Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-07-18
The Modern Ku Klux Klan
CONTINUED from Page one.)

been taken out into the country
and mutilated. The King Kleagl'
said that this was done by the Hou
ston Klan, which ran things its owl
way, as it had the mayor, the po
lice force and practically all Of th'
politicians.
During the months of May AM
the early part Of June, 1921, Will
following a busy routine, I began
studying the Ku Klux movemen
and going carefully into every de
tail that suggested itself. l hat
already become suspicious of th'
movement as a result Of the ap
parent zone man power" Of Sim
mons as exemplified in his scheme
of employment of Kleagles; the
questions that had been asked me
had started a second line of in
vestigation; and then third cause
of dissatisfaction arose from a
feeling of disgust at the way in
which the work was propagated.
1 jumped at no hasty conclusions
in the matter, but a gradual feel
ing of revolt against the movement
developed in my mind, which feel
ing l communicated to few friends
1 also asked several members OF
the organization, with whom 1 was
intimately acquainted, what they
thought of the organization, and !
found that my own doubts and
fears were shared by them: The
leader of the Kingsport Klan was
an out-and-out skeptic on the
whole movement. Then again, from
inquiries I had made as to the
work in nearby towns outside my
territory, 1 learned that Kleagles
were selling memberships as they
would sell insurance or stock.
| Although 1 was supposed to can
vass for members, L made it a
rule, during my period of service
as Kleagle, to do no soliciting
whatever. My system was to es-
tabEsh a membership committee in
each community In my territory
and permit the committees to sell
ect their own material. This pol
| icy made the personnel in my ter
ritory very high, as each individ-
ual was elected to membership be-
fore he was invited to join the
organization.
In addition to its force, the prop
agation department Of the Ku
Klux Klan, I learned, uses motion
pictures and paid lecturers to
spread the germs of Ku Kluxism.
There is a picture entitled, "The
Face at Your Window" that is be-
ing used extensively as an aid to
the canvassing Kleagles. The film
company arranges with the local
Kleagle to have this picture ex-
hibited on a certain day, and each
klansman is requested to bring
friend with him to see it. At the
close of the performance the Klans-
man hands his friend an applica-
tion blank and through the psychol-
ogical effect of the picture usual
ly gets the other to join. The sys-
tenn of using lecturers seems tc
help considerably to swell the Kr
klux roster.
Still another method of winning
members was by newspaper adver,
tising. The Exalted Cyclops, the
head, of the Knoxville Klan show,
ed me the copy for a full page ad-
vertisment that his Klan intended
inserting in the Knoxville papers
to secure the five hundred member
ship necessary before their Klan
could procure a charter. | saw that
such wholesle solicitation of mem
bers could have but one result
inevitably the control of this Sc
cret organization would pass into
hands least competent to exercise
lit.
As I became more familiar with
the movement, as it was being
propagated elsewhere, and from
my own study and observation,
reached some definite conclusions.
From the first, 1 had observed
carefully the classes of men who
were being enrolled, the motives
for their enlisting, and the effect
the organization had upon them.
The result as whole had been dis
turbing, but it was from my study
of the organization itself that |
finally turned in revulsion from it.
1t was not easy to get the real
facts. 1 asked many questions, both
in writing and orally, Of the King
Kleagle, some of which he could
answer, but most of them he could
not. The Constitution of the or
ganization 1 could not get. The
King Kleagle had no copy and had
never seen copy. 1t was rat un-
til short time before my with
drawal that L was shown the con-
stitution and the reading of the
document confirmed all too well the
suspicious 1 had already formed