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1. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:

N impartial statement on the K. K. K. is very difficult to obtain from the press because the secrey of the Klan combined with the temper of the modern press would not allow that.

Placing the anti-Klan Hearst (American) publications on one side and the secret Klan literatures on the other, one can however see the two extremes.

As an alien who has no interest in • acquiring an American Citizenship, the writer has found it rather easy to see the Klan from an impartial view-point. A few illuminating articles in that famous American Weekly, "The Outlook" (by Stanley Frost) and Prof. Mecklin's book on the subject have helped the writer to strike the 'golden mean.' The Klan literature handed over to the writer by a Klan-member were of the greatest help (especially the Ashville Report, -July 1923).

To be frank, the Klan, inspite of its strength, has not appealed to the writer with any amount of real strength. To a sensible American, the Klan will not be thought of as a 'national' help : it is a good protestant fraternity for whites alone but when it talks of America as a whole it reminds one of the mother of two, who will not allow one of her children to enter its home because she loves the other one alone.

2. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

According to the latest edition of the 'Webster International'.

"The Ku Klux Klan is a secret political organisation in the Southern States (U.S.A.) active for several years after the close of the Civil War, and having for its chief aim the repression of the political power of the freedmen : after this organisation had come to be chiefly made up of the more restless and lawless elements and had committed numerous outrages, the Government, in 1871, by the passage of the Enforcement Act (popularly known as the Ku Klux Act or Force Bill) took steps to suppress it, and thereafter its activity gradually ceased.'

According to Prof. J. M. Mecklin (his recent book "Ku Klux Klan"), in 1873 the Klan was outside the South, a synonym for the most sinister and dangerous forces in American life. No one dared to prophesy at that time that within less than half a century this secret, oath-bound order, which was once associated in the North with clandestine murder and masked rebellion, would be resuscitated and spread to every section of this great country. Such however is the fact. From the original 34 members with which Mr. Simmons started in 1915 the number has now (1924) reached more than five millions* All the principal journals and papers in this country are daily printing lines, columns or pages which are directly or indirectly concerned with the Klan.

When, however, we enter into the topic we must first distinguish between the two stages of the Klan organisation that have occured during the last ten years (1915-1924). 3. 1915-1924: THE KLAN KREED

The Modern Klan was organised by William J. Simmons in 1915, enjoyed a precarious existence for several years, suddenly assumed proportions of national importance in 1920 (after the Clarke-Tyler conjunction) survived the attack of the powerful 'New York World' and a searching investigation by a committee of Congress, and today boasts of a following that approximates more than five millions.

(a) SIMMONS-CLARKE REGIME

The first stage of the modern Klan life starts from Oct. 16, 1915, when Colonel William Joseph Simmons together with 34 friends (three of which were bona fide members of the Old Klan) signed the petition for a charter. The charter was issued by the state of Georgia Dec. 4, 1915, and a special charter was granted by the superior court of Fulton country, Georgia, July 1, 1916

The following is taken from the Constitution

* The number is however now, 1926, on the decline.

and By-laws of the Order---a Summary from the Klan pamphlet--"Yesterday, To-day and Forever" by the Imperial Wizard

(OBJECTS AND PURPOSES) ARTICLES II (SUMMARISFD).

Section 1. The object of the order shall bea common brotherhood of strict regulations for the purpose of cultivating and promoting real patriotism toward our Civil Government, to practise an honorable clanishness toward each other; to exemplify a practical benevolence; to shield the sanctity of the home and chastity of womanhood to maintain white supremacy, to teach and faithfully inculcate a high spiritual philosophy through an exalted ritualism, and by a practical devotedness to conserve, protect and maintain the distinctive institutions, rights, privileges, principles and ideals of a pure Americanism.

Section 2. To create and maintain an institution by and through which the present and succeeding generations shall commemorate and memorialize the great sacrifice, chivalric service and patriotic achievements of our original society-the Ku Klux Klan of the Reconstruction Period of American history.

