The Washington times., 1922-12-08
a)ANCER To
NATION
SEEN
Tells Of War vets Vanishing,
Seeking Bodies-Defends
Other Organizations.
BY JOHN C. KLEIN.
fCopyright, 1saa. by Cosmopolitan
Me-. a.r,,lns

ecopyrtght, 1s22. by Cosmopolitan
News ssrviee.)
Il want to wake up the nation,
% Tar as ] can, to the menace Of
the Ku Klux Klan," Gov. John M.
Parker Of Louisiana, who is pre-
pairing q legal battle with masked
members Of that organization in
his State, said upon arrival here
today. 1T il not q question af-
fecting Just the Catholics, Knights
Of Columbus, Jews or negroes, but
one Affecting all constituted au-
thority, q truly menacing situation,
as evidenced In my own State, that
permits q body Of men to take the
law into their own hands and TO
override constituted authority.
Would Tear OF Masks.
There is no forecasting when or
nnom what quarter the kind Of out.
RACES khan members perpetrate
may come. 1t IL the fact that they
are invisible as members Of an
extra-iegal empire that makes
them all the more dangerous. We
shall try. in Louisiana, to tear the
masks from their faces and public
OApOoO thOih.
Just what We may succeed In
accomplishing In our movement
AGAINST the khan in Louisiana can.
not be foretold. They have q great
deal Of money for defense and for
furtherance Of their plans.
They have In their ranks some
Of the ablest organizers In the
country. a. well a. lot Of re-
oourceful and crafty men, besides
professional men and clergymen.
10 deny their strength and the
SsE~sr they are to the community
wouid be childish. We have seen
what they were able to accomplish
n the recent elections In Oregon,
Ohio. Georgia and Texas.
Now. the khan has never yet
been landed We are trying to &C
complish that difficult task. It IL
"It II unthinkable that in our
present state Of civilization the
American people would permit any
body Of men dressed in 'nighties'
bought at exorbitant prices from the
soLcailed emperor and his crowd,
with heads covered with cowlH.
working under cover Of darkness, to
interfere with or supersede the
orderly administration OF Justice
through judicial channels.
Resorts TO Ridicule.
'sWhen we drive the members into
the open we shall be able to handle
them. The sweapon of ridicule, al
ways 4 most powerful and -sfficact
ous one. will aid greatly In bringing
this about.
Tine fact that there are many
fine men In the klan's ranks makes
the khan doubiy dangerous. One
factor which they have made use OF
n the influence they seek TO exert
through women, who do not realize
the danger Of the organisation to
arhc organizers play on the bet
ter feelings Of many women. II .
member Of some woman's family
has gone wrong, for instance, the
Khan tells the interested woman.
Often blame for the mans fall 10 put
on bootleggers or some offender
against society. Many women be
lieve such arguments. Or the Klans-
man tells the women the Khan 10 or
eanized, in part, to defend the sane
tity Of the home. always q strong
appeal.
and well meaning women believe
what Ia told them, not stopping to
realize that there are laws. and Of
ficials sworn to enforce such laws,
and that there In no need for aid
from the Klan or any illegal organi-
Rtion.
sI note that In some States forces
opposed to the Klan are declaring
that with the Khan, members Of the
Masonic fraternity, the knights OIL