The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-18
Attorney General
Holds Articles Of
Incorporation Ar e
Defective, and Sec
retary of Stat e
Takes Under Ad-
visement Question
of Issuing Charter

Articles of incorporation filed by the
Ku KluX Klan here are defective.
They do not comply with the require
ments of the statute and the defects
are sufficient to justify the secretary
of state in refusing the klan charter,
Attorney General Keyes held Thursday
in n written opinion.
Secretary of State Milliken is I'll in
bed and Charles Armstrong, deputy
secretary of state, has taken under ad-
visement the matter of issuing char
ter to the khan.
In his opinion, Attorney General
Keyes declared:
''It is clear that the organization in
question is not embraced within the
class of any of the business corpora
tions specifically designated by stat
ute, nor does it claim to be religious,
educational or benevolent society, so
it is apparent that said organization
is seeking to be incorporated as n cor
poration not for pecuniary profit
'The addresses of the incorporators
are not disclosed, so that it may be as
certained if they are really citizens of
the United States. Nor is it anywhere
shown that the purpose is lawful, nor
are there any facts given by which it
can be determined whether or not the
organization is for pecuniary profit.
Purpose of Society Too Vague.
I'VE have no precedent for the in
corporation of any such society in this
state within my knowledge. In my
judgment, the articles presented in this
case are defective and do not comply
with the requirements of the statute.
The specification of the business and
objects for which the organization is
formed is too vague, general and indef
inite
How is the society to be formed?
What are the rights, duties and privi-
leges of membership? What is meant
or understood by a 'fraternal, militant
society? What principles of true
Americanism embodied in the consti-
tuition and laws of the United States
of America are referred 10 and how
are the same to be supported and
maintained?"
District Attorney Philip S. Van Cise
is pushing his investigation of the Ku
KluX Klan in Denver
A dozen illnesses, all members of
the klau, 8ccording to the district at
tOrney's infOrmants, and including
several leading attorneys and city Of
ficials, have been called to testify at
IN,,.. .f 10 tx..
jury.
On the list subpoenaed are the
names of Harry G. Saunders, attorney,
and clerk of Magistrate Henry Bray's
court; Charles Lewis, clerk of Judge
G. j. Morley's division of the District
Court; Louis Uland, traffic director in
the city department of safety Dean
Giles, secretary to Walter b. Lowry,
manager of parks and improvements;
Attorneys Bert Martin and Lewis
Rush; w. II. Given, A. Z. Williams, A.
Ferguson and Francis Evans.
Dr. ]. G. Locke, one of the alleged
leaders of the khan here has been re-
called, following his appearance last
Friday, in connection, it is understood,
with certain alleged statements deny
ing he is identified with the organiza-
ton.
klan Prepares to Extend Activity.
The khan is embarking upon a new
program, according to investigators,
which may take them into every sec
tion of the state. They will "carry on
in their original purposes, both here
and in outside towns, officials have
been informed, and will push the work
already mapped out.
at is our intention to find out who
the incorporators are, and l was glad
to see the attorney general had held
up approval of the charter until we
could fully probe the matter" the dis
trict attorney declared.
1.-The names given are undoubtedly
aliases, for we can't find trace of any
such men in Denver The fellow Stem
more is unknown to any directory or
organization here thus far"
That the khan might possibly at
tempt to change its meeting place, or
that it might retire to outlying dis
tricts, was possibility which officials
were considering Thursday.
The district attorney is investigat-
ing report that a Denver district
judge may himself be a member of the
klan.-Denver Post.