Section 3. This order is an institution of Chivalry, Humanity, Justice and Patriotism; its peculiar object being, first to protect the weak and the innocent from the lawless and the brutal 2nd, to protect and defend the U. S. A. constitution and law. 3rd, to aid and assist in the execution of all constitional laws.to do the duty without fear and without reproach.

As to what it is,-the Klan is, according to Emperor Simmon's words, a standard fraternal order promulgating fraternal conduct and not merely s 'social association.' It is a duly incorporated, legally recognised institution, honest in purpose, noble in sentiment and practical in results that should command the hearty respect of all real Americans throughout the nation. It is not encouraging or condoning any propaganda of religious intolerance nor racial prejudice. It is an association of Real men who believe in Being something in Doing things worthwhile and who are in all things 100 per cent Pure American, yet it is vastly more than merely a social fraternal order.

As to the prerequisites to citizenship in the Invisible Empire, the Imperial Wizard's statements may be boiled down thus:

(a) This order is not an ultra-exclusive institution, but its membership is composed of "picked" men b) The member of the order must take his oath seriously, must swear an unqualified allegiance to the U. S. A. government, its flag and its constitution,

(c) No man is wanted in this order who does not esteem the government of U. S. A. above any other government, civil, political or ecclesiastical, in the whole world.

(d) Only native-born white American citizens who believe in the tenets of the Christian religion and owe no allegiance of any degree or nature to any foreign government, nation, political institution sect, people or person, are 'eligible.'

(e) The organisation stands for such principles as -maintenance of law and order among themselves;

suppression of graft by public office-holders; preventing the cause of mob-violence and lynching; sensible and patriotic immigration-laws; separation of church and state and freedom of speech and press, a freedom of such that does strike at or imperil our government or the cherished institutions of our people.

(f) The Klan has no intention to make any fights on the Roman catholic church as a religious organisation but it opposes any attempt to combine the church and state in the U. S. A. Further the Klan does oppose the attitude of the Catholic church on our public school system.

The Klan is not anti-Jewish it is strictly a Christian organisation and hence Jews cannot sincerely be a part of it.

The Klan is not anti-negro only it believes in the god-given inferiority of that colored race; so long the negro stays by itself without claiming social equality and intermarriage he will be left undisturbed.

(g) The while race is the ruling race by right of inheritance and so long it has not to surrender this right or to compromise it with any other race black, red, yellow or brown, it won't bother with the others.....Let all the non-white race understand that in the long run the white man is the truest friend and safest counsellor of all other races.

The first five years of the Klan life (1915-20) were very slow in growth. The Imperial Wizard Simmons had proven himself to be a capable "spellbinder" but an unpractical dreamer with little organising ability. His society was in financial straits and it had a membership of not more than five thousand. At this juncture two expert organisers joined Simmons: Mr. Edward Young Clarke and Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler were both experienced organisers and proceeded to "sell" the Klan to the American public (to use Prof. Mecklin's phrase). That was in June, 1920. And by the next year (October 1921) when the Klan was investigated by Congress, the Klan had grown to about 100,000 members.

This period of remarkable expansion was accompanied by a wave of lawlessness and crime which rightly or wrongly, was associated with the Ku Klux Klan. The New York World, inspite of its altruistic intentions could not prove conclusively the accusations brought before the Congress against the Klan. The World's exposure was published in 18 leading dailies, including such southern papers as the New Orleans Times Picayune, Houston Chronicle, Dallas-News, Galveston News, Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun, and the Oklahaman.

Perhaps the secrecy of the order and the loyalty of its members towards the Klan saved itself from an untimely death.

For the want of definite legal proofs, no ground for Federal action against the Klan was established. The Klan, in consequence, got a better footing and ever since that year (1921) it has flourished like a green bay tree and to-day (1924) there are about five millions of Klan people.

