Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-12-20

DR.. z. T. Cody Writes About
Ku Klux Khan.
The following editorial OH the Ku
Klux Khan, from the pen of DR.. q. L.
Cody, editor of the Baptist Courier,
will be read with general interest:
"There is a great deal of nervous
ness about the Ku Klux Khan. The
attitude of some of u great dailies
towards it takes for granted that it is
nothing but a secret order for law
lessenss. This last is the attitude OF
the mayor of New York and it seems
of many other officials. From time to
time the papers carry accounts OF
the lawless deeds of men wearing the
Khan regalia, and these deeds are
credited to this order. It is also a
fact that great many of our citizens,
who seek only the best for our coun-
try, look askance at the Khan and fear
the course which, they think, it will
almost certainly take.
"We do not know anything of this
order that any other outsider does
not know. If this editor knows a sim
ole member of the Khan he does not
know it. The only things that he GER
tainly knows of that have been done
by Khan people have been certain
contributions made to evangelists In
meetings. All of us look on that as to
their credit. The Khan is reported to
be a Protestant organization and
made up only of white people. 1t is
certainly the object of suspicion by
Catholics and colored people. We
take for granted that it is its name,
with old associations, that has aroused
the negroes. Much of the evil and
wide publicity that has been given
the khan appears to be from Catholic
sources, and is therefore, the product
of prejudice. We believe that the
Khan ought not to be judged by any
such propaganda. Unfortunately the
governments chief of detectives, Mr..
BURNS. is a member of the Knights OF
Columbus, and while, perhaps, ne
would seek to be impartial, yet any
investigation made while he is head
of the secret service would not COM
mand respect; and very likely, the
clamor for investigation comes, d.
rectly or indirectly, from the secret
politics-religious organizations of
which Chief Burns is an honored
member.
"This organization ought to be
Judged on what it is, rather than on
what it's enemies write of it either out
of u%nreasoning prejudice or with sec,
tartan malice. 1t ought not, we think,
ito be finally condemned on its most
unfortunate name. But it must be
said, that it is to be held responsible
for choosing a name that is inextrlca'
|bly interviewer with lawlessness, and
lalong with the name, the regalia. II
the Khan is finding that the public is
discriminatory charging it up with
Iall manner of crime it has itself
largely to blame for this. If the Klar
is finding that evil men use it's regalis
when they are on lawless errands the
Klan ought certainly to have known
beforehand that it was opening agar
this opportunity to mischief ane
crime. AS for ourselves, we do not be
lieve that the order is guilty of thu
things here and there, done under it
disguise. But it has, without doubt
revived a method of intimidation tina
lis fraught with all manner of evi
and of trouble; and, this is no small
matter. We believe that it was
grave mistake. Even though the mo
tive of. those who created the Klal
was noble, as we believe it was, We