
regulated, vital questions of finance and taxation must be handled, in
fact, the whole country must settle down to production, manufacture,
distribution of merchandise, and the transaction of the nation's regular
business.
These matters alone should be sufficient to occupy the entire attention of
the people, but, unfortunately, there exists in the United States a series
of group antagonisms that bode no good for the future peace and prosperity
of the country. The fact that there are a number of discordant groups in
America is the basic reason why the Ku Klux propaganda has been so
successful. The further fact that the country requires all of its best
thought to the readjustment of its vital interests makes it all the more
dastardly to stir up domestic dissension in the United States at this time
of all others. These group antagonisms are of such importance to the
country that until they become reconciled and subordinated to the common
public interest there will never be, on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, a
cohesive, homogeneous nation such as is the British Empire. The
development of a national unity for the United States, which really began
at the termination of the Civil War, is yet in its infancy stage.
Outwardly the nation is, to all intents and purposes, great power, rich,
inventive and capable of meeting the most terrific forces that might be
arrayed against it; inwardly, it is a collection of discordant elements,
many of which assume the prerogative of dictating to the others. If the
United States ever goes to pieces, the cause of its disintegration will
not be due to foreign aggression but will result from internal strife.
The tendency of unwarranted dictation of one group to another has produced
in recent years the voluntary "uplifter," who, generally for personal
gain, has, with his followers, presumed to take charge of the personal
habits, the morals and the liberties of the community under the alleged
plea of elevating the community. This is one of the phases of the Ku Klux
movement, which, surreptitiously, would attempt to pry into the affairs of
the people of a community, and assume to itself the prerogative of
regulating their private matters. It is, however, but a natural outcome of
a general condition. I believe, however, as a general thing:
_The American people are "fed up" on the "uplift!"_
It would be a great blessing if ninety-nine per cent of all the
associations and societies of the "uplifting" character were completely
wiped out of existence, and the public be permitted to try the wholesome
experiment of attending to its own business without the assistance of
meddlesome individuals whose sole means of livelihood consist in
professional "uplifting."
Another situation in America that may be classified as a group antagonism
is the race question which must be settled by practical common-sense
methods basically upon the elementary principles of justice. For fifty
years the American negro has been the football of party politics, and as a
result both the negro and the country at large have been sufferers. When
the negro ceases to be a political issue and when the "uplifters" keep
their hands off of him and let him work out his own salvation, he will
become a better and more useful citizen.
Other group antagonisms that exist in America are Capital and Labor,
Radicalism, and religious groups of all shades and varieties. In the
matter of Capitalism and Trades-unionism, the average American is between
Scylla and Charybdis, and is inevitably the victim of both discordant
elements. The burdens of taxation, high prices, and labor disputes fall
upon the shoulders of that vast army of Americans constituting the middle
class. Intruding its ugly head into the industrial situation comes
radicalism as a disturbing factor in unbalancing the peaceful conditions
of the country. All these divergent groups must be co-ordinated and taught
a national unity--a more profound respect for real Americanism--before
this country can truthfully call itself a really great nation.
Perhaps the most senseless of all group antagonisms is the religious. It
is a peculiar thing to the student of world religions to note the
extraordinary amount of friction and discord that has attended organized
Christianity almost from its inception, resulting oftentimes in
persecution and bloodshed. It was, in a great measure, to escape the
religious intolerance of Europe that many of the first settlers came to
America. The Puritan, driven from England, sought the rock-bound shores of
New England; the Quaker immigrated to Pennsylvania to found a colony,
based upon the principle of brotherly love; the Catholic, led by Lord
Baltimore found refuge in Maryland; the Cavalier settled Virginia; and, to
the Carolinas came the Huguenots,--all seeking the privilege of
worshipping God according to the dictates of personal conscience. So
strong was the feeling against religious intolerance, and so jealous were
the early fathers of the principle of religious liberty that the very
first amendment incorporated into the Constitution of the United States
read: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
For one hundred and twenty-five years, more or less, the antagonism of
religious groups was not felt to any great extent, but in recent years
there has been a steady increase of religious discord. There has been
antagonism between the Christian and the Jew, between the Protestant and
the Catholic, and between the various sects and denominations that profess
and call themselves Christians.
