Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-16
WOODRUFF CALLS
ON GOVERNOR ABOUT
TROUBLE At W|NDER

r. l.. Woodruff, prominent manu-
Ifacturer and merchant, of Winder,
called on Governor Hardwick Thurs
| day afternoon to discuss with him
privately the strained situation De-
tween himself and the Ku Klux Khan
of that city, growing out of his &C.
ttivities as a grand jury foreman last
spring, when several men, alleged to
be Klansmen, were indicted on va
rious charges growing out or night
riding.
| After the conference, Governor
Hardwick made public g. letter he
had written to Mr.. Woodruff ana
delivered to him in person, to be read
at a mass meeting to be held In the
Barrow county courthouse Friday
morning, for the purpose of making
a. second effort to pass resolution
declaring for law and order. A mass
meeting was held last Friday and
the resolution was introduced ana
discussed, being defeated by vote
of so to 81.
Governor Hardwick had previous
Ilv announced, before the arrival Oh
Mr.. Woodruff m Atlanta, his inten-
ton to send Adjutant General Pope
to Winder to make an effort to pre-
vent trouble between Mr.. Woodruff
and the Khan.
| Disregards Warnings
ct told the governor" said Mr..
Woodruff to newspaper men AFTER
the conference, that have received
warnings not to attend the mass
meeting. I told him L would pay
no attention to these warnings.
eff any attack is made upon me,
believe it will not be made open
lv. but from ambush, and for that
treason I do not believe a sheriff's
posse or a military guard around my
house would be of any avail
"What we need in Barrow county
| Is to create a sentiment against Ku
Klux Khan lawlessness. That is why
we intend to keep on having citi-
zens' mass meeting until we can
get a resolution passed.
"There were two remarkable
| things about the mass meeting last
Friday. One was that the mayor
and sheriff, who were present, would
not vote for the law and order reso'
luton. They did not vote against
it, neither did they vote for it. They
| mo OF
other remarkable thing was that
some men not especially friendsly
! to me, in q personal way, spoke for
and voted for the resolution, while
number of the best friends I've got
stood up as stiff as ram rods against
| the resolution. This led me to be-
| lieve that the khan must have
powerful binding oath upon its mem
bers.
Fears Only for Family
| my main apprehension is not on
my account, but because of my wife
and married daughter, who lives
with me. They are troubled with
terrible nightmares and cannot
sleep. They are afraid the Ku Klux
Khan is going to raid our home at
night.
personally, do not believe they
|
at all. If they attack me, it will be
from ambush"
| Governor HardWick's letter to Mr..
| Woodruff to be read to the mass
meeting Friday morning was as fol-
lows:
December 70, 1922.
''Hon. Robert L. Woodruff,
| "Winder, Ga.
| my Dear Mr.. Woodruff:
II have read with deep regret of
the threats that have been made
against yourself and Colonel Duke
Ross, and of the conduct of the Ku
Klux Khan in it's parade and it's i'm
piled threats against you both.
"It is needless for me to say that
+ am not only grieved, but outraged,
at such conduct on the part OF any
citizens of Georgia, and that, not
only my sympathies go out to Colo
mel Ross because of these dastardly
and cowardly threats against you
both, but also because of your brave
and unflinching stand for the cause
Of law and order, dencency and JUS
tice, humanity and civilization. IN
our beloved state.
"I understand that you are to have
a mass meeting in Winder on next
Friday, to discuss the extraordinary
situation that is present there. If
my official engagements for the
week were not such as to prevent
| me from attending the meeting in
| person, without grave Inconvenience
| to others, [ should be there, to eX-
| press, in plain and unmlStakable
| terms, my contempt for the towards
| who have assailed you, and my keen
| admiration for your gallant stand
| for law and order.
| Wants Letter Read
'I should be glad if you would read
| this letter at the meeting, so that
there may be no MISUNDERSTANDING
| in Winder or anywhere else, about
my position with reference to this
affair.
''There is no room in Georgia for
invisible government of any kind or
character, and people who insist on
wearing masks in public places
should, in my opinion, be severely
punished. Such conduct should be
made unlawful in this state and in
all other states. We have no room
or place in Georgia for any man or
| set of men who shall undertake TO
regulate and censor the conduct OF
other men, outside of the courts and
outside of the laws. People who do
that are simply criminals, and come
nit a graver offense against public
| Injustice tina many offense that can
possibly be committed by any one OF
| their victims.
"Such conduct must be checked in
Georgia, if this state is to preserve
| her civilization and is to remain
| fit place for decent people to inhabit.
| 1t may be that my language is rath-
| CIR hui nnnnn a