The Vashon Island record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1916-1919, 1918-09-12
XVII.
mooNsHiNERs AND ku-KLux

altogether separate organizations, pc
culiar to the South, and had different
purposes. We are apt from newspaper
reports to get them mixed in our
minds.
Moonshiners We're Illicit distillers
and their friends organized for the
protection of themselves and their
business from the detection of the u.
S. government and the punishment
due to their attractions of law. l
have met these many times, and some.
times not very pleasantly for myself
| was acquainted with government
revenue collectors, government mar
shais, and government detectives as
well. Lieut. Mcintyre, of the u. S.
Army, was shot in Fannin county by
moonshiners while | was living in
Ellijay. A brother of the murderer
was afterward in my congregation
when | was preaching in Fannin coun-
~. | have nothing to say in defense
of this organization. 1t was bad, had
bad purposes, and supported a bad
cause. But still. | do not think II was
as bad as the Ku-Klux. 1t was not
political. | think Illicit distilling was
encouraged, underhandedly. by gov
eminent officials. The whole thing Is
being broken up by prohibition. In
deed, moonshiners themselves then
told me that they would willingly
favor prohibition
But the Ku-Klux Khan was a secret
political organization whose comman.
der.in-chief was Gen. N. 3. Forest, the
hero(O Of the Fort Pillow massacre.
Nothing was too low, mean or desper-
ate for them to undertake in order to
retain political supremacy They made
solid South They kept 1t solid
We are often told that only the lower
classes were members of this organi-
cation. 1t is false. Ben Hill used to
belong TO 1t. In fact, 1t was gotten up
by the aristocrats to carry out their
own purposes. Where | was acquaint-
ed with it, the most prominent men in
The country belonged to 1t. Even min
listers of the NJ. Il. church were mem
bers Of ii. | have heard prominent
men defend 1t, as beneficial institu-
ton. was utterly surprised some
times that men whom | considered so
good could defend so unholy thing.
In 1917, after rs years absence,
visited these scenes of my early life
| found many changes The fireplace
still, rightly, did the heating of the
houses. but the stove had supplanted
1t for cooking purposes. The people
were making larger use of the abund-
ant native fruits and berries for can.
ing, etc. One day ate dinner with a
man who had a hand in breaking up
the power of the Ku.Klux in northern
Georgia. The story is this: A man
by the name of Roper had in some way
become obnoxious to this Khan, so
they paid him midnight visit, took
him from his home to the top of Old
Foot Mountain. There is an old well
up there. They stood him on the brink
of that well, and then removing their
masks, said; I'VE want you to know
who shot you" His body, riddled with
bullets. fell into the we'll. Some two
or three days later little girl hunt
ing stray COWS, passing by the well,
heard strange sounds down there, and
looking down saw the man. She hast
ened home and told her folks. They
came and got the man out. After re-
turning consciousness he had lived by
sucking pieces of rotten wood he
found down there He was nursed and
cared for. and through his testimony
and identifications the chief members
of that Khan were indicted, convicted
anu phhihHcu. was luiu ineSe lhClS
by one of the men who helped to ar
rest the would.be murderers. That is
the only case that ever heard of
where justice was melted out to XII
Klux Khan. 1t stopped their work in
that region.
Allow me to say one thing more in
closing. have been much impressed
by the fact that one political system
in Washington is modelled after the
Southern system. Our smallest body
polite is the county The Yankee
Town Meeting" has never invaded this
far Northwest. Why? Is ii because a
large per cent of our population came
from the South and have made their
impress on our laws? Also tell me If
the South is growing better fast, why
100000 negroes have recently emf
grated to the North?
THE END
The retail price Of granulated