The Denver star., 1916-06-10
SWALES DEFENDS
union SOLDIERS
Writes Able Article Against
Misleading Photo Play.
BELIEVES IN RACIAL PEACE.
Daily Journal at jacksonville, Ill.,,
Prints Forcefui Denunciation of Film,
Which Its Correspondent Says Should
Be Suppressed Before tho Poison
Picturized Permeatss Life Of Nation.

DO suppressed ooIoro eho SoiSon
Pieturized Permeates Life Of Nation.
Jacksonville, Ill.-There appeared In
q recent issue of the Jacksonville
Daily Journal what is regarded here
and elsewhere by those who read 1t
as the most forceful denunciatiOn of
the photo play known as .The Birth of
a Nation" as well as the most timely
compliment to the work of the Negro
as citizen, that has yet been present
ed. The writer, J. NJ. Swales, is n
white man. The article in part reads
thus:
Perturbation of the events during the
reconstruction period from 1865 to 1872
is one gigantic, colossal lie, gilded and
sugar coated. which makes 1t easy for
the present generation to swallow. 1t
is masterpiece of misrepresentation
and a reflection on the Union soldier
who gave the best that was in him
and slipped off the four best years Of
his life. 1t is also reflection on the
character OF the real sons of southern
chivairy" and the southern character
in general.
Those who lived through that period
Of the nations history know that the
Rev. Thomas Dixon, at one time an
eminent "sky pilot" quit the pulpit
and turned to the literary field be-
cause there was more in 1t for him
than trying to bring sinners to the
mourncrs' bench. Like many other Of
his ilk he is out for the money.
He pictures the kukluN Klan as 4
blood of the south. when the truth il
that the Klan was composed mostly OF
the riYrafI and scum OF the south. n lot
of cowardly ruffians who did all their
acts of ''heroism" in the night, and the
blacker the night the better to carry
on their work OF assassination with
the dagger and bloody rope.
In the four years of the red reign Of
the kulilux scores and hundreds or
Innocent whites and blacks were done
to death by this gang OF murderous
cutthroats because they dared to stand
for the Union and the flag that has
never yet been furled in the face of an
enemy.
The whole thing is the song OF the
siren of secession and disunion. waited
back to us from n thousand battle
fields and should I : suppressed before
the poison picturizeI permcats the life
Of the nation-more especially the gen
erations that have come upon the stage
Of action since the close of the reddest
period OF our national life-a war that
a ~
ers of tears to flow FOR loved ones who
laid down their lives, not for the
birth OF n nation" but the salvation OF
a nation born ut Concord and Bunker
Hill and not in the brain of the Rev.
Thomas Dixon.
The story is Il beautiful perversion OF
history and rs screen production has
no parallel in the moving picture in.
dustry. Therein lies the seductive dan.
ger. This is well known by the Sky
pilot" who wrote the 'Clansman" and
Mr.. Griffith. who put 1t on the screen.
But they are in for what they can get
out of n gullible public.
The main features of the film aim to
dcbase the Negro and stir up prejudice
against the colorcd race and keep up Il
never ending strife between the whites
and blacks of the entire country. IL
those faroT days there were many
mean black men. and there were just
as many mean white men. In fact the
white men were the meancst. because
they had better opportunities than the
bondsmen who had been under the do
minion of slavery for centuries.
"'rhc Birth of Nation should be
suppressed for the harm that it is do.
ing not only in pcrvcrting history. but
In ntlamine the passions of those who
would like to forget the horrors of that
awful period of the sixties. especially
the unparalleled atrocities carried out
in Andersonville and other dens of hor-
ror In the south which seem to have
escaped the notice of the Rev. Mr..
Dixon, who culogizes the cutthroat
gang of night riders and redhanded
assnsSins whose deeds blackcn the
pages of the history OF the civil war
and are the means OF keeping alive the
strife engeudcrcd by and through the
very instrumentaity he Is trying to de.
fend.
We seem to have reached the point
where 1t would be quite the pr3per "s