Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-04
ANT|-KU KLUX BILL
WINS APPROVAL Of
HOUSE COMMIT TEE

A bill requiring all secret and fra.
ternaI organization to make their
membership lists public and prohib-
iting the wearing OF masks outside
of lodge rooms, will be reported IA
vorably by general judiciary commit
tee No. 2, of the house of representa-
tives, it was decided Tuesday night
by a vote Of IA 10 7. The measure
admittedly is directed at the knights
of the Ku Klux Klan.
A public hearing on the bill, held
ct the Kimball house, was attended
by more than 100 persons and de-
veloped some spirited arguments.
There was so much interest in the
hearing that several other commit
tee meetings were postponed through
failure to muster Quorums.
M. o. Dunning, chief of staff of
the realm of Georgia for the khan,
asked for a postponement of the
hearing, but this was denied.
klan Is Defended
w. S. Coburn, former khan official,
defended the principles Of the order
and the right to wear masks. He
contended that many acts of charity
are performed under the mask Of the
khan, in order that the recipient
may not know the identity of his
benefactors.
Representative J. o. Wood, of Full
ton county, editor of THE Search
light" official organ of the klan
made a plea for the right of the khan
to go ahead without >interference or
regulation, SO long as it lives up to
the laws of the land.
1.-The Ku Klux Khan is more than
mere fraternal organization to
many of its members" Mr.. Wood
declared. cit is their church. There
are thousands of klansmen who have
been made better Christians by their
affiiiation with the organization.
The order is founded upon Christian
principles, for the protection of the
weak and helpless, and it carries our
the principles of the original Khan CT
the sixties in enforcing white SUI
premacy."
Minister Opposes >BiIl
The Rev. w. A. Huckaby. of Sa-
vannah. a. Methodist minister and
pastor of the church in which Rep
resentative Bozeman, of Worth
county. author of the bill, is an ac-
tive member, appeared against the
measure and declared the Ku Klux
Khan has done more than any other
organization to prevent lawleSsness
in Savannah. He said that he is not
q member of the khan, but believes
in it's principles.
"Do you think it is seemly in
Methodist minister to defend an or
ganization that has been charged
with many acts of lawlessness?
Representative Bozeman asked
''That is q blow below the belt. ]
decline to answer" replied the min
lister
Jesse Mercer, secretary of the
League for the Enforcement of Law
Through Constituted Authority,
made a vigorous speech in favor of
the bill. He declared the mask is
not necessary for good deeds, and
makes it possible for the lawless to
commit unlawful acts and hide their
identity.
Likens Khan to I. w. w.
"I once thought that if there ever
Should be any serious trouble in this
country it would be because of the
International Workers Of the World,
but the Ku Klux Khan has succeeded
the L. w. w. as the greatest menace
to the peace of America" Mr.. Mer-
Ger declared.
Representative Bozeman argued
for the bill, declaring there are many
worthy men in the khan, but the
lawIess element has frightened. most
of the negroes off the farms Of Geor-
gia and has been charged with acts
of violence in many sections of the
state.
The vote on the bill was taken in
executive session.