Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-12-06
'KU-KLUX' MENACE
PEACE OF SOUTH,
DR.. BOWIE CHARGES

tContinued From First PagcD
clothed in the familiar white dress
of the Ku-EluX Khan. sa, on tho
platform at the meeting. These facts
are calculated to cause uncasiness
ana fear among the negro popula-
ton. and TO SOW the seeds Of race
enmity among the ignorant every
where. They rouse the ugly menu
cries Of Reconstruction days. and in
jcct into our present times n spirit
OF rancor which we must avoid.
Il do not know what all the de-
ciared principles OF the Eu-Klux
Khan in the present attempt TO re-
suscitatc IL may he. Som" of them
maybe sound. | have no wish to
dcnounce the whole order. nor say any
word against wcll-intentioned men
who may be III Il. But there IL IA
par; Of it's appeal which Christian
ministers cannot but recognize as
pernicious. and against which "A
Chr!stian community ough, 10 set
its face like Hint. In the address
y, the City Auditorium the other
nicht Their" was Il distinct appeal TO
The mob passion and To the spirit
az lynch law. The speaker. Of
course, lid not advocate TINS in so
many words. but what he did say
was, that ii there should be times
and places when there was no judge
Ior prosecuting attorney nor any
body else around TO see that Justice
was done. ana the liu-KluX was
organized, then. OF course. we won't
say what might happen. And the
ugly fact was that the audience had
been worked into Il mood by the
speaker in which they applauded this
sentence.
Wnrns of .'Mnlicious Mem"
In the days after the War Be
tween The States. when the whole
machinery nf government in the
South WAS dcmoraiizcd by the carpet
bag rule. the Ku- EIux had the rela-
tive Justification Of n tcrrlbi. cmer-
gcncy. Bu; TO inject into the mind
OF people today y" idea that this
sort OF secret organization IL needed
To settle race issues is TO level an
insult against the forces OF orderly
government in our communities and
to play into the uands Of malicious
men who can :nsinuntc themselves
into the order and cloak themselves
behind the white mask OF Il secret
organization.
There are certain things in re-
gard To the race situation which all
conscientious men and women should
make unmistakable. Unmistakab!c
is tie inS!Stencc. in the frs. place.
upon such race separateness as
shall maintain the integrity Of the
white race and OF the negro FACE too.
But equally unmistakable should be
the dctcrm nation that taa nef.ro.
rs a part u the civilization wfiic1
involves us all, should be assured Of
justice, a sympathy and Il co-opcra-
ton in his Legitimate desires FIR M
provemcnt which no violence. and no
secret organization. shall erlangcr.
!: is plain enough to every one hat
there cNis, in the fact of two dit
fcrcnt races, set side by side, great
elements of difficulty and perplexity.
But for all Christian people the alb
solutc conviction rules that for This
problem. as for every other. nothing
less than the spirit Of Christ can be
followed. We cannot reach good hy
evil methods. We must work toward
our solution in peace and calmness.
AMI in the power Of thoughtful
imagination determined to be Chris
tian.
Pays Tribute to Lee.
On this church worshipcd that
greatest figure who has arisen IN
the last two generations from among
the Southern people. In tho atmos-
phcre Of this church moves and
breathes still something OF the spirit
Of Robert l.. Lee. We invoke today
in the guidance OF our present South