San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-14

uuL 10 CldnOr LOT Tue eAlEeue puhisn-
ment of all involved in committing
them" 1t is the opinion of the Chat
tanooga Times, however, that ait is re-
sentiment against the action of the gov
ernor and not sympathy with the mob"
which has caused indifference at Mer
Rouge" and it holds that lit is hui
initiating as well as a demoralizing
thing for the authorities, of southern
states especially, to be thus admitting
that they are not able to manage their
own internal affairs. This all may be
true, but the Hartford Times believes
that "the normal, human, friendly give
and take of village life has been SUI
perseded by unnatural hate and fear"
at Mer Rouge, and "this is the Ku
Klux paradise, the logical consequence
Of masking, intolerance, bigotry and
mumbo- jumbo. And the Harrisburg
Telegraph suggests that, inasmuch as
the ku Klux has little to recommend
1t probably will die out for lack of an
issue"
death Blow to the Klan.'
The developments in Louisiana have
dealt "a death blow to the klan," the
st. Louis Globe Democrat feels, and
the publicity attending these barbarous
murders has been complete and pitt
less at every stage and is most fortu-
nate for there is no doubt that there
are thousands of members of the khan
who have been led into it in the belif
that its purposs are wholly righteous,
and who will not rest under an impli-
cation or suspicion that they are in any
way party to crime" Looking at
the situation from a neighborly view
point, the New Orleans States feels
that "the trials, in the interest both
Of the state and the prisoners should
be held in some other parish. Their
result will decide whether or not we
are to have orderly government or inVisi-
bic Observation-Disclosures the state is
to be supreme or the administration
of justice is to pass into the hands of
a masked mob" n the trials definitely
connect the khan with assassination,
the Scranton Times is convinced its
lend" will be in sight, but lin the
meantime there is plain duty con-
fronting liberal, clean-ninded, intelli-
gent Americans to sound a warning
and broadcast the danger which will
come from support or membership in an
organization like the khan, which hides
behind mask or hood, operates in
the dark, thrives on bigotry and mar
rowmindedness and is fearful of having
its. membership known to the world.
"Unspeak2ble and Foul"
Characterizing the murders as @un-
speakable and foul" the New Orleans
Item is convinced that the @United
States contains not one good citizen
possessing an elementary understand
ing of the foundations upon which free
democratic institutions rest who will
not hope that the impending inquiry
will uncover the whole horrible and
letestable guilt for this Morehouse par
ish attack On Louisiana's statehood. !"
1t should be remembered, however, the
Charleston Mail insists, that "klansmen
deny any connection with the crime, !"
and it points out that after individual
responsibility has been fixed ait will
be time enough to consider the ques-
ton whether any organization prompt
ed it, and if SO, what kind OF organi-
zation." Accepting this view the Bal
timore Sun inquiries whether "any khan
official can convince anyone that the
outrage which has shocked the nation
NOu1u nave OlCullNu NhOAbh tAS
Ku Klux Khan had never been resus-
citated from its grave? If this deed
was done BY others did not the klan's
example of masking and secrecy inspire
lit? The credit for compelling the in
vestigation is given by the Waterbury
Republican to Governor John Nj. Par
ker, who is "a genuine American" He
has refused to allow the murders to be
hushed up. 1t is salutary thing that
| one of the southern states has such a
man for governor. 1t cannot fail. to
make a deep impression on all of the
South and we may expect that klanism,
brought face to face with real 'Ameri-
canism, will suffer badly by the con-
trast.'
A Denial Of Freedom.
Another paper which considers the
khan morally, If not legally, guilty is
the Elkhart Truth, which insists it
"has sown the dragons teeth of dissen-
sion and the state is reaping the fruit
in passionate and disorderly outbreaks.
Whatever the purposes and principles
of the khan may be their application
has a vicious result. An organization
based on racial antipathy and acting
SecEtIll GuHbOb NC pubAASNiN "Nu ~
tainly Is not in harmony with the Amer
| lean spirit or its institutions. 1t is q
! denial of the freedom and unity OF
American life. 1t is an attempt to sup
plant civil and religious liberty with ir-
! responsible force" In addition, it is
the opinion Of the Rockford Star that
@the conditions in Louisiana should be
mn object lesson to men who may have
been inveigled into the khan by having
their patriotism appealed to, or to men
who have joined it for political or fra
| ternal reasons The state is being
| saved by ourageous official and the
state militia and the khan, whatever
may have been the aims of its pro-
motors or members, is rank enemy
of socity." The Springfield Union
commenting on the justification for the
1 khan voiced by DIR. McKoin, when ar
4 rested in Baltimore, insists that "the
masked murderers themselves were gun
men. All things considered, DIR. Nc.
4 Koin's apparent effort to palliate. il
not Justify the murders, and to clotht
the Ku Klux Khan in purity and virtue
is lacking CONTINGENCIES"
A Cleanup Demanded.
i ~The power of the terrorists," says
the indianapolis News, ais shown by
the fact that they were able TO keeI
the matter under cover for months
Il Only after the governor appealed TO the
: federal government for aid in restoring
order in his state was some definite
IL. IL