The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-10-15

American historians a hundred
years from now will record the Khan
achievements in the Sixties and
Twenties as a bright and inspiring
chapter in the evolution Of the
greatest Nation the world has ever
known. They will declare that the
Klan, in both periods, was an i'm
perative necessity in the American
ization, as far as was possible, of the
mongrel and hyphenated hordes which
had swarmed into the country until
there were more of them, adhering
to their Old World languages and
ideas, than there were people in the
United States at the close of the Con-
federate War.
One of the thrilling incidents which
the historians will record as typical
of the spirit of the Khan in the Sixties
will be the final order of the Grand
Wizard for the dissolution Of the
mysterious and powerful organization
in 1870.
Follows now an authoritative &C.
count of this inspiring incident, writ
ten by Mr.. R. J. Brunson in April,
1913 in volume of facts concerning
the Klan which he alone could write,
perhaps, being one Of the surviving
founders and famous organizers. The
title of the book is "Historic Pulaski"
copyrighted in 1913 by Mr.. w. T..
Richardson of Pulaski, Tenn, where
the Order was first organized and
which remained throughout the exis-
tence of the Klan it's central seat of
authority. Mr.. Brunson was one of
the great figures in the original Or
der. General Nathan Bedford For
rest, of Confederate cavalry fame,
was the Grand Wizard, the supreme
commander-his position correspond
ing with that of the Imperial Wizard
of the Khan of the Twenties. Mr..
Brunson says:
"When the mission of the Ku Klux
Klan in retaining the South from the
carpetbag rule had been finished, the
disbanding of its members was at
tended with weird ceremonies, still
fresh in the memory of many of the
faithful men. Perhaps the most I'M
ique and weird of all the ceremonies
attended the disbanding of the Nash
vile Den, led by John w. Morton, ex-
Secretary of State, who lived in
Davidson County. The last act of the
real Klan was a warning to the
spurious Klan, organized for lawless-
ness, by marching through the streets
of Nashville.
"The original Khan was organized
to protect the homes and the liberties
of the South. White, the symbol of
purity, was the most appropriate COL
or of their uniform. After their
work was done and they had dis
banded by order of General Forrest,
some reckless frebrands, who had
private hatreds to appease, organized
bands of nightriders, and had the
audacity to call themselves the Ku
Klux Klan. Some strange sense of
the eternal fitness of things, how
ever, made them discard the white
robes of the real Khan and don fam
ing red, which has always been the
badge of bloodshed, of anarchy, and
of disorder. No wonder their evil
deeds inspired a temporary reign of
terror, until they were wiped out of
existence! For a time the story of
their crimes was attached to the real
Ku Klux Khan, but as time passed
even the people of the North learned
to distinguish between the real and
the bogus Klans.
"The order for the dissolution of
the Klan issued by General Forrest
was in every way characteristic of the
man. When the whites had redeem
ed six Southern States from negro
rule in 1870, the Grand Wizard knew
that his mission was accomplished,
and issued an order at once that the
Khan be disbanded. The execution