(b) THE EVANS' REGIME

The Congressional inquiry, the exposures in newspapers and magazines, and the storm of condemnation which followed nearly broke Simmon's heart. He understood it very little as Stanley Frost puts it ("Outlook" Dec. 26, 1923). Although the Klan was so organised that he could never have been ousted, he resigned, undoubtedly under pressure from the Evans' crowd.

If Colonel Simmons was a preacher and a dreamer, Dr. Hiram W. Evans, a Texasdentist was a practical man. About the first thing that Evans did when he took charge two years ago was to cancel Clarke's contract-a contract with Simmons whereby this clever organiser of drives was getting 80% of the initiation fee of $10 (ten dollars) each. Clarke had built a splendid home in Atlanta but Evans lived for a while in a $65-a month flat and his present home is a modest one. When Evans took charge, the Klan treasury held about $100,000.

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The Finances, by the way, as Stanley Frost puts it, are under complete control of the Wizard. By July 31, 1923, the treasury held assets of $1,087,273 and liabilities of $1,705 only. After attending to the graft-question, Dr. Evans took up the question of lawlessness. The practical mind of Evans discovered that non-violence' would strengthen Klan cause considerably in the North. First he attended individual cases of violence and when he found out that this was not enough, called a meeting last July (1923) at Asheville, North Carolina. The full text of all the papers read at this July meeting of Grand Dragous (i.e., State heads)-which have been kindly lent me by a Klan member reveals a newer-light. Of those 26 or 27 papers read in that meeting some are bright and cheerful as the others are gloomy and dangerous. There is the same stress given on the white skin, Jewish and non-Catholic but its protestant side; the racial ideals e.g., we stand for white supremacy' and that we must keep

as

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this a whiteman's country' were preached to the extreme; but more thought was given

to make the Klan a solid and widely expansive body. Among the constructive program placed before the meeting the one read by the Grand Dragon of Oregon (on the Junior Klan question for boys) seemed something very interesting to me and I shall critically examine it in a new section later. Be it remembered here, the Evans' regime did not change the ideal originally set by Simmons which I have already quoted partly: all what Evans did was to re-word them only in a few cases and follow a practical and safe method to achieve the end. Evans accepted the Simmons' ideals, purposes, and organisation and tried to achieve success in a better method with this attitude Evans had naturally to retain all the weaknesses that were present in the Simmons' Klat.

4. THE OLD EVILS IN THE EVANS-REGIME.

We have already noted the several prerequisites to citizenship in the Invisible Empire and I have quoted to the effect that the Members of the Order must take the oath seriously. This Oath of allegiance to the Klan is covered by four sections with 'blank' spaces to be filled up by the intending member. The sections are on (i) Obedience, (ii) Secrecy (iii) Fidelity (iv) Klannishness. Anyone interested with the actual wording of the Oath the Oath may apply to any Klan-offices which are which are in these days (1924) open almost day and night or can see part of it quoted by Stanley Frost in "Outlook" (p. 21) of January 2, 1924.

When General Forrest, the Grand Wizard issued an order which dissolved the original Klan in 1869 after its four years of life, the idea behind his act was the abolition of 'an Organisation Terror'-an organisation which was so effective that its creators destroyed it carefully and completely.

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Yet this is the organisation which the new Klan has imitated and of which it claims to be the heir : this is the tradition it took over. What is worse, the new Klan (Simmons' and Evans') has added to the formulas and purposes of the older order, which drew no line against Catholics, Jews or alien borns, consequently, some members of the older Order now opposes the Klan, as started by Simmons, One such member wrote, (quoted in "Outlook" systematised by Clarke and polished by Evans. Jan. 2, 1924).

This outfit is a plain imposter. There is nothing of the Old Klan about it but the name and nonsense. **The old Klan had Catholics in it and Jews.

No man who loves the memory of the confederacy is going to join a crowd that would bar out (1866) Judah P. Benjamin, General Beauregard, and a dozen like them. No, Sir!"

