Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-07-18

the visions of the Code of Ten
nessee in reference to wearing
masks in public.
"Oh, that's all right" he replied,
"when we are fully organized tho
Khan will control the politics Of this
town. We will apply for a permit,
and if we don't get it, we Will
parade anyhow. Nobody will dare
stop US"
The other instance was a conver-
sation I had with man with whom
1 was most friendly. He was a
younger man than the one just
mentioned, but is considered per-
son of responsibility and good
| Judgment. 1t happened that the
largest restaurant in johnson City
is owned and operated by Greeks,
and this man seemed to be espec-
tally hostile to foreigners. In dis
cussing them one day he said to
me:
'I don't like to see these Greeks
make such progress here. They are
driving good Americans out Of bust
ness. We've got twenty eight
robes in our lodge room, and 1 am
in favor of getting bunch some
night, breaking open their restau-
rant and dumping all their fixtures
and merchandise Into the streets.
That will serve as an object lesson
that they are not wanted in John
son City"
Now, from my knowledge of that
man, 1 do not believe that he
would deliberately violate the law.
In fact, if [ were sheriff of his
county and wanted a real man to
head a posse, l would call on this
man and swear him in as deputy
l doubt very much if he would
even lead a mob Of masked men
to tear up a Greek restaurant, but
the mob spirit was there, and it
was put there because he was a
member of the Ku Klux Klan.
The old Ku Klux Klan performed
its functions, not so much by overt
acts, as by creating the impression
of what it could do and by inspir-
ing terror in the minds of the peo-
pie it desired to reach. 1t operated
largely on the principle of sugges-
tion. 1t soon began to appear to
me that the modern movement be-
gan to plant evil suggestions in the
minds of some of its members, al
most from the time they became
connected with the organization.
From the very first time that
a Ku Klux organizer, set foot in
town, the JoJ Jhnson City Staff had
fearlessly and vigorously con-
demned the movement and advised
its readers to have nothing to do
with it. AS the movement began
to grow, many of the leading busi-
ness men became Klansmen. They
were nearly all advertisers in the
local paper. The attacks on the
klan by the Staff were the sub
jects of many discussions, and it
was decided to put a muzzle on
the paper" Accordingly many ad-
vretisers quietly suggested to the
publisher of the paper that he clay
off, the Ku Klux Klan. Whether
this advice was accompanied by
threats or by the actual withdrawal
of business, | do not know, but ]
do know that the Staff suddenly
pulled in its horns" and remain
ed muzzled up to the time 1 left
the territory. This incident is cit
ed to show the power of this ultra
secret system in effectively paral-
yzing the freedom of the press, and
other towns and cities where Ku
Kluxism has thoroughly inoculated
communities with its deadly poison.
While working among the differ
ent towns in my territory, we no
SANOu III lnO papers uCCdSlOudllY q
reference to some act of lawless-
ness or violence committed in other
states by men disguised in white
robes and masks. AS the details,
at the time, were very meager, and
as the Atlanta headquarters denied
that any of the members of the
Ku Klux Klan were connected with
them, the Klansmen in my field
paid but little attention to these
outrages. In fact, I, myself, did
not believe that the organization
could be guilty of committing such
open and fragrant outrages, until
| had a conversation with the King
Kleagle some time around June l,
1921. I had met him at Knox
vile for the purpose Of urging
that the charters for three towns
be Immediately granted. He began
talking about the work of the other
hIans, and stated that in Houston.
Texas, young negro, charged with
familiarity with white women, had
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