The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-08-10
THEEARLYHISTORY
OF XII kLUX KHAN

The Invisible Empire Knights Of
the, Ku Klux Khan ia the most re.
markable vement of modern
times. You will observe that use
the term movement" Many people
are in the habit of thinking of the
Ku Klux Khan as great, mystical, i
not NEUROLOGICAL fraternity. It il
strange and weird. But it is infinite.
~ more than that It is an expires.
sion of a great nations thought stir.
red by consciousness of the pres.
ence Of wrong. This movement is re.
makable for many reasons.
It is remarkable in its origin. NJ
movement in the history Of the worli
was ever born as was this one. It is
an effect, which, in turn, strange al
it may seem, has become great
world cause. The Ku Klux Klan was
born in the most strenuous period Of
American history, the period o1
Southern Reconstruction.
Let me paint for you a picture
which will at once make clear the
origin Of the movement, and also sci
forth the logical methods which grew
out of it. Il
Meeting of Lee and Grant
I see them now: General Robert
E. Lee, than whom no finer gentle
man, no Drawer soldier, no truer pa
triot, no greater man was ever born;
and by his side, General Ulysses s
Grant, another soldier, patriot and
statesman. The occasion was the
surrender Of Lee and the Southern
Confereracy to the overpowering
forces Of the Union. The final words
had been spoken, the war between the
States had come to an end; swords
had been placed in their scabbards
never to be drawn again, and guns
and other accoutrements Of war were
now useless except as relics Of the
strangest struggle Of the worlds his
tory. General Lee had spoken to his
army; he had looked into faces Of
thousands of them as they wept like
children, their hearts breaking over
the Lost Cause. Hungry, ragged
discouraged, poverty stricken, these
soldiers Of the South turned their
faces homeward, to their mothers
wives and sweethearts who had beer
wrestling with poverty and exhaus-
ton of all resources. There were
never such hearts as these in the
worlds history. They went back to
their homes now in poverty, horses
cattle, sheep, pigs and everything
gone, and above all; their wealth lost
in the freedom of the slaves. ~.
These men who had for four years
fought with a bravery that challeng.
ed the admiration of the world now
turned their thoughts to the rebuild
ing of their homes, their farms
their fortunes and their civilization
For a little while everything worked
well. And then dark cloud arose, a
|carpet-bagger cloud led by political
mountebanks and crooked men, scala
wags who not only wished, but dared
to crush the life of these noble south
ern men and women, and to put in
their stead for leadership Of the
people the recently emancipated
slave. --.s..... -.
There Was No Law
In few months time all law had
been abrogated. There was no law;
The legislature Of South Carolina
was made up wholly Of negroes; ig-
norant ex-slaves were made sheriff.
constable, magistrate, and were
given entire control of the political
and legal life of various counties,
Pandemonium reigned everywhere
Obedient, docile, industrious slaves OF
a few months before, through the
agitation of crooks and demagogues,
and by the use Of whiskey were
turned into demons. These black
men who few months before would
have died to protect the womanhood
Of the southland, men who during
the four years Of the war did protect
the womanhood of the southland
were, like ravenous beasts of the
jungle, believing for blood. Fear
and desperation seized the people; NO
home was safe; humiliation, disgrace
and sorrow covered the earth like the
waters cover the sea. The Federal
soldier stood guard over the negro
and protected the carpet-bagger and
the scalawag. Hope was gone.
It was at a time like this that the
Ku Klux Khan was born.
The Other Picture
The other picture is as follows:
In beautiful little city Of North
Carolina the ex-slaves were put into
power. The sheriff Of the county
was boisterous and dangerous ne
gro; he had around him a large
number of free men who, fired by
whiskey, the carpet-baggers and
scalawags, were mad for spoil, fol
position, for dominion and rulership
The sheriff and his henchmen con.
esivsd the idea Of possessing al the
wealth Of the county, 10, upon car
tain night, he called together his