Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-12-15

hind masks. The men who win
tered at Valley Forge may hav'
been compelled to swathe theil
bleeding feet in gunny sacks, bu
history does not record that tney
concealed their faces from the win
try blasts or from the British sol
dlery. The man who stands II
the halls of congress to assist il
the enactment OF our laws turn;
his face to the full gaze of al
American audience and says whaJ
he thinks.
The highwayman, the bandit OF
| the thug uses the mask to shield
his identity, that his infamou.
deeds may not find him out ano
undo him.
1t is not SO much what this or
ganization itself does, perhaps, al
what it leads to. Unthinking,
ignorant, bigoted and inflamed
persons have committed grave
crimes behind the name Of the Ku
Klux Klan. Are not our papers
full of denlals on the part of Off
GERS of that organization that they
have countenanced or permitted
this raid or that outrage? What
sort of an organization is it that
| t11tIcf fOpoUay, CT 11nOn tho 10
fensive agains the acts of people
outside of its pale, who mas
querade as members Of such Or
ganization?
Discusses School Bill.
1t is not what this organization
pretends to stand for that counts
1t is the wreck that follows in its
wake.
| read no brief against a great
body of it's membership, that has
entered it in an idle, or deluded
moment. But men of sense and
patriotism should withdraw when
they see in what direction 1t IL
leading us and to what depths ii
may drag our nation.
In Oregon we have just enacted
into a law bill known as the
compulsory school bill. The pur-
pose of this bill was to compel
every child between certain years
to attend the public schools.
1t must be remembered that
Oregon already had one of the
best compulsory school laws in the
land. Under it every child of GER
tain years was compelled to at
tend school, either public or pri-
yate. Under it no private school
could operate unless it operated
on certain well defined standard.
laid down by the state superin
tendent of public instruction and |
the state board of education.
The name of the law was a mis-
nomer. 1t was intended to de- |
ceive. The percentage of Hitter
acy in Oregon is comparatively |
small, and the standards of its
schools, both public and private,
being raised. Children
could not evade educ/tion, MOI |
could their parents evade it for
them. There was no necessity for
a compulsory school bill, and as a
result those who advocated the
measure must have been actuated
by other motives than the mere
motive to compel attendance at
school, the ostensible motive OF
insuring to every child a primary
and grammar grade education
These already had been amply
provided for.
Parents Made Puppets.
The theory of the newly en-
acted law seems splendid at first
blush. But this bill Russianizes
the state, it depriyes the parent
Of practically all rights of educa-
Lion over his children. 1t is the
supreme effort at injecting religi-
0us hatred and feuds into COM
nonwealth that for three-quarters
Of century has boasted of its
pure Americanism.
Let other states beware. This
school movement, So
,alled, is not confined to Oregon.
oregon is the experimental sta
ion, the spawning ground for a
imilar crop of bills. It's success
n Oregon means it will be tried in
lther states. Already its enact ,
nent had been attempted in few,
nly to meet with disastrous fail
ire. But here 1t has been stamped
With success and it gives its ex-
onents new courage to step out ,
nto new fields. A sister state is
he first ayowed objective of the
ackers of this movement, and ef-
orts will be made to make the {
lovement nationwide. L. l..
'owell, the king kleagle of the
'regon khan and chief of the {
department for the
acific northwest, only a rev Gays
efore l left Oregon announced
trough the press that after his
ictory in Oregon he was moving
, Washington to Ku Klux that /
ate and secure the passage of a
school bill idenilca,
18th the one foisted onto Oregon
Everywhere this movement goes