Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-09

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| in the dark.
IAN organization of a thousand
good citizens of Greensboro, enough
interested to start a fund of $4,000,
and then contribute $1,000 a month
for law and order, would be sum
or disgusting that makes criminal
practices easier. I believe that some
such good government league should
be organized in North Carolina be-
cause there are many things tfat
need correction. The people general
ly are guilty of contempt of court
and of public officials, and law is not
enforced as it should be. If such a
league could be effected, and kept
free from partisan politics, 1t could
demands of the honest men who nave
been led irto this new Klu KluX Khan
to their disgust, but the need can
not be met outside the law, nor in
the dark, nor by ignorant and vicious
men.
"Blood and Thunder" Ritual
"The sacred sublime flubdub has
disgusted me from the start, and yet
ia very large proportion of the men
who have Joined did so because of
this stuff, and of the appeal to pas
sion and ignorance. My first act art
e rbeing elevated to my sublime office,
wac to make a proclamation TO
Pullman car full of North Carolina
officers and delegates, in which l gave
them as general order NO. 1, tnat no
matter how sacred and sublime
might be on paper, they were COM
manded TO address me always as
Bruce and nothing else. In spite OF
this, many a little official since ele-
waited, has promptly swelled up like
toad, and proceeded to act like he
could feel the halo about his head.
| [ have never really taken the thing
seriously, but simply have hoped in
spite of the facts facing me, that it
might be made so.
There is nothing serious about it,
except the protection it affords bad
men, and the money it takes out of
the state. To accomplish hthese
| things, the professions of American
| ism and law and order, common to all
| fraternities, are rung in for all they
| are worth. The ritual of the order is
the. worst tumble of bad English and
lassininity that l have ever met. 1t
reads like compilation by a school
| boys blood and thunder society. The
whole thing ses whatever is neces-
sary for the commercial
Carpet Dagger" Control
| IN Georgia, where it is a joke, it
stands in support of peonage and
| other outrageS against the negroes
In other places it claims to be a
| friend of the negro. In one place it
| bases its appeal on opposition to the
| Catholic church, and particularly the
| Knights of Columbus, but my leaving
my position puts the North Carolina
| organization, if any should be lef.,
largely in control of Catholic church
| Influence. Except for myself, there
| linian active in the work in the state.
| The situation is in the hands of the
! carpet baggers, which the origina.
ku KluX opposed.
| "One of the most obnoxious fea
| lures to me is the claim that this
commercial thing is a memorial to
the original Ku Klux, and their use
| of that idea is to get more money
Another of the claims is that it is
working hand in hand with the
fraternity, all of which are rank
| frauds.
In all these statements L am con-
| fining myself to strict adherence to
! fact and conservative review of
the information in my possession
ally true. L am saying all | have
to say and will refuse to be led
into any squabble with the falsifiers
who write threatening anonymous
L anticipate a mess of lies in an
swer to this, but you may be sure
they are lies if they deny anything
expressed or implied in thix state
ment. 1 am almost sorry that the
anonymous letter writer's will be
handicapped hereafter by their
knowledge of the fact that 1 know
! them, and their work in that line
! will have to end. | have already
been threatened by the organization
! if l interfere with their graft, and
am ready for them.
! Wrote Simmons Facts
"Henceforth, l shall stick to the
old landmark, and fight shy of
strange gods. If 1 have any time or
energy or money to devote to my
country 1 shall endeavor to find an
! avenue for it through the usual chan
| and the Masonic lodge. I am salts
fled they will afford ample outlet for
my surplus religion and patriotism.
ION July &c L wrote personal let
! ter to the imperial wizard, containing
a resume of what is in this letter.
On Augusts l., L wired him that his
failure to answer would be taken as
admission of the correctness of my
| statements and as justification for
| their publication. On August 3 [
again wired him my definite resig-
! nation, effective at noon August 5,
| and asked him again to wire me ii
he had anything to say. No answer
was received to any of these a"m-
, munications. [ have been fair in
| spite of the unfairness / have re-
| ceived. [ have violated no part of
my obligations of April II, and they
will remain sacred and inviolate, no
matter what | am forced to suffer,
nor what falsehoods I have to face.
| nor what breach of the faith may
come from the other party to the
! possible for me to defend myself
| against misrepresentation by the
ones who have taken that which
might have been good and have made
/ of inc