Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-10-14
SOUTH CARosiivK 10 SKE
So kU kLUX kL AN REVIVAL
sL1s Per Year

lf{Ss sSS SN6S$<S xNASpStN N6V4V ALs
South Carolina Is to see revival or
|fne knights OF the Ku Klux Klaii.
INV organisation made famous In
oqQthern history for its work in help
IN to restore normal condieiors IN
IN southern States during the ten
SxArs that followed the War Between
fAe States known as the reconstruct
don period - ' ..r
Definite announcement that plans
sheye been made for organizing IN
Fort Mill and other cities and ts,sxhs
sQHs the state branches OF the kfan
Ma made In a communication recetv.
20 by The Times from Col VIVA. j.
s6tmmons. founder OF the modern or
.k4ntzation. with headquarters in At
'iahta. NJ
The idea OF perpetuating the pr
sctpies upon which the old Ku Klux
klan was founded and OF establishing
asiasting memorial to the valiant men
who swept the carpetbagger and the
scalawag from the South and restored
to the Southern people their rightful
place in the nation and the manage
ment of their own affairs originated
20 years ago in the mind of Col: Sim
mons. now professor OF Southern his
tory at Lanier university In Atlanta.
For IA years Col Simmons thought
and studied to prepare himself for
this work
On October 26. 1915. when he felt
that his plans were complete, Col.
simmons met with "a OF his friends
and after unfolding his plans to them
they all agreed to sign a petition for,
charter. On Thanksgiving night
r hn HN.er, ,t,t.r ~
or stone mountain. near Atlanta, and
there' at midnight. under blazing
merry cross. symbol Of the old organi-
zation. they took the oath of anegi-
ance to the Invisible Empire. knights
OF the Ku Klux Klan.
.AThe charter was issued by tho State
or Georgia, December 4, 1915. and
2 special charter was granted by the
superior court OF Fulton county,
Georgia. July l. 1916. Since the khan
had among It's originators three
members of the original khan, the
new rganixation was granted in it's
charter all the legal rights and priv Z
fteEes OF the old order with rights to
all its paraphernalia. insignia, signs.
sy m hols, etc.
While conditions today are not
what they were in the reconstruction
Poiiou' "heh tne original KAN wuS
organized, the need for the organi-
zation OF this character is just aa
pressing now as 1t ever was, aecord-
ing.to Its founders -. .'Ne
by the organization OF the mod
ern knights OF the Ku Klux Klan we
have established II living. lasting me-
mortal 10 the valiant Southerners who
saved the South. and thereby the ma
ttoh. during the stirring days Of the
period. and perpetuat-
ed the noble principles for which they
stood" says Col. Simmons. But we
have done more than that-we have
established an organization that puts
God and native land before any other
interests. .
The purpose OF this organization
IL to inculcate the sacred principles
and noble ideals OF chivalry. the de-
velopment OF character. the protec-
tion Of the home and the chastity or
the exempliication Of a
pure patriotism. the preservation OF
American Ideals and the mainte nance
Of the blood Thought rights OF the
white race.
Only native born. white American
who believe in the tenets OF
the Christian religion and owe no all
lesiance OF any degree Of nature to-
any foreign government. political ms
stitution, sect. people or persons. arc
for membership. No man, Is
wanted In the order who hasn't
enough manhood TO assume a rent
oath with serious purpose to keep the
same inviolate. No man is wanted In
the order who will not. or who cam
not, swear an unqualified allegiance
to the United States Of America. It's
flag and Its constitution"
II h said that n movement Is un-
der way to establish the klan through
out South Carolina and that n repre-
sentative OF the organization will bo
in Fort Mill in fow days to push
the formation OF n local khan 81 ice
ing with only "a members about five
years ago. It is claimed that the or
ganiZation now has members far into
the thousands and has representn-
tives in every State In the union,