The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1921-08-20
Il. X. X.
Chicago Khan In Weird Rites.
Special to THE APPEAL.


Chicago, August 10. - In a cold
pouring rain 1876 men We're made
members of the invisible empire" of
the Knights of the Ku Klux Khan at
the farm of Charles Weeghman, near
Lake Zurich, between midnight and
l a. m. yesterday.
White robed and hooded, with the
| crimson cross on their breasts con-
| trasting against the whiteness of
their robes, between 5000 and 5000
members of the order participated in
the weird ceremonies.
! Oath Is Administered.
The oath to protect the sanctity of
the home and woman's honor, to keep
separate the church and the state,
and to uphold white supremacy was
administered. The candidates arose,
and as each marched past a large
American flag at the altar he kneeled
again and kissed it.
The original Ku Kux Khan was
founded Jan. 81, 1866, in the hills of
Tennessee to combat NEGRO suprem-
acy and the northern carpet baggers,"
according to it's chiefs. The present
organization, an outgrowth of the old
one, was incorporated in 1915 and is
now said to have more than 100000
members north of the Mason-Dixon
line.
So secretive are the klansmen re-
garding the invisible empire" that
! they are said never to know whether
or not their neighbors are members,
said William Joseph Simmons, impe-
rial wizard. The order, he said, is
designed to maintain the supremacy
of the white race. No Jews, Negroes
or Catholics are admitted.
constabuIary on the Alert.
Walter P. Stuart, general superin-
tendent of the department of con-
stabulary, said yesterday his organ
lzation of 1000 men stand ready to
combat any campaign of intimidation
by the "knights' If the khan is a
worthy organization it should do
away with masks and fantastic hoax
UNI of fiery crosses and the like.
The action of it's members in SET
Ting themselves up as sentinels on
tuesday and closing country roads to
autolsts when it held an open-air fes-
t1val was high handed and Illegal"
| Decry Secret Rites.
Sheriff Charles w. Peters stated he
could not give official sanction to the
order because of it's proclivity, as he
called it, for taking the law into it's
own hands.
Arthur Burrage Farweu, head of
the Chicago Law and Order League,
protested the orders secrecy.
John M. Glenn, president of the
Illinois Manufacturers Association,
said: 1--WE seemed to have a verv
good government already without the
Ku Klux trying to run things, too.
Who are they, anyway"
DIR. John P. Buckingham warned
against a revival of the race riots of
1919. He served on the coroner's
jury. IF there is any indication that
it will be the means of stirring race
strife | am opposed to it's operation
here" he said.
! Protested by CoIored.
The American Unity Welfare League
held meeting protesting against the
newly formed Ku Klux Khan.
r. The resolutions, adopted and signed
| ny H. -" al heI, eulCOT, as chairman,
invited the klansmen to hold the next
meeting in the Second ward, where
"wam party" was promised them.
I'VE resolved at the meeting" Par
ker states, ITO ask Mayor Thompson
and Gov. Len Smith to unmask everv
member of this order and drive them
from Chicago. If they don't want to
40 1t-send 'em down to the Second
ward and we WILL.
1.-The XII Kluxers drove the colored
people from the South up to the
North and now they're up here try
| ing to drive us back again. There's
nothing doing!"