Thus we see the twentieth century Klan which as Simmons says (Mecklin P. 4) he took twenty years to think out as to how to launch, came out after all in 1915 as a very narrow organisation---narrowed down to native-born, white, Protestants only. From the protestant point of view. Simmons' attempt might have had its bright side, but from the national--nay from the really Christian point of view it was very narrow indeed. As a 'crusade' as a 'curing agent' within Protestantism itself, the Evans' Klan has undoubtedly its value but the Christian 'brotherhood of man' does not necessarily mean white, Protestant brotherhood only. The Klan is claimed to be a white Protestant fraternity with its own secrecy and rituals. Talking of secrecy, however, the Klan differs from the secrecy maintained by others in that it hides its members as well. Yet this 'hiding' is very necessary for the success of the Invisible Empire: quick and effective work is thereby easily attained. Time is perhaps coming when the hoods and masks will be replaced by that 'Klan button' all the time. The invisiblity of this Klan Empire make itself utterly irresponsible except to the consciences of Klansmen it is a great risk no doubt; the public would naturally oppose a 'power' which has unlimited scope and power in the dark. Further, the implied threat of the mask is a weakness to Klan structure itself. The mask itself is a threat and public opinion would naturally reach against it, besides, an irresponsible adventurer or a disguised criminal can find an easy shelter within this masked band, if, of course, he has the tact to retain his disguises carefully within the Order.

Further, in a democratic country like America the Empire idea with an emperor at its head is not very encouraging. The power and autocracy with which the Imperial Wizard reigns and controls the funds does certainly not suit the mind of America the form of organisation therefore must be changed. The old 'order' need not be adopted now! Why adopt those grotesque and ludicrous names and language. Stanley Frost says, 'By official title its officers are an array of mythological monsters nightmare absurdities which just naturally start chuckles (P. 22. Jan. 2, 1924 Outlook). For example, gathered round the Imperial Wizard,

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are a Kloncilium composed of the following "genii" all "imperial"---Klaliff, Klazik, Klokard, Kludd (chaplain) Kligrapp (secretecy) Klabe (Treasurer), Kladd, Klarago, Klexter, 'Klousel, Night-Hawk and four Klokann...

The proclamation of the Klan constitution reads.

"To_all Genii, Grand Dragons and Hydras, Great Titans and Furies, Giants, Exalted Cyclops and Terrors, and to Citizens of the invisible Empire" etc.

The days of the week in the Klan Kalender are, "dark, deadly, dismal, doleful, desolate, dreadful and desperate"; the weeks are "woeful, weeping, wailing, wonderful and weird" and the months are, "bloody, gloomy, hideous, fearful, furious, alarming, terrible, horrible, mournful, sorrowful, frightful and appalling". Thus the revised Klan constitution (by Dr. Evans) was officially proclaimed on Nov. 29, 1922 or on the Doleful Day of the Weird Week of the Terrible Month of the year of the Klan LVI" (original Klan dates to 1866).

All this symbol of 'alarm' and 'terror' is not only funny to the public mind but quite unpsychological for an intelligent member to take seriously as he ought to. It was asserted by Dr. Evans that all these difficulties together with many others are partly or wholly real ones and that he was making attempts to remove or modify them. But the Imperial Wizard defends the mask and hood very earnestly because they are very valuable as an advertising feature and are impressive to the average mind at least. All this is necessary to gain more and more members thousands are being initiated at every initiation ceremony so that before the November election (1924) the order might control members enough to control the helm of the government by ousting all non-protestants and nonwhites.*

Is the Klan trying to bring out the Kingdom of God in America on a strictly sectarian, basis? All Americans, have to face this question with an open and a critical mind.

