The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1921-10-13

opposed to such organization.
The Constitution of this country and the Decla-
ration of Independence might well be re-read byI
every person of reading age who has forgotten
tain fundamental rights of Americans. Any person
in this country has perfect right to advocate what
he she peases from absolute monarchy to the
ideal DRAM anarchy of the poet Shelley Equally
every person has the right to teach anything he or
she can get folks to listen to-whethr it be that the
earth is fat or that it is hollow inside like an egg
shell and that we are all living on the inside The
truth untruth of proposition does affect the
right Of each of us as Americans, to perfect free
dom of speech We have no more right to say that
those who differ from us shall shut up than they
have to say the same to us-and this regardless of
who is right or who is wrong how big fools they
or we-may want to make Of themselves.
To force our ideas opinions on other people
is about as dangerous as stopping all outlets for
steam in the boiler of locomotive. The steam is
going to come out somewhere if we keep on heating
the boiler-and the safest place for us is about
mile away from that spot.
We have heard a lot of hot air about American
ISM 100 per cent Americans etc. We refer to our
history books and find that this country was founded
by all sorts of folks with all sorts of ideas and be-
liefs From the Puritans Quakers Catholics and
poor debtors to the n-Christian statesman who
wrote the Declaration of Independence, and from
members of the arstocracy and nobility of Europe
to the criminals and adventures They agreed on
one thing-they wanted to live in country where
they could be free. They equally disagreed on
about everything else-including the value of the
Constitution Thus tolerance and it's necessary com
panions. freedom of the press freedom of speech
freedom of assembly and the right to trial by jury
were made the birthright of every American
Ignorance and intolerance are inseparable and
they always end in destruction Education honest
investigation of all important questions from every
vlewpolht-the other fellow 5 as well sour own
and the refusal to condemn any thing, person, or
organization until we have given it fair hearing
and know about it from it's own statements and
those OF its friends well as the statements Of it's
enemies, will guarantee the survival of our civil lib
critics. Nothing else will
Ideas and ways of living change In the Soutb
sixty years ago chatel slavery was believed right
Today almost every person in the United States
would be Mortified at the suggestion that it be re
Vlyed Sixty years ago men settled their quarrels
by duelmg. Today those same men would be ar
tuaily took place the victorious party would prob
ably be convicted of manslaughter few hundred
years ago printers were burned as witches and all
respectable cizns believed that the earth was fat
The world changes. And today the Ku Klux Khan
and those who are fighting the Khan have equal
rights to advocate what they believe true and to
fight for their Opinon-just as long as they allow
their opponents freedom of expression. The public
IN general should withhold judgment until it hears
more of the actual facts. Crimes may have been
committed by irresponsible parties and laid to the
hlan. Men may have become members of the Khan
for Interior purposes of their own We do not know
the facts and until do we can merely repeat that
we behye IN the fundamental principles of American
hberty-lncluding the right of every person or ner
sons accused OF crimes to trial by an unprecedented
jury. Ii 1t is true that the Khan opposes this we
cannot consider 1t representative American organi
eaton If it upholds this and other principles of
American freedom we cannot see room for criticism
more than IN the case of any other secret order.
AT any rate it is earnestly to be hoped that the
present Federal investigation will prove false the
charges OF intolerance and organized mob lawless
ness IN Georgia and the South which have gained
such widespread publicity