New-York tribune., 1922-11-20
Gov. Parker to See Hard.
ing To-day; Is Reported
Ready to Tell Him Ku-
Klux Rules His State
May Present Plea
For Intervention
Likely to Cite Lynchings
and Say Constitutional
Government Is Gone

From The 7ribnne's Washington Buroau
WASHINGTON. Nov. 19.-An appeal
to the Federal government "for aid in
breaking the strangle hold the Ku-
Klux Klan has on the State Of
Louisiana" will be made to President
Harding tomorrow by Governor John
M. Parker, of that state, according to
copyrighted dispatch from Baton
Rouge, La, printed in "The Washington
Post" this morning. The message is
from member of "The Posts" staff,
George Rothwell Brown.
Governor Parker is due here to-mor-
row morning, having made an engage
ment with President Harding for to-
morrow some time ago. At the White
House there was no inkling that Gov
ernor Parker wished to discuss the Ku-
Klux menace, it having been thought
thHt he wished to discuss flood con-
troll.
Attorney General Daugherty is ex-
pected to take up the matter of Fed
eral activity against the khan with
Governor Parker tomorrow. He is
understood to have been giving his
attention to the Louisiana situation as
we'll as to the kian's operations gen.
orally. He could not be reached to-day.
Armed Force Not Planned Yet
1t is not regarded as likely. that the
government contemplates use of
armed force against the "invisible en-
pire," for the present at least. What
it is believed may be done is for the
government to throw the weight of it's
influence behind the state authorities
and to join them in Investigating and
prosecuting those guilty of the conspir-
acy to nullify the laws of the state
and the nation.
1t was pointed out by one Louisian-
m her TO night that the state gov
ernment has had difficulty in obtain
Ling evidence against suspects in many
parishes because of khan control over
local officials, and it was his opinion
THAT Governor Parker may have de-
cided to appeal to the Federal govern
ment for the services Of the Depart
ment of Ju tice bureau of investiga-
n. of wnich William j. Burns is
chief, for help in tracking down those
involved in khan outrages. The fact
that there is reason to believe some
of the deeds committed in Louisiana
were engineered from outside the state
and indeed executed by persons from
other states was cited as ground for
enlisting Federal aid for the state
iorces.
Governor Parker is said to have been
/ stirred to bring his appeal to Wash
ington by the recent occurrence in
Morehouse Parish, where two men were
killed mysteriously and under circum-
stances that pointed toward klansmen
as being guilty. Efforts of the Baton
Rouge government to trace the crime
have been baked at every turn, the en-
tire community having apparently been
terrorized into silence. The khan is
said to be powerful also in Shreveport,
Monroe, Alexandria and Ruston.
1t was said here to-day that the Gov
ernor will cite in his conferences with
the President and the Attorney Gen
eral indications that klans in Arkan-
sas and Texas, in both of which states
it is vigorous, have been making law
less incursions into Louisiana.
Details of how the Ku-Klux controls
almost every phase of the state gov
ernment in Louisiana, even including
the courts, how it warns men whose
morals or conduct it's leaders do not
like to leave the community, where
upon they always leave without ques-
tion, are printed in Mr.. Browns dis
patch from New Orleans.
May Ask Intervention
Mr.. Brown asserts that Governor
Parker will lay all this before Presi-
dent Harding tomorrow and will in
sist that the Federal government,
under the section Of the Constitution
guaranteeing all the states repub-
! lican form of government, interfere
and restore orderly, legal government
| in Louisiana.
The constitutional guaranty on which
Governor Parker will appeal to Presi-
dent Harding, according to Mr.. Brown
is Article 4, Section 4, which reads as
| follows:
"The United States shall guarantee
to every state in this Union repub.
lican form of government and shall
protect each of them against invasion
AMI on application Of the Legislature
| tcantlnusd on gage tsros)