5. THE KLAN-MIND.

Eliminate the 20 millions of Catholics, the 12 millions of Negroes, the two or more millions of Jews and 20 millions of foreignborn---54 (or so) millions in all; and from

*Fortunately for U. S. A. the Klan people did not succeed as well as many outsiders expected,

among the 50 millions that is left find out your Klan-member.

The Imperial Wizard Evans openly declares that the Klan is mainly for the average people and hence the background, rituals and work of it would be such as to impress such a class more than the others. It is true that the Evans-regime of the Klan boasts of a pretty good number of the better sort of people,---protestant preachers, businessmen or students; but most of them do not react on the 'popular' external aspect of the Klan as the others do. The preachers who think of Catholicism as nothing but a bundle of old-type formulæ, the businessmen who need some protection from the more efficient business-like Jews, and the students who want to see more of life through a big organisation or who were brought up in an uncritical homogeneous atmosphere---such people would naturally add to the members of the Klan. The presence of such element might do the Klan some good in the long run when the betterside of humanity, the really moral side that is now lying hidden in such 'qualified' folks would take the upper hand and change the Klan wholly from inside or destroy it altogether when the time comes.

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The Klan originated in the south and even now it has its stronghold in the south where the majority of the native whites are intensely protestant. Originally Presbytarians, they are now mostly Baptists and Methodists (Mecklan P. 100). It is no wonder then why the Baptists-not all of them-are not antiKlan. Why criticise the Roman catholics ? These Southern Protestants are no better than the catholics so far as the strength of 'unreasoning loyalty' goes: Uncritically and loyally these 'Southern Protestants swallow the crute ejaculations of Mr. Bryan and the Fundamentalists against Evolution and Modernism in religion'.

It is this mental background with its provincial fear of all things foreign and its uncritical but loyal Americanism which places the people in a better situation to fill the Klan -throng. The strength of the Klan lies in that large, well-meaning but more or less ignorant and unthinking middle class, whose inflexible loyalty has preserved with uncritical fidelity the traditions of the original American stock. Let the truly partriotic American, the American who believes in a true Democracy find out if the most

dangerous weakness in a democracy is the uninformed and unthinking average man!

But the Klan is not confined to the South: it has spread considerably to the North as well: it is SO because there are Psychological factors which are common to the mind of America as a whole.

This organisation with its mysterious signs, its queer name, its fantastic costume, and its ritual offered some relief from the deadly monotony of small town-life. Its moral idealism which is so superficial and cheap from the and international interracial point of view, fills a need not met by business or social and civic life. Poor dry souls! Has Protestantism been failing through its want in rituals etc,? Why not go then to Catholicism. and take something from them as the Church of England has-instead of going away from it to find something akin to it in unreligious way? Sinclair Lewis, through his "Main Street" portrays the dreariness of small-town life in the middle West (U. S. A): no wonder the Klan is popular in parts of this region as in the south:

Thus we see that the Klan has learned, as its inveterate enemy, the Catholic Church, learned long ago, the power of the appeal to the spectacular and the mysterious. Are we entitled to draw the conclusion then that "the Klan is a refuge for mediocre men, if not for weaklings and for obvious reasons" S"?

The Klan talks of 100 p. c. Americanism and so one finds on every page of the Klan literature an insistent, imperative and even intolerant demand for like-mindedness the eternal quarrel of the Klan with the Jew and the Negro is that mental and physical differences seem to have conspired to place them in groups entirely to themselves so that it becomes to all intents and purposes impossible for them to attain with anything like completeness this like-mindedness synonymous with 100 p. c. Americanisu.

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Behind this like-mindedness of the Klans' insistence there is a measure of democratic commonsense however. The modern Klan, or less a post-war organisation, undoubtedly represents the natural reaction of conservative Americans against the perils of revolutionary and un-American ideas. It is a militant attempt to secure team-work in national life (Mecklin P. 111).

Back however, of the Klan's crude insistence upon like-mindedness, there is a shallow and superficial thinking. To the average Klansman what appears on the surface