Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-11
GOVERNOR ORDERS
KLAN TO UNMASK
Georgia Executive Threatens to
Have Legislature Make Wear
ing DISCUSSES Criminal
KlUx CRITIC SllENCED

Atlanta. Ca. July 1.-THE knight
of the ku Klux Klan must voluntaril,
unmask or Governor Thomas W. Hard
wick will make an appeal TO the Geor
gia General Assembly. now in session
! to pass a statute making the wearing
OF masks IN Georgia II criminal action
Z according To letter which the Cover
nor has just written to W. W. Rainey
of Columbus. one Of his supporters in
his race for reelection, although op-
posed to him in his first contest. In
this letter the Executive makes 1t cleai
that he will not stand for mob law
and that no invisible empire shall
rule Georgia.
The letter reads in part:
II quite agree with you also that We
should not be intocrnnt even toward
honest. law abiding members Of the
XII Klux Klan. There are many hon .
est people who are in il and who went
into II with the highest and most pa :
triotic motives. for its creed and prin-
Ciples are patriotic and unnssailabe.
'Outrages by mobs Of masked men
are growing in number in this State.
however. and these performances must
he checked II is my earnest hope that
the leaders Of this organization may
promptly realize the necessity for dis.
carding the mask and for removing all
secrecy about their membership list
Unless they do it will be necessary
in the interests of the public and Of
law and order. to take strong steps to
make the wearing Of masks criminal
in this State. and shall unhesitatingly
advise and recommend such course to
our General Assembly
MuzzIe for Ex. Secretary
Louis D. Wade, recently ousted by
Edward Young Clarke as Imperial Xii
grapp secretary of the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan. has been temporarily
stopped by court order from max
ing further public statements that are
in any way derogatory to the Klan
or any member Of It's imperial family.
A temporary injunction was signed
Saturday by Judge John ID. HUMPHREYS
Of Superior Court and at once served
on Wade. This remarkable develop
ment in Ku Klux affairs created SEN
sation here.
Judge Humphries set the case for n
hearing next Saturday. Wade declared
he was afraid to make any comment
in view of the injunction He will
be represented at the hearing, he said.
Drawn Up at Palace
The petition of the Klan was drawn
at the Imperial Palace and was pre-
sented to Judge Humphries by Ben II.
Sullivan. a klan attorney. 1t charged
Wade with circulating 'defamatory
propaganda" against the Klan.
Acting on the allegations in the
petition. | temporarily enjoined Wade
from making derogatory statements
about the Klan or IT'S officers said
Judge Humphries AT the hearing
Saturday 1t will be determined IL the
injunction shall be dissolved or made
permanent.
Friends of Wade openly asserted here
that the courts order has stripped him
of his right of free speech. They also
considered significant the fact that Klan
attorneys presented their petition to
Judge Humphries instead of to Judge
Bell. of the civil division of the court.
who usually handles injunction suits
Judge Humphries is assigned to the
criminal division. and this is the first
injunction he has handled this year,
it was learned at the court house.
While Wade is stopped by the court
from criticizing the Klan. Acting In
perial Wizard Clarke continues to hand
out statements to the press assaiing
Wade as traitor who IL disgruntled
because he lost his job.