The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-11-21

"a islander on Louisiana and its chief executive"
 T did not see your correspondent" the letter said, and he made no ap- plication fer an interview. Most of his statements could have been dis proven had he made even the most superficial investigation."
 The governor declared there was Absolutely nothing" on which could have been based the statement thai machinery of the state government has almost ceased to Junction." add ing that there never had been the mt st remote idea on the part of any one in Louisiana Of appealing to the federal government to go into the state of Louisiana and take over the administration of government
 Denounces KIan
 Asserting that the article was go per cent inaccurate" and conveyed d t6 tally wrong impression. the gover- nor wrote, the damage done by it. and the importance given it by the display in the Post would be made the subject of conference on my re- turn to Louisiana, at which time 1t will be decided as to the further action that will be taken"
 Masked men and invisible em- pires have no place in America" the letter continued, and have de- nouneed the Ku Klux Klan as viz orously as I know how in it's own stronghold. We have only begun to fight this movement, which strikes at Fundamentals of orderly govern ment. We will be able to rid Loui- siana of this vicious development the more quickly if we can have the help of other states and of the federal, Na aff with our local situation if 1t can be cut off from the support and encour- agement it Is receiving from the out side.
 T have sought cooperation in an effort to meet the situation in the most immediate way and to free the people of some of our communities from the terrorism in which they are now held. Since the klan does not work in the open, I may say that the problem presented Is largely an investigatorial one.''
 Denies Conditions
 Announcing that he had been un- able to discuss the question on the floor of the House. because of an early adjournment of that body, Representative Aswell of Louisiana. issued a, statement tonight denying that the conditions in Louisiana were such as described by the Post arti- cles. He made public a telegram of inquiry sent to the sheriff and judges in the eight parishes of his district and their replies, each of, which reported conditions tranquil.
 If these published attacks em- anate from the governor of Louisiana or if he has advance knowledge of. or connection with the publication" said MT. Aswell's statement. The presents a humiliating and pathetic spectacle and he plays cheap pilitics to gain front page notoriety."
 In reply to this statement insofar as it referred to him, Governor Parker declared 1t was untrue" and added that Mir. Aswell's district was "one of the recognized heads of the Ku klux Klan of Louisiana"
 Explaining the situation in his state, MT. Parker said that condi- tions growing out of activities of the klan were serious in only sec tions. There has been some outrages, he asserted, including whippings by masked men and terrorism in some communities had followed.
 Two Disappear
 One of the inquiries conducted by the state authorities has been into the disappearance some weeks ago of Samuel Richards and Watt Dan fels from Merrouge and the whip ping Of Daniels aged father by a group of men in cowls. It is under stood that in this investigation the state authorities obtained informa- tion about the interstate connec- tions of the Ku Klux Klan. which led them to seek the co-operation of the federal government and other states.
 Correspondence with the depart ment of justice on the phase of the matter was begun sometime ago and request for conference with the President followed. It was declared that there never had been an inten- ton to ask for federal interference with the state. that the object sought was cooperation generally in remov- Ing what the governor terms the support and encouragement which he stated that the klan in Louisiana re- ceived from without the state Friends of Governor Parker asserted that the alleged klan activities was only one of the several matters which brought him to Washington. Others included his opposition to the ap- pointment of Walter Cohen, a negro, as comptroller of the customs at New Orleans. He was understood to have discussed this matter with Senators Ransdell and Broussard of Louisiana, in conferences at the capitol.