The anti-Semitic feeling in the United States is due, in my opinion, to
several causes. I think primarily it is based upon a feeling of jealousy
of the Jew's great advance in America along all lines of commercial and
professional activity. When one considers that there are only a little
more than three millions of Jews in the United States, it is astounding
what great progress they have made in practically every field of endeavor.
The popular conception of the Jews as merely commercial people is not
borne out by the facts, because in the legal, medical, and scientific
professions, in music, in the drama, and in the arts some of the leaders
in America are Jewish people. Instead of meeting this unusual rise by
emulation and competition, many people give vent to their jealousy through
the channels of an unreasoning anti-Semitism. On the other hand there is a
great deal of legitimate criticism against the extremely lower classes of
foreign Jews who have been permitted to come indiscriminately to American
shores, people who are ignorant of real Americanism and unwilling to
learn. The general characteristics of these people are eagerly seized upon
by the professional Jew-baiter, and consequently the great mass of
Americans of Jewish origin, men and women of refinement and ability are
made the targets of a general attack of anti-Semitism.
There is a great deal more anti-Catholicism in America than the average
person realizes, and the sooner the Protestants and the Catholics find
some common ground of agreement, the better off this country will be. Much
of this sort of group antagonism could be eliminated if both sides of the
controversy would get together and abandon the spirit of intolerance that
is characteristic of each. The increase of Catholicism in America has been
very rapid. There are now over seventeen million Catholics in this
country, and they are found to a great extent in the larger cities. In
these places the church is a force for great good, controlling people that
no other religious organization can control, and should its good influence
suddenly be withdrawn, the most wretched conditions would prevail.
I do not believe that the Protestant churches possess the ability to cope
with certain phases of metropolitan life as successfully as does the
Catholic Church.
Basic causes of group antagonism between Protestant and Catholic lie
partly in the fact that the government of the Catholic Church is outside
of the United States, and partly on account of the attitude of the church
itself toward certain American institutions, notably the public-school
system and the laws in this country governing marriages. If the Catholic
Church was under an American head, with no connection with any foreign
organization, there would be but little ground upon which the
professional Catholic-baiter could stand, but the fact that it is governed
from Rome furnishes the chief objection to the system. In spite of this
however, it lies in the power of Protestant and Catholic leaders to "get
together" and endeavor to eliminate the present growing friction. In my
study of the Ku Klux movement, I found that one of its greatest bids for
popular favor was in its attitude to the rise of Catholicism in America.
The fact that such a thing can be true, should be a matter of serious
reflection to the Catholic and to the Protestant. In the succeeding years,
if this feeling is not allayed and the differences reconciled it means
mischief.
I believe in a real Americanism based on a deeply rooted love of country,
and a broad respect and mutual understanding on the part of the people. I
believe firmly that all of the internal dissensions and discords in this
country, where group is arrayed against group could be completely
eliminated by the application of the philosophy and love of Jesus Christ.
"Invisible Empires," "Ku Klux Klans," and all organizations seeking to
advance one group at the expense of another, pale into oblivion and
nothingness, when the voice of the gentle Nazarene speaks down the
centuries, breathing a sweet message of brotherhood alike to the white man
and the negro, the Gentile and the Jew, the Catholic and the Protestant,
giving to each the same message, and voicing a common creed:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor
as thyself.
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Transcriber's Notes:
Punctuation has been corrected without note.
The following misprints have been corrected:
"similiar" corrected to "similar" (page 6)
"WEELKY" corrected to "WEEKLY" (page 48)
"violating" corrected to "violation" (page 75)
"opnion" corrected to "opinion" (page 95)
"in in" corrected to "in" (page 118)
"Afracanize" corrected to "Africanize" (page 125)
"compiled" corrected to "complied" (page 215)
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