The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-09-28

OKl lAH0mA DESP0T STILL RULES
WITH FER0CI0uS MADNESS
STATEMENT BY KLAN BARES REAL ISSUE.

ment and declaration.
(Signed)
TULSA KHAN NO. 2, KNIGHTS
OF THE KU KLUX KLAN."
In a separate statement Rogers
said:
GAS the authorized attorney of Tul-
sa khan, No. 2, Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan, 1 am authorized to make
the following statement:
"The executive committee of the
Chamber of Commerce in an inter
view in the morning paper has thrown
up its hands and admitted its inabil-
ity to cope with, and has unjustly
and unfairly attempted to throw the
burden of the intolerable local situa-
tion upon the shoulders of Tulsa Klan.
"If the committee of the Chamber
Of Commerce then desires to desert
the Klan in its patriotic efforts to ex-
ecute these principles and allay the
miserable and disgraceful conditions
in our city, the Khan must continue
to work without them.
"The Klan since its organization
has been the chief exponent of law
and order; it has ever sought to sup
port and sustain the officers of the
law; it has rendered every assistance
to and has ever acted through the
constituted authorities of the law; it
has consistently condemned lawless-
ness in high places as well as low
without partiality; it has never
sought to control or dominate the
constituted authorities and officers of
the law; and no officer owes it any
subserviency nor the slightest obliga-
ton contravening his oath of office.
The Klan stands for equal, impartial
and exact justice to all citizens. It
has actively aided the officers Of the
law in apprehending criminals-as an
example of which it delivered into
the hands of the sheriff the murderer
of Harry Aurandt, one of which is
now at large through executive Gle
mency. This the Klan condemns.
Disclaims Blame for Causes
"The Klan since its organization
has been is now, and will continue to
be dedicated to the observance of law,
and order and to the maintenance,
support and assistance of the duly
constituted officers of the law. It
disclaims any responsibility whatso-
ever for the causes leading to the
presence of the militia in Tulsa; it
denies that there was the slightest
excuse or justification for martial
law in this city. It condemns, it has
condemned, and does condemn law
lessness, whether done by private
citizens or public officers, by the
high as we'll as the low. It is stern
ly opposed to martial law, the sup
preston of free speech and free press
and to the suspension of the sacred
writ of habeas corpus.
IF the Chamber of Commerce is
correctly informed as to the alleged
lawless conditions alleged to exist in
our city is true, then the Klan again
calls upon the committee of the
| III ~. bar ~ Tox,oro oroo - oss:,4 - -,
relieving such conditions; and if 10
per cent of the alleged lawlessness
does exist in this city then the Klan
urges the governor to maintain and
continue his military force in the city
and to not desert us in such a hor-
rible situation as he alleges exists;
but upon the contrary to join the
Klan in our continued efforts to see
that law and order is upheld and that
such alleged lawless condition may
cease. However, the Klan calls at
tention to the fact that the alleged
situation of lawlessness of which the
governor complains existed, if at all,
more than two years ago and the
Klan points with pride that such al
legged conditions are not now the facts
and that Tulsa is cleaner, more moral,
more peaceable and less lawless than
ever in it's history, which happy con-
dition the Klan nationally aided in
bringing to pass.
Klan Makes Promise
Therefore the Klan urges the ex-
ecutive committee of the Chamber of
Commerce not to desert our city in
its extremity and that both said COM
mittee and military committee and all
religious, fraternal and civic bodies
join in aiding the Kan to continue its
self-sacrificing patriotic effort to rid
our city of the intolerable condition,
to put down lawlessness, to aid, main
tain and support the constituted au-
thorities to ascertain and punish the
guilty, whethere in the high places
or low. To all of which the Klau