Arizona republican., 1908-11-29

The Clansman" which will shortly
 hold the boards of the Elks theater Il
 has put something more than theatri-
 cal entertainment over the footlights. Fifty years ago play was produced
 in Troy, N. Y. which precipitated the
 Free Soil struggle, inspired John Brown
 in his Kansas and Virginia raids, lash
 ed the South to fury, and thus indi-
 rectly brought to pass the Civil War
 and the destruction of slavery A race
 of 4.00O,O00 negroes enfranchised. many
 thousands of valuable lives lost bil-
 lions more of debt and pensions saddled
 upon the nation; the Union preserved
 and the conquered South embittered
 and beggared-such were the tremen-
 dous results following on the produc-
 tion of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle | Toms Cabin"
 Three years ago in Norfolk. Va. was
 produced play equally portentous and
 big with the fate of the nation From
 north to south and from east to west
 it stirred the country to its depths.
 Governors of states went to see it.
 Legislatures debated whether they
 should allow it within the state bord-
 CTS. Mayors and municipal councils
 sat in judgment and the courts were
 appealed to. Representatives of the
 race enfranchised by Harriet Beecher
 Stowe's drama attempted to stop the
 production, but it continued on its vic
 tOrious way and students of American
 affairs believe that it will have even
 more far-reaching and momentous con
 sequences than Uncle Toms Cabin" | yet with this difference: The newer play has not caused a shot to be fired
 a life to be lost or a dollars worth of property to be destroyed. The revolu-
 ton it is bringing about will be peace
 full. The name of this play is "The Clansman."
 Now that Thomas DiXon's famous drama is announced to visit this city in the near future, it is worth while | inquiring what "The Clansman" really
 stands for. It is an answer and a se-
 quel to Uncle Toms Cabin" based on
 the teachings of history since the older drama was written.
 The war over, the negro took up his new found status beside the white man as an American citizen. A period of ghastly anarchy, chaos and misgovern-
 ment followed. Hayti nor Santo Do-
 mingo never suffered worse ills of black domination than did the south during this terrible period. At last the Southern whites rose up in desperation and threw off the odious negro yoke. The white race came into its own. the black race again became cipher. The latter's unfitness for rule had been demonstrated. And that is the story ''The Clansman" tells. It is the White Mans Play, even as Uncle Toms Cabin" is the story of the sufferings (real or imaginary) of the negro.
 As the champion of the white race, ''The Clansman" clearly has a world wide mission. What the whites of the south did to the negro in IS67-7O so would the white men of other climes do to the black, yellow or brown races who should attempt to domineer over them. British Columbia would as quickly resent the overlordshlp of the Japanese and California fling back on Asian shores the Yellow Peril as the south resented and overcame the dom ination of the African.
 In it's pro-negro sentimentaiity the United States had lost sight of essen tial facts of nature. These are, first, that the colored races are inferior branches of the human family and, secondly, that the suerior will never allow itself to be ruled by an inferior "The Clansman' drives these facts home as neither newspaper nor book nor orator could possibly drive them It emphasizes the manifest destiny of the white man to be on top and to stay there.
 The Clansman" differs yet again from Uncle Toms Cabin" in that whereas the diealization of the negro was written by an outsider, "The Clansman" was written by a native southerner Mrs. Stowe never came into actual contact with the masses of the black people or their white masters. l Dixon on the contrary got his | direct. His relatives took a leading | part in the Reconstruction struggle, he | was born amid those terrible scenes, | and drank in the stories of the Ku | KluX Klan with his mothers milk.
 Needless to say, the facts set forth | in "The Clansman" proved unpalatable | to many persons. All those who had | made it their business to coddle the | negro and flatter his vanity and self | importance were up in protest Mayor Weaver of Philadelphia made a distinct | political play" to catch the negro vote | by surpressing "The Clansman." This | move dug his own political grave and caused his faction to be buried at the next election. In Illinois a state sena- tor from Chicago with many colored tried vainly to get a bill | passed prohibiting such plays.
 On the other hand "The Clansman" found millions of new supports and de- lenders as compared with a handful of assailants. It was warmly endorsed by | he governors of all the states wherein he Reconstruction scenes had occurred md approved by the municipal authori- ies of New York, Chicago, Baltimore. St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and other leading cities. President Roose- 1elt's commissioner of police in the District of Columbia refused to sup press "The Clansman" at the negroes ,ehest. And Judge Barnes of the su- 'erior court, Chicago. set a precedent or other jurists when, in denying a ,raVer for an iniunction again fhe nlav