Evening star., 1921-10-05
Editorial Digest
Investigating the Ku Klux Klan

Recent revelations" in respect to
the organisation Of the current Ku
klu0 Klan have provoked considera-
BILE editorial, comment throughout the
country. but more particularly in
those sections where the khan has
been active in organisation or has
taken a hand in law and order. /"
That this widespread publicity has
resulted in the usual talk of govern
mental investigation and restriction
Of the khan develops. a prospect
which. despite the fact that the khan
would appear to have been active in
Chronicle Independently to remark:
We might have known it-a reso-
luton has been introduced in the
House at Washington providing for
congressional investigation" This
function by the Department Of JUS
tice Is proper enough. the Chronicle
agrees, but pray excuse US from any
more congressional investigations.
Let Congress give q demonstration Of
how 1t can attend to its own peculiar
business"
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (inde-
pendent democratic) thinks III the
klan Is all its leaders claim for 1t,
they should welcome the spotlight
now turned on 1t by government Of
ficials.'
The "supergovernment" aspect Of
the khan excites a fair share of the
criticism, the Norfolk (Neb.) Daily
News Independently condemning it
q limited section of the people to
usurp the functions of the govern
ment," while the Sandusky Register
(republican) thinks ''the worst phase
Of the whole business is that the
khan seems intended as a sort Of
fact that. as the Grand Island (Neb.)
Independent independently says. "our
own regularly elected and sworn Of
f1cers of the law. together with an
overwhelming popular opinion, can
be relied upon to keep the majesty
stitutions supreme" and the Emporia
Gazette independently states that
when the mob is organized by the
khan the Constitution. which guar
Antees these people certain inalien'
able rights, breaks down and anarchy
takes hold of the majority"
That the ku klux Klan is not to be
reconstruction days in the south or
the vigilance committees of pioneer
days in the west Is brought out by
a number of papers. The Spokane
Spokesman-R Review Independent re-
publican) says. the latter operated
in the open. The vigilance commit
tees dealt only with major crimes
and had nothing to do with the petty
foibles of individuals" while the
Butte Miner tdemocratic) points out
that they were non-sectarian In their
endeavors."
Several papers note that but little
evidence of lawlessness on the part
of the khan has been produced. so
far as the Atlanta organization ID
concerned" says the Columbia Is. c.
State (democratic), 1.-The allegations
were vague and indefinite" while the
Reno Gazette CrepublicaD sees in
them nothing beyond the ordinary
ciety" and states that the khan. In
spite of many charges. remains un-
convicted "of any acts of violence"
The Christian Science Monitor (Bos-
toni independently contends that:
"Other orders exclude either Roman
Catholics. or Jews. or Negroes. But
the rights of Roman Catholics. Jews
and Negroes are not thereby in
fringed. Every one of these classes
has secret fraternal orders of its
own. If one secret order is to be at
tackled because of its secrecy and its
exclusiveness. why not all the others?'
That the khan should not be taken
too seriously is voiced in a number
of editorials "Ridicule." thinks the
New Haven Courier-Journal (inde-
pendenD, lis probably the best
weapon against it," and the Colum-
bas (Ohio) Dispatch independently Is
of the opinion that the khan will
soon dissolve of its own motion, from
the discovery that there is no SUM-
cient reason for it's being" The
Lincoln (Neb.) State Journal Gnde-
pendent republican, finds a laugh in
"an inspired Georgian" who, while
everybody else bewails his luck, finds
a way to pull $3.50 apiece or there
abouts from the pockets of two-thirds
of a million of Americans who were
Just waiting to be plucked. The
magic cluck was all that was needed.
Do hard times kill off the crop of suck
ers or transmute bone into brains?
Obviously not"