The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-06
chApTEp .
D,ssAMpMeMT OF THE KHAN


(CentlMuod From Yesterday
The activities Of the Ku Klux Khan
aroused great hostility among the war
governors. carpetbag officials, agents
Of the Freetimen's Bureau. and the
Federal military commanders.
The first legislative action by
Southern State to curb the activity
Of the Khan was begun In 1S6S. In
September OF that year Governor
t.rownlow. Familiarity known rs par
SON. BrOwniow. governor Of Tennes.
see. called the State Legislature In
session and had nm act passed plac-
ing q rigid ban ON the Khan. This act
provided that any person who had
any connection with the Khan was to
b. fined not less than $500 and I'M
priscued in the penitentiary for not
less than Ave years. To give aid or
comfort. or 10 shelter or feed any Klu
Kluxer subjected any person to the
same penalty. In an endeavor to
make the statute effective. informers
were to receive. where a conviction
occurred, hall OF the $500 fine. This
law also provided that any citizen
had authority to summarily arrest a
Klansman anywhere within tho
bounds Of the state without process
OF law. and it even went so far as to
give authority to any citizen to arrest
4 person under suspicion Of being a
kllnsman. Few arrests were made,
AMI the law was practically dead
letter. The Khan was particularly we'll
| organized at that time in Tennessee
having about 10000 members. instead
OF infurmers prosecuting the Klans
men, the new law at first had the eff
| feet of increasing the determination
of the white population to assist the
Khan more than ever. "ParsOn'
fsrownlOw made vigorous efforts to
enforce the law while he was COVER
nor OF Tennessee. but was not able td
accomplish much toward breaking "
the Khan in that state.
| Notwithstanding the severe provis
ions OF the law, the Khan operated il
Tennessee successfully for nearly i
year 1t disbanded, not because OF Tho
law, but because conditions HAD
changed. The Tennessee law was 10;
lowed by similar action in othe
states, notably Alabama and Missisa
ippi Alabama passed a law in 1866
modelled on the Tennessee law. ant
the Mississippi Legislature acted il
1870 Two years later the Congress
sIonal investigation Of the Khan oc
Cured.
In February. 1869 Gen. Nathan Bed
ford Forrest. resident Of Memphis
Tennessee. the Grand Wizard" o
organization, issued proclamation
70 the members Of the "I:visible En-
pire.' This proclamation described
the action OF the Tennessee Legisla
,ure against the Khan. and went OF
l1hc state that the Khan had largel
accomplished the purpose for which
Il had been organized. and that rot
berry, crime. and lawlessness had bee,
suppressed. Present conditions, sat
the Grand Wizard" afforded ade
Quate protection TO property. life. an
society The South was not lonee
fearful for lives or property Tin
Grand Wizard" declared that he ha'
complete authority to do anytime
that he wished for the benefit OF III
Order. and he therefore declared tn
klan dissolved aud disbanded Tn
proclamation was addressed 10 all O
the subdivisions of the Invisible En-
pire' Some Of the Klans obeyed tn
proclamation and some did not l.
Tennesssee the "Dens" were soon de
banded because that state had recos
cred Constitutional government an
Tho reconstruction regime had practi
ca'ly ended
Though many 'Dens" were disband
cd in Tennessee in 1869 and 1870 i
other states parti, uldflv Mississippi
an! Alabama the local Kluns continI
oil their operations a5 late rs The IA
~ ieT,
Aa'han te,fo.' Forrest was III
tlountelly the best man in the entir
South to serve the organization as III
Grand Wizard He acquired a rept
tation as great strategian. tacticlar
and hard tighter in the Confedeiat