Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-10-16
THE SEARCHLIGHT OF TRUTH
SUPREME LECTURERS INDICTMENT.
F" Conspiracy Against the Rights of
American Citizenship aud Menace
20 Honest Goyernment."

he recent hpNt IN tue AhotcnnSs
better known as the American Protective
association, served to disclose to public
gaze some Of the inuer workings of the
Organization and to snow thut ITS prO-
iessed principles are but n cloak Tor
mrrcenaly ends. MIR. Water sims, for
"A long time supreme lecturer of the order,
publishes In the Loyal American of
Lansing, Mich, Il terrific arrangement
OF tue n. L. A., and asserts that he Is
ready TO prove every charge
Mr.. Sius addresses himself TO W. ].
II. Trainer, the Canadian American SUI.
preme president Of tle A. L. A. as fol-
lows:
Dear Sir. II devolvcs upon me to per.
form very unp casant uuty, one tnat
! could have wlsued would never nave
leen requested OF mo. When | entered
the a. =. A. ! did so, believing II to bp
all that It's published principles claimed
Tor II, viz; q uOn-pattisan, Lberal Amer.
lean Organization Tor the protection Of
the constitutional rights OF citizenship
aud our lust tutiuns and flag but by sad
experience | find that IT, political lpau.
els OF today have other objects in view
than those which were 50 attractive
at It's Inception, Under their uuptincl-
plcd control It has become 30 corrupted
thtt II has degencrnted into cOnspr.
acy against tie lbesy of It's members,
large per cent Of whom are honest pa.
triOts. These men, mere office holding
loVd.ers, have converted II into a secret
political machine manipulated 10y pro.
iessiOnul poi ticihns. mn organization as
run today, dangerous In the extreme to
personal libe. ty In the very Institutions
which 1t WAS primarily organized to pro.
tect
In order to simplify the stu.
alton ! make aud am prepared to sus-
tain the following charges against the
corrupted a, u. A. rs existing today;
l. Its secret partisan political meth.
ots are a conspi. acy against the rights
of American citizenship and a menace TO
honest popular government.
=. Its constitution, by which dcsputic
power is vested In its o ficcrs. is Il viola.
ton Of the constructors OF the several
States and Of the United States AID
mennce to the personal liberty VI It's
members.
8 lts usurpntion OF powers such AZ
are alone vested in the constitutional
courts OF the republic, and us refusal 10
allow Is members t6 appeal II M It's
act ons to the civil nourts, make 1t or
guu.zed instruction,
4, Its sD-called advisory huuTds. in
which urc vested all The 10 nt,sll notion
and liberty of It's members, qfc a cUuspr.
ayy to cUntr4l thrir franchises OF citZcn-
shin in violation OF the constitutional
the protection of the Independence of
tue citizen voters.
D, It's systematic persecution OF Its
memhers and councils b" the secret prop.
agntlpn ui slauderUus aid liOtluus uCcu-
sauuns, suspensions anu CAputiuns by
its Officers for retuSldg 10 comply with
their unjust. arbitrary and ill,tH die
tatorship, is dcspotic md un-.tm' -iran.
u, Its claim to be protective nssOcn-
ton Of the liberal Instructions which are
founded upon the cOnstitu lon uh Ter OK
sIng conditions is II .nlsn Inlrr. under
cover of which Il is 0tsl n ,sd ns a secret
p Ideal mucline. run ~ the interest of
Deodling politicians.
I. As now cuist tnt.,d un-i Controlled
II Is the enemy of free speech, free
press, liberty of conscience, religious lib
erty and political Independence.
The result of the Upen 'e,trr has ref
crcnec mnlnly to his connection with the
ordr aud Its attempt 10 ueprivc nim OF
h.s rig is as an Am ricRn citizen, I ON
Which We make the following extracts;
THAT when 1t hpcnmt evident IN Cook
county last fan that the only holest
American issue IN the political campaign
was through an independent party not
in any sense TO lie IN \. l., A. party,
but representing the principles and ere
by giving the menheis OF the order an
opportunity TO VOTE without Violating
their obligations. systematic pvrseVu-
tiun was inaugurated by the partisan po-
litcnl push in the order against all VINO
had anything 10 do with the movement.
Patriots and councils were suspended
without law or justice regdedloss Of
consequences.
THAT 4. b. Beatty, supreme secretary
and State president Of Michigan, c. T..
johnson, State president of Illinois, to-
gether with clique Of politicians In the
oder, DID mnliciOuIy cOnspire against
my liberty of citizenship aud reputation,
because, MS they confessed. would spoil
their political plunS-wbiuh plans consist
ed In the Lnrtering Of the vote of the
order In Illinois aud Michigan.
Honest and reputable niemnsrs of the
ord r Ia good standing were denied the
rights of free speech In the councils, TO
our great damage. because said pol teal
clique had agreed to deliver the vote OF
the order to ceftnin political party.
Now. sir, while | still owe my al
eg.ance to the nvowed principles Of the
order, principles of liberty which existed
ong before II was ever thought Of, !
renounce what | never gave, all allie
glance to its secret prescription, It's un.
American practices, lis unjust and Illegal
acts, its corrupt political machinery, by
Which IL has In the past through I'M
prineipled men who control It, become a
political despUtism, exacting from its
members submission to the secret hbro-
CATION Of their American rights.
.'lts supreme constitution and code of
procedure, prepared by designing poll
ticinns, bostows despotic lowers upon its
officers, aud thereby tends TO the leprly.
ing of the citizen member of ais political
Independence. Its Obligations, as inter
prptcd by It's Officers. makes It an of
Tense worthy of expulsion for the citizen
member to appeal for protection from its
acts, however Legal aud arbitrary they
may BE-, to the civil courts. 1t, there
f0re, demands an allegiance TO its man
dates through these men. paramount 10
the rights Of citizenship, seeking thereby
to establish an emporium Ia emperi0.
In which the laws Of the secret state are
greater than Hose Of the republic. In
short. II is aiming Ia do the very th.rg
which when practlted by other orders II
denounces MS treason. Its so-callcd nd
yisory boards are so constituted aud EN-
rowe Ell as to become secret political
iuquisitinn nn instrument In the hands Of
professional politicians. who usually con
troll them, by which to make meridian
disc out Of the vote OF the order and ter.
rnriEe the independent voter who dares
10 exercise his frnnchise regardless oil
their prospective partisan mandates. II
these boards order the members OF the
order TO vote in violation Of their obi
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