Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-09-24
N. A. A. G. II. ASSISTS NEW YORK
WORLD IN KHAN EXPOSE.

James Weldon Johnson, secretary
OF the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, 70
Fifth Avenue, New York City, to-
day made the following statement:
Just one year ago one of the staff
officers OF the National Association
wrote a letter to the headquarters
of the Ku Klux Khan in Atlanta and
In reply received an application for
membership blank and some other
literature of the Khan. This was the
beginning of the fight which the Ma
tional Association for the Advance
mcnt of Colored People has kept up
against the Ku KluX Khan ever since.
After considerable correspondence
we secured enough information re-
garding the Khan to give widespread
publicity to it and to show it's real
purposes. We placed the evidence
that we had gathered into the hands
Of the mayor of the city OF New
York, governor of New York State,
police commissioner of New York
and the district attorneys office, and
also into the hands of the Depart
ment Of Justice at Washington.
Later Il member of our office staff
made the trip to Ocoee, Fla, and IN
vestigated the Ku KluX Khan riots
In that town in which twenty-five to
forty colored people were killed.
The first mass meeting In New
York against the Iiu KluX Khan was
held under the auspices of the Ma
tlonal Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People on the Sd
OF January. The National Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Colored
People has not only fought the Ku
s@.. In
and through It's branches by publici-
| ing to the authorities, 1t has also
fought the Khan as 1t is glorifed in
the infamous moving picture, "The
Birth Of a Nation" In return the
Khan, through it's organ, The Search
light, launched vicious attack
against the N. A. A. G. p. and used
every means in Its power to intimi-
date members OF the association III
| tho South. This fight of q year
waged by the association has at last
borne fruit, and the battle has been
I taken up by a great and powerful
champion, The New York World.
And The World is dealing the Ku
Klux Khan its death blow. Twenty
other prominent newspapers In va
| rious sections of the country are as
ISOLATED with The World In giving
publicity to the inside workings Of
this nefarious organization.
About little more than two
months ago a representative of The
World came into the National office
| of the Association and told us plans
| for an investigation and expose
which his paper was undertaking,
and asked us to furnish him with
4 nj fnfnrn,0f fNn nnsqi-
BILE. Our office Immediately placed
at his disposal It's files of data, ill
| formation and documents relating to
the Ku Klux Khan. We are glad
| that we were able to render this as
sistance to The World in the great
| fight which it Is carrying on. Tho
World is performing great service,
not only to the Negro, but to the ma
| ton, because in stamping out the
Ku KluX Khan it Is conserving its
institutions of law and order. The
World merits the appreciation Of the
whole country and especially of the
colored people, because the destruc-
| ton of the Ku klux Khan means
more to them than to anybody else.
In addition, the New York Ameri-
| can has begun the publication of a
series of articles exposing the Khan.
The articles are written by C. An
derson Wright, former King Kleagle
Of the Invisible Empire Of the Ku
Klux Khan. In the issue Of the Amer
lean of September 10th Mr.. Wright
made the following disclosure re-
| garding the policy of the Khan to-
ward the N. A. A. G. P:
Fear Negro Power.
Another subject Of serious discus
sion was the realization that the
power Of the Negro society, known
as the Society for the Advancement
of Colored People, was becoming a
great menace in the expansion of the
Ku Klux Khan, as it was continually
giving to the press publicity on the
| Klan's underhanded methods. This
| society was getting active in State
Legislative work, having already sue-
| ceeded in having introduced by a
Negro legislator from Chicago a bill
idenouncing the Khan in the Illinois
| Legislature. This bill was passed. 1t
l made an appeal to the citizens Of
| Illinois to refrain from joining or
| associating in any manner with the
Ku Klux Khan.
"This activity on the part OF the
| Negro, in the Judgment Of Clarke,
l warranted prompt action, and it was
1 decided to set up rival organize
| ton to the Society for the Advance
ment of Colored People without de-
| lay. Clarke began with Negro in
his own employ, n man of unusual
| intelligence, who was in charge OF
] the servants on his farm on the out
1 skirts of Atlanta. This servant en-
| listed the services of other Negroes
I as spies, and they attended the meet
ings of the society and reported ev-
| erything that was said and done.
Also these spies sought to create
| dissatisfaction and disoord among
the members OF the society. This
1 Negro phase OF the Klan's activities
shall deal with In another article"