The Denver Jewish news., 1921-10-19
Attack en the Spirit Of
Ku Klax Klanism
CONTINUED from page ~


the anti-American force Of this entire
They know there can be
no America worthy of the name in
which considerable part of the pop
ulation is banded together in bitter
and relentless ill-will as against every
other part. And the first thing of i'm
portance to remember with respect to
this loatllsome apparition is that 1t
is anti-American. This is alike its
Indictment and condemnation What
ever else ic is or is not. it is con-
trary to the spirit of America. viola
tive of the deepest convictions OF
America. and subversive of those
ideals of goodwill and fraternity
among Americans upon which our Re
public rests. !
appeal to such Americans as have
become affiliated with the Ku KluN
Klan without having understood It's
malignly anti-American principles and
purposes. One would appeal in vain
{, the leaders of this nnti-American
treachcry, but surely there must be
tens of thousands of men, its dupes for
n time, who wohld not consciously
have part in any movement that ma Ses
for hurt ana evil to America. To these
we soIeinnly appeal to put away the
evil of this doing from before their
eyes, that it utterly perish and tl.as
its passing serve as warning to whose
ever is base enough 20 exploit the pos
slbilities of ill-will and prejudice in
American life
Ku Elux Elanism could not have
thriven as it has. had 1t not been for
such furtheranee and encouragement
as have come from growing tendency
in American life. the tendency by one
group or another to appropriate tile
name. American. and to deny the name
to others. IG is part Of new
intolerance and inhospitality of which
America must free itself II America
il to endure. Ku Klux Klanism might
almost be said to he a dramatization
of the Lusk Legislative committee
minus silver-servicc. Let us have
IN end of the spirit, which limits the
possession Of America to any group Of
Americans. II the American ideal is
tc possess all of us, America must be
come our common ana uhdeniable pos
session. ! am not an American by vir-
tue of any mans or any groups tol-
erance. ! am an American because or
my fathers will. and my own, because
OF that American genius which offers
America to me as a shrine.
Perhaps the most regrettable aspect
Of che problem is that Ku Klux Klan-
ism rests upon and grows out of
thing that is new in the conscious life
of the American people. That new
thing is fear or fears. 1t tokens men
tai disorder and alteration. Back of
it lies state of phobia. Public Sc
curity is never assured by private fear
and the things which fear does. As
for the remedy. it will not suffice to
declare: Let the law take its course
Where there is overt lawlessness, the
law must take its course, but legal
prosecution alone will not avail to
cxtirpatc the spirit of which Ku klux
Klanism is nothing more than ludi-
crous manifestation. Howsoevcr heav-
ily the hand of the law is to lie upon
the offender. the remedy can come
about only thru the longtime processes
of education and regeneration. The
spirit of the Ku Klux klnn must be
driven out of the hearts of men. Then
and thus alone can it be destroyed ana
with it and as OF Ii, the fears and
s,lperstitions, the hatres!s and the pre-
iudices. which have made this thing
to live. Considered as a challenge. and
it is n challenge. there is only one
ching for Americans to do. and that is
10 declare: America requires no de-
fence at the hands of fear-crazed
dupes of avarice and fraud. and it VIII
relentlcssly smite every weapon OF
out .of their hands.
/ have used the term Ku KluN
Klanism rather than ku KluN, and not
without purpose. For the spirit of the
Ku Klux is not limited TO any one or
This wretched thing stands
for a moment in the conspicuous cen
ire of the stage, but is not the only
occupant thereof. Wherever there Is
lawlessness which masks under the
name Americanism. wherever racial
resorts 20 violence under
the name of law. wherever religious
prejudice cloaks its shame under the
guise of fraternalism. there Is ku
Klux Klauism. Let us not lightly
point the finger ut the ku klux and
declare: How abstird. how childlike-
Let us rather be very sure that we
would nor and could not be guilty OF
nm .