The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-11
Efforts to Establish "Invisible
Empire VIII Be PrObed.
Reports From Many Communi-
ties Indicate Gain in Members.
|KLAN BIDS FOR SUPPORT
Real Town Row Has Developed
Over COncOrdia Trouble.
Rights of Khan Checked Up to
Attorney General.

Governor Allen today outlined his
course in what seems to be the next
big fight in Kansas-the Ku klux
Klan. With report on his desk from
Judge James A. McDermott covering
Klan Investigations, the governor de-
clared he would probe efforts to estab-
lish the invisible empire" in Kansas
and would Immediately direct the at
torney general to go into the legal
status of the case.
General state Investigations are to
follow the receipt of reports from
number of communities which recent
ly indicated followers of the fiery
cross are gaining strength In the
last few weeks the klan has apparent
ly invaded many wealthy farming and
stock raising communities. Governor
Allen asserted today that new mem
bers are being enrolled and pay $40
for membership, with twice that much
additional for rega1ia- State officials
have no approximate figures as to
strength of the organization in the
state.
klan Activities Spread.
Several weeks ago it looked as tho
Klan strength was limited to a num-
ber of communities in the Third and
Eighth congressional districts. Then
it spread to Wyandotte county, in the
Second. and in the last ten days has
appeared in a number of communities
in the Fourth and Fifth districts, as
well as in the short grass country OF
the Sixth and Seventh districts.
Last week the Klan made a bold
public bid for support in a page ad-
vertisement which appeared in the
Barber County Index, in Medicine
Lodge. The Index, Democrat pub
lication, is printed in the home town
4.,f FTtnnher nf s.
Seventh district.
Recently Judge McDermett of the
| industrial court conducted a special
| investigation for the governor in Cow
! ley county This probe concerned al
| legged sending of warnings to a num-
| Der of Arkansas City people who ex-
pressed Klan opposition. Judge Nc
Dermott's report is now on the gov
1 ernor's desk but has not been exam
| ined.
Town Row at COncordia.
| In Cloud county a real town row
| has engulfed Concordia, the county
/ seat and for the present at least the
! old newspaper feud is forgotten and
| all of the three papers are openly
| fighting klan inyasion. Cloud county is
! the home of hundreds of Catholics and
| prosperous farmers.
| Some indication of the Concordis
| trouble is given in a recent report to
the effect tfrat a delegation has asked
/ for the removal of Sid Knapp as post
! master because he is reported to have
attended a K. K. K. meeting. Officers
! of a Concordia bank were said to have
| been under fire of Klan opponents be.
| cause of a report that two of the EN-
ployes attended the meeting.
1t seems someone obtained list o1
! the persons who attended the Con
cordia meeting and a merry bit oi
trouble has been loose in the com
muflity since that time. Governor Al
len today denied knowledge of the
Concordia situation He refused tc
| discuss any local situation, but said
| his investigation of the Klan would be
| general.
Up to Attorney General.
Rights of the K1an to do business
! in Kansas without a charter have mo-
F been determined. The questfon ha:
/ been checked up to the attorney gen
| erals office.
/ no K. X. X headway may be ex
pected in New York or the big cite:
of the east where religious and racia
/ preju udices are not SO conspicuousll
exposed" said Governor Allen in com
menting on Klan development in Kan
sas and other midwestern states. "Th'
/ Ku Klux Klan is small town stuff in
stead of city material"
The governor said that the khan re
flied on an appeal to prejud.ceS agains
Catholicism, the racial hatred OF TN
Jew and the color antipathy agains
the negro in promoting enthusiasm
for its cause.
Two Kinds of Klansmen-
| 'It is the A P A, p1us black maj
stuff, plus racial prejudIce of the He
brew. all wrapped up in an American
flag" was Governor Aliens definition
of the organize ton. There are tw'
kinds of klansmen," the governo
continued. There is the respectabi
citizen with high sense of law an'
order responsibility. Then there j
the roughneck who sees in the or
ganization his hope of terrorism"
Some weeks a~o the governor re
fused to permit parades of robed am
hooded knights. Now he is launchin
an investigation that may challenG
attention to Kansas as much as dur
ing the recent railroad shop str1k
when transportation lines were KEEP
$. open thru operations of the industria
court act.