“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.”
“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,theWorldand 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 theNew York World, read as follows:
(Special Despatch to The World from a Staff Correspondent.)“Atlanta, September 18.—TheWorld’sexposure 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.”
(Special Despatch to The World from a Staff Correspondent.)
“Atlanta, September 18.—TheWorld’sexposure 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 theSearchlightof 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 theSearchlightfrom 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 attempthas 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), butthat arch enemy of Americanism, theNew 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, theAtlanta Georgian, which lifts from theWorldthe 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 theWorldand 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!”
“American patriots! The womanhood of this country has been criminally assaulted in the most diabolical and satanic manner known to the human race—an attempthas 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), butthat arch enemy of Americanism, theNew 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, theAtlanta Georgian, which lifts from theWorldthe 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 theWorldand 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 theWorldhad 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.
Congress was not in session when theWorldbegan 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.”
“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 theNew 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 obligedto 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.”
“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 obligedto 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 theWorld, 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.”
“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 apress-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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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 thecommittee 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.”
“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 theNew York Worldand 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 theWorld; partly as attempted cheap wit that had no element of humor whatever in it; considerable denunciation of theWorldand 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 assistantof 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 theSearchlightpreviously 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 theWorld, 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 theNew 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 theWorldand additional advertising.“TheWorld, according to their own statement, spent over four months, with unlimited resources at their command, in an investigation of the Knights of the KuKlux Klan, using trained investigators, newspaper men, and covering every section of the country. In the face of this careful investigation theWorldhas 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.“TheWorldsaw that the Klan was the fastest growing purely Protestant, non-political organization in the United States. TheWorldknew 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.“TheWorldis the stronghold of the Democratic newspapers and the Democratic Party, and it has been said by those in a position to know that if theWorldcould, 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 theNew York Worldis 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 theNew York Worldso that it will appear that the Klan did this in a spirit of revenge. Furthermore, through this plan theWorldhopes 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 theWorldto further try to discredit or harm the Klan.”
“The attacks against the Klan were originated and started by theNew 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 theWorldand additional advertising.
“TheWorld, according to their own statement, spent over four months, with unlimited resources at their command, in an investigation of the Knights of the KuKlux Klan, using trained investigators, newspaper men, and covering every section of the country. In the face of this careful investigation theWorldhas 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.
“TheWorldsaw that the Klan was the fastest growing purely Protestant, non-political organization in the United States. TheWorldknew 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.
“TheWorldis the stronghold of the Democratic newspapers and the Democratic Party, and it has been said by those in a position to know that if theWorldcould, 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 theNew York Worldis 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 theNew York Worldso that it will appear that the Klan did this in a spirit of revenge. Furthermore, through this plan theWorldhopes 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 theWorldto 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 theWorldincreased 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.”
“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 theharness 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.”
“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 madeat 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.”
“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 madeat 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 andwork 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.”
“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 andwork 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.
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 foundthe 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 CivilWar, 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 toits 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 Protestantand 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, givingto 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 Note:Punctuation has been corrected without note.