The Monroe journal., 1921-05-13
OPPOSES ORGANIZATION
OF "KU KLUX KHAN" HERE
Former Journal Editor Says This Is
Cheapest Thing Sprung ON An
Unsuspecting Public.
THOMAS MEADS AND SAUNDERS
BY OBSERVER

III WHICH lut utidHCuoiA NoHulNiuH VI
Squire McWhorter was described.
such condition being induced by the
knowledge that he would be able to
make no cider this summer. Some
how the newspaper boys always seem
10 get something out of the Squire to
write about. | notice that | was In
the same business fifteen years ago.
for on another page The Journal re-
produces an article under the head OF
Monroe Fifteen Year Ago" and this
article tells of the antipathy that the
Squire was then expressing towards
bird setters." Another story in this
symposium remember very well. and
that is the one that J. II. Griffin told
about the old time tooth pulling.
wherein a darkey was to pay twenty
five cents for the pulling of his tooth
IL the process hurt him. Mr.. Griffin
had more funny anecdotes than any
man l ever saw, especially about the
neighbors.
Opposed to Ku Klaz Khan.
1t is TO be hoped that nobody In
Monroe will be silly enough to join
the so-called Ku Klux klan. This Is
about the cheapest thing that has
been sprung on an unsuspecting pub
lie. The old Ku Klux performed
service In time of need but there Is
no such need today. There was no
law In the country then and thing
of this kind was necessary under the
circumstances. When Governor Bick-
10 affnrf last fall ltS
promoters replied that they had no
idea of using unlawful means OF up
holding law and order. Then what is
the need for them? The courts, as
Governor Morrison afterwards point
ed out, operating in the open and by
due process are sufficient means TOT
upholding law. The truth is. this or
ganization is an appeal to Ignorance
and hatred and TO secret inflamatoly
ideas that should have no place In this
time In North Carolina, IL they are
merely fraternal order then they are
trading on false pretenses In usirg
the old name OF the Ku Klux Klan. III
they are not an ordinary secret frater-
nal order then they are an organiza-
tion with unlawful purposes. A little
cheap John glamour should not at
tract sensible people. There are al
ready plenty of good fraternal orders
whose missions are good and their
methods christian and lawful and de-
cent. The last legislature passed
law aimed at this order when II sail
that IL should be unlawful for any one
10 appear In disguise. This act was
passed Immediately after the Kan
had a parade on the streets OF Raj
eigh. The legislature should have
gone further and said that no organ
ization should be allowed to use tEe
name of Ku Klux Klan. Everybody
knows that this scheme Is a cheap APP
peal to thoughtless people to arouse
III will towards the Negroes, or at
least to trade on supposed Ill VIII
that is thought TO exist. IL is an un-
patriotic move In that 1t arouses ola
and painful experiences
in the life of the past that II can do
no good to resurrect. Men ought 10
be above such things at this time.
A Low Down Trick.
| take II as a low down trick that
The Journal referred to Raymond
elk as broken-down mule.
Why Planting "To" Corn?
Tom Broom is good explainer and
! want him to explain one thing for
my satisfaction. That is. Why does
he refer to planting Ito" corn, and
to- this and that?
Thomas Meads. the lntidel.
Do you recall the story in The
Journal about the death of Thomas
Meads. the inhdel. taken from the
City Independent? The re-
markable thing about ii was not
Thomas Meads himself. There have
always been such characters as his.
They are men who find themselves
unable TO adopt the current religious
or theological beliefs and make the
of oyerstressing their unbe-
lief They lose perspective. They
forget the fact that most of the think /
Ing minds of the world do not In all
and many In none, con-
form to the current beliefs. But see
ing everyone around them concurring.
either actually or passively. they feel
IL incumbent upon them TO protest
too vigorously. They are not dishon-
Est or inslncere. They are merely too !,
limited in their experiences AMI re-
actions. They are often no more toll ,
Grant in their unbelief than are those
whom they criticise for being too ,
credulous. They fall out too much
with surface things. Either they find
A positive belief as substitute for
their disbelief OF. they lead negative
life which makes them unhappy. They |
are the victims Of a mental state for
which they are not responsible. The
point "a not that they don't believe
what the people around them believe.
but that they do believe something
and fail to see that they are there ,
fore not different from the others ex-
cept In the matter OF what they do or
do not believe. Mr.. Meads seems to
have been happy in his belief that TO
do all he could for the living was the
thing chiefly to be desired. This was
his religion, just as the orthodox be-
lief was the religion Of his neighbors.
And so we come TO Mr.. Saunders. the !,
editor who made talk at the funer-