The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-11

to defeat any candidate who is I
 Invisible Empire. The decision was arrived at after
 many members Of the organiza-
 tion. including Lieut.. Gov Nat
 L. Miller, Judge Horace Wilkinson,
 White Gibson and many other prom
 inent attorneys, had urged the asso-
 ciation to give up the fight against
 the K1an that would inevitably lead l to split and propabiy the complete
 disruption of the Birmingham Bar
 association.
 }l No Legal Evidence
 The contention of the members
 against carrying on the fight against
 the Klan following refusal of the
 city commission to pass an ordinance 5 preventing masked parades. was that no evidence was before the associa- tion on which to legally and fairly
 condemn the Klan. | Opposing forces ledAby Capt. k Frank S. White,v Borden d Burr, c. P. BeddOw and others, A insisted that the action of the lA association at its last meeting ftN RG Oa tAc tnaI X the Iuan was q menace to con- ,h stitutionnl government and m { enemy of the association. 'A- Marvin Woodall, president of the bar association, presented the mat
 ter fairly before the meeting and stated that if the members meant to fight it would be a real fight and if they did not it would be no fight Rt alls
 II Feeling Ran Hlgh | Feeling ran high and on several occasions sensational charges were : made against opposing sides. lt Dupont Thompson declared A during his talk thatI "rhe city \ commission has nothing to do A with the Bar association. and if A its members are ns yellow ms 3 the city commission they had n just as well give up the fight" ' On motion by Judge Horace Will kinson. the meeting was made an open one instead of an executive ses- sion and large crowds congregated In the room during the meeting, s.s Several were present who took part in the city commission meeting last week when such a denfonstra~ ton was made by supposed members 
 was waged between members of the bar. |" Questionnaire Sent Out
 President Woodall stated that de- spite promises of DuPont Thompson that he would withhold the sending out of the questionnaire to candidates until after the meeting of yester- day, the document had been mailed and that the matter must be brought ! to conclusion.
 Many candidates for various offices were present and sever < al of them took active part in { the discussfOn.
 q The most distinctive of these arr . guments was the charge by M. J. l. Stiggins. candidate for judge, that the leaders in the fight against the Klan were professional politicians and he challenged those present to deny it. No denial was forthcoming but MT. Stiggins said he had not , asked a single lawyer to vote for him and he never would. 3 Capt. Frank s. White and c. P. Beddow delivered passionate pro- tests against the Klan and declared they would wage eternal warfare on the invisible society. 1s Fight the Klnn 2 George Bondurant, a member of ! the original committee that ap- peared before the city commission, added his voice to the proposition 1o fight the Kian. s,. Crampton Harris stated the 4 bar association had no right to N brand a man after he had Joined Av e secret organization that the ri bar association hnd not oposed f before and then punish him E for 1t.
 -tN ssLetss clean our own skirts
 first" shouted Mir. Harris. sLet,s
 fight our own battles and ac- U. compIish something ands not att |. tempt to embarrass many of our members who are running for Office."
 : Hugh Ellis declared for open and Intensive warfare against the Klan and urged the members to fight to the death.
 Wreck Organization
 'It'1l mean the wreck of this or Ranization if we undertake to fight the Klan." D. G. Ewing declared. we announce as proponents of trial by jury and deny the Ku Kluz Klan and any of our members who may be aligned with 1t. that same trial by 5pry."
 Borden Burr. declared the bar as- sociation may have been in error in starting the fight. but that it could not very well retreat.
 Davis s. Anderson, who offered a resolution that action of the bar at the previous meeting opening the fight on the Klan, be rescipded, de- rlared as the battle probably could not be carried on to victory, the next best thing was an honorable and rapid retreat.
 White Supremacy
 T understand that the Klan stands first and last for white supremacy" said Claude Ritter. and if it does I stand with them foursquare."
 Lieutenant Governor Miller de- =