Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-29
FACTIONS RUNNING
KHAN, {. \. CLARKE
y WRITES PRESIDENT

MS the dCI4V4IleS OIL an element
which is converting the the khan into
an organization vastly different from
the one planned by it's founders.
The letter was delivered at the
| White House today by Mr.. Clarke's
secretary, Edgar Fuller, and it was
said there that it would be sub
mitted to the president along with
the other mail of the morning re.
! curing his attention.
Clarke also announced his inten.
ton of issuing a proclamation to
! klansmen calling the better ele-
ment" either to take hold and
remedy the existing evils or to dis
band the organization.
The president was told by Clarke
that there had been "a steady with
drawal from the khan itself or from
participation in its active operating
CONTROL and that he had "volun-
tarily severed his active official
connection" with the organization
more than a year ago.
Various charges were made in the
letter against the activities of the
organization in disregard to the
high ideals, principles and pur-
poses" for which it was formed, and
these activities Clarke characterized
as a keen disappointment to me-"
Il am perfectly wiling" the let
| ter said, Ito assume. the moral re.
sponsibility which is rightly mine as
having been chiefly instrumental in
the building of the khan. In justice
to myself and the hundreds of thou.
sands of high-grade men who have
been drawn into the khan because of
30 Ill, L.
pies I cannot and will not rest pas
siVe and silent and sit idly by in the
face Of such conditions"
Clarke said in his letter that the
development of the khan as mapped
out was to have been through
scientific educational propaganda in.
| side the lodge room and through
printed literature, and by the estab.
lishment and great educational uni.
versities in different parts of the
nation and through the building OF
magnificent hospitals" The trend
recently, he said, had been in an
entirely different direction. Clarke
described himself in the letter as
the builder of ''the former controll.
ing element in the khan whose aims
and ideals still are the same as out
lined above in this communication"
and said he rendered the president
''all the assistance in my power" to-
ward forcing out certain elements
of the khan, thus permitting it to
| function as intended as a high tone,
character building active fraternM
| organization.
Text Of the Letter
The text Of Clarke's letter to the
president follows:
i AS the man most largely RESPONSE
bic for the building of the Knights
of the Ku kluX Khan, and having
! recently been confronted with iDdis-
| putab!e information and evidence
showing the prostitution o9 the ideals
and principles and purposes of the
khan, and also facts related 20 the
steady withdrawal of the better ele
ment either from the khan itself or
from participation in the active af
fairs of or operating control Of the
organization since [ voluntarily
severed active official connection
with the khan, now more than one
year ago, | take the liberty OF adj
dressing this communication to you,
the supreme head of our government,
to tender you any assistance in my
power to end the activities of an
element of our citizenship which has
crept into the organization and is
apparently in control thereof ard
making the khan as now operated
real menace to law and order, in
dividual rights and liberties and
democratic political government.
81 have received from widely scat
tered sections of the country direct
and authoritative information that
the khan is rapidly developing ma
| oh oh;
a regulatory law and order league,
and, in sections where it is strongest,
brazenly and openly superseding the
authority of the courts, and through
character sassination, intimidation
and actual physical violence, depriv-
ing American citizens of their con-
stitutional rights without due proc
ess of law or trial before jury of
their peers.
Not What Was Intended
1.-The positive and indisputable in
formation which has come to me as
to the gradual degradation and
despoilation o. the knights Of the
Ku kluX Khan, through disregard
of its high ideals, principles and pur-
poses, is a severe shock and keen
disappointment to me, and while I
am perfectly willing to assume the
moral responsibility which is rightly
mine as having been chiefly instru-
mental in the building of the khan,
! in justice to myself and the hun
! dreds Of thousands of high grade
men who have been drawn into the
| khan because of its declaration of
| ideals and principles, 1 cannot and
will not rest passive ana silent and
teif n ~, fl,a f1 Of
ditions and thus allow to fall on my
shoulders the blame for the out
RACES of justice, individual liberty
and respect for the courts and the
government resulting from the rape
OF the organization which has taken
place in the past year or eighteen
months time.
I'm the hearts of the founders,
| promoters and builders of the
knights Of the Ku Klux Khan it was
neve intended that the organization
! shout be either a law and order
| league or a political machine, hSlt
rather that it was to be an organi-
cation designed to upbuild and de-
VelOp spiritually, morally and phys
! ically the Protestant white men Of
America. The process through which
| this development was to take place
was designed to be through scien-
| tific educational opaganda inside
! the ledge room and through printed
! literature and by the establishment
! of great educational universities in
| different parts of the nation and
| through the building of magnificent
hospitals for the healing of the
physical ills Of mankind, including
definitely among these aims being
the worlds largest white pla que sani-
tarium and the largest dope curse
place Of refuge in America.
Law Respects ideals