The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-03
judicial Neutrality,

judicial Neutrality
Editor World In re: the klan and ant-klan
propaganda to which you have devoted the
Barometer" column OF The World
! neither for nor against the klan Not
being n member | know nothing about it---no
more than know OF the knights of Columbus,
Masons or any other secret order that am not
a member Of However, do know one thing
and that is that such questions have no place
In politics, and that those who are trying to in
ject this Issue into the November election are
grossly guilty OF betrayal OF a fundamental
principle Of this republic,
John Fields has on some OF his cards Vote
for the Man" and that Is what every citizen OF
regardless of his membership or noumember-
ship In any religious or secret organization
Whether % man is a member OF the klon or
Protestant or Catholic has no connection what
soeYer with hlE qualifications and fitness for
public office. There are rascals n an secret
orders and IN all the churches The question
ns TO what church II any, a man attends or is
a member Of should never be even so much as
INQUIRED into by "A real 100 pCr cent patriot. and
estants and Catholics who Judge q mans worth
and integrity by the standard of their own re-
ligIOus or fraternal belief or affiliations, are
not even per cent Americans In my humble
opinion. II lis possible for man 90 be an iuti-
H. or even an atheist and sim bo more gcnu-
lney American and more worthy ana chpdb"
OF serving the Interests OF all the people, re-
gardlcss OF religion, race, caste or any other out
side nOncssonual differences than many OF
those who prats hypocrlucally about their ire
ligiou" and their 100 per cent AmcricauisTn.
II may say one other thing, should Ake to
that both parties 10 this controversy are about
equally 10 blame Tor this strife and antagonlsm
that has arisen. The khan supporters are guilty
In go far as they havo provoked the question OF
religious or frHteruai tests as determining their
choice for public officials, and the khan oppo-
nenta are to blame In so far az thoy have op-
posed men for office for no other reason than
the fact Of their membership IN the khan.
Personally, / belong 10 no trntcrual organiza-
tlon and ! am not a member OF any church, but
| don't believe that am any tho less an Amer
lean because Of this fact, ! am not accustomed
TO shouting my patriotism from the housetops
and II Is my honest opinion that these kiansmen
and X. C.s and other fraternal fanatics who DO
40 are about three-fOurths wind and water
Just the other day "A prominent Catholic here
told me that no man could be member OF the
khan ana be a decent human being, or words 20
this effect and this morning man whom
have every reason 10 believe member OF the
khan was equally emphatic In the declaration
that all Catholics, especially r. C's are a Job
loT OF traitors and rasCals with no redecming
quality whatsoever Now In my judgment, both
are wrong-or rather, both are right; that IL, in
so far as these two referred to each other per-
sonally is concerned.
In conclusion, II will he tragic state OF af-
faiA IN this country when any other test save
that OF honesty and ability-in other words,