The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-08-14
SPLENDID ARRAIGNMENT

AS your Democratic candidate foe,
Governor, wish to make my position
perfectly clear in regard to the Ku
Klux Klan. am unQualifiedly oppos-
ed to this organization. I could not BE-
a Democrat and hold any other opin-
ion. The party to which owe al
legiance is cross section of the COM.
mon people of America. It includes
Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Gentiles
Negroes, native born Americans and
those who have migrated to this
country and become loyal citizens Of
The United States.
As Democrat, the religious faith
of these my fellow citizens does not
particularly concern me. I am, not
concerned as to the color of their skins
nor the fact that they may have been
born on foreign soil and now owe
allegiance to the American flag. But
I am deeply concerned about their
attitude toward the great burning
questions of progressive democracy.
and want to cooperate with them in
their efforts to see Justice done to
every man who tolls. I am concerned
that fife, liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness" the individual rights OF
every citizen shall be guaranteed to
all under the Constitution.
It has been my privilege to be on
this platform with the Right Revee-
end Catholic Bishop OF this diocese
and with him have plead the cause OF
the working man. I was honored by
being in the company of the Rabbi Of
Temple Emanuel when a group OF
Denver citizens called upon Pres
ident Harding to ask the release Of
the political prisoners
The erroneous assumption Is made
that If we oppose the Ku Klux Kan
we must favor Catholic control. Moth
ing of the kind. 1 am a Protestant,
but I am just as much opposed to
Protestant control of government as to
Catholic control. The only position
which the American can take is that
of opposition to religious control and
and domination in government by any
sect or ecclesiastical group.
The Ku Klnx Klan is opposed to
the Catholics, to the Jews, to the
negroes and to the foreign born. II
so happens that 1 