Evening star., 1922-11-20
PRESIDENT IS TOLD
Of KLAN SITUATION
BY GOV. parker
Louisiana Executive Says
State Will Stamp Out
lawless Element.

rhs state authorities Of louisiana
.nnear at this time to be fully capaole
NJ handling any situation within
their jurisdiction growing OUT "
activity Of secret organizations Vi
other agencies. it was deciareu III
.tatament issued at the White House
TODAY after a conference on tfle
.rhi.ct between President Harding
Attorney General Daugherty' do''
Parker Of Louisiana anu Attorney
Genera, Coco of that state.
In view OF the suffictency OF tne
=tats authority, the White rous.
statement said, "there Is notnins d
this time for the federal goNerhnens
70 do except to give assuIan a,,.r fed-
arai interests are involved the Ieo,
aral authorities are ready 10 eN'eho
full co-operation. 1,.,..
Gov, Parker, upon leaving the White
House. also issued statement III
which he said:
state Is determined that. regardless
Of cost or consequences: most .hol
ough investigation will be mace oi
the outrages reported to nave peeh
made BY the ku klux Klan in Louis
lana.
Outr0Ec8 COmmltteus
s'Certain terrorizing outrages have
been committed: certain horrifyinG
crimes have been reported, and it Is
vital that responsibility shall be fixed
and offenders punished. not because
of any organized association. but In
spite Of this.
'The law OF state and nation must
be upheld under any and all circum-
stances
Before going to the White House
the Louisiana governor and Attorney
General had a long conference with
william J. Burns. chief of the bureau
Of Investigation OF the Department or
Justice. 1t was understood that they
aid before Mr.. Burns information
concerning the reported influence
exerted by the klan among county
and other officers in their state.
Members of Gov. Parker's party
deny emphatically that the purpose OF
his visit is to seek federal interven.
ton In Louisiana on the ground that
the Ku klux Klan has taken possess
sion Of 1t politically.
Origin Of Visit.
A Louisiana newspaper man. who Is
with the governor. declared that the
states first official action against the
khan was prompted shortly after Mayor
McKoin Of Mer Rouge. small Louis
lana town, had been alta cked by an as
Samuel Richards and Watt Daniels.
were wanted by the authorities to ex-
plain details Of the attempted murder
When the. governor sent officers for
them, 1t Is declared that they could not
be founo
both men had suddenly and mysteri-
ously disappeared. and all inquiries
as to their whereabouts were success
fully blocked by minor county OFF,
cials, who were alleged to be MEM
bers of the Ku Klux Klan. 1t was
not long after this that Gov. Parker
delivered a speech at Shreveport. in
which he severely fiayed that organ
ization and which was printed
throughout the country. Prompted to
action by that apparent disregard for
authority. the governor started an an
khan had an interstate organization
for similar activities.
1t was this, the newspaper man de-
clared, that caused Gov. Parker to
make an engagement with President
Harding and Attorney General
that the khan had taken control of
affairs in Louisiana.
Gfyef Facts to President.
The governor believed, the speaker
continued. that facts he had obtained
concerning the Invisible Empire"
should be placed before the federal
authorities for action. as they did
not fall within the scope Of his
authority as the roverno" OF state.
II was to, place the facts before the
President and the Department OF
Justice that Gov. Parker came to
Washington today.
This newspaper man said that he
knew upon the highest authority that
Gov Parker had never contemplated
seeking federal Intervention in Louisi-
ana.