Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-02-21
THE STORY OF THE
NU MUX KHAN.

l
since secretary of state of Tennes-
| see; Generals John b. Gordon, Col
quit. Anderson and Lawton, OF
Georgia. General w. j. Hardee, OF
Alabama; Colonel Joseph Russell
and General Albert Pike. A conven-
ton OF delegates met in Nashville
ia the early summer OF 1867 and
drew up a written constitution,
divided the territory into rulerships,
and placed at the head OF the order.
with almost autocratic powers. the
Grand Wizard Of the Invisible EN-
pire"
The Ku Klux Khan continued its
work vigorously for two years after
the Nashville convention. 1t was
rongest in Tennessee, North and
south Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi though in some Of
the other states were chapters also.
The primary aim OF the order was TO
enforce respect for the southern
whites who had been the dominant
class i'm the community before the
civil war The means adopted TO this
end were various Where the negroes
were reduced to submission and re-
Fpect by merely playing upon their
s. lpcrstitious fears this was sufH-
Gent. But sterncr measures We're
generally necessary. The burning Of
property belonging to white men
and other outrages were relentIes ,ly
punished Objectionable characters.
both white and colored, were warned
10 quit their evil practices or leave
The country under penalty of whip
ping or death. Obnoxious oficehold-
crs were in some instances forced to
resign. Those who dened the orders
OF the Klan We're fortunate if they
escaped with their lives
The midnight forays of the Ku
EluX Khan had important results. In
me first place, they squelched the ac-
tiyity of the Union or Black League.
which the great majority OF whites.
lightly or wrongly, believed had for
IS purpose the wholesome massacre
Of The white population. Public order
vas restored Political chaos con
iinued for some time, but at last
ife and property were rendered
afer, and the dream of the north
ern radicals of obtaining for the
negroes full political and social
equality was forever shattered.
Senator Benjamin r. TiIman. in
peaking of the matter recently. said
was the Ku Klux Khan whose
leeds made the South Carolina Red
shirts possible, and thus paved the
'ay for the recovery of political SUI
'remacy So too. It was in other
tates.
In the spring of 1869 the Grand
Wizard of the Khan formally dis
banded the order when, officially at
east, it went out Of existence. Scat
cred chapters here and there lived
IN without recognized authority. and
heir ill-deeds and excuses. it is
aid, did much to give the Ku KIux
bad name. It became the fashion
in the north TO attribute every
southern outrage" to the Ku Klux
Khan, even long after it had ceased
% be, and in this way the order has
been injustly censured. It is a fact
however, that its membership was
constituted mainly Of God-fearing
.aw-abiding folk. the flower of
southern chivalry." who felt them
selves compelled to put a stop to a
regime of intolerable anarchy and
chaos That they did this. and did
it well. is glory enough for the Ku
klux Klon Surviving members Of
the order-and there are many Of
them in this vicinity-must feel
gratihed that the verdict OF false
historians has been reversed. and
that there is at least true I'M
derstanding Of the high aims for
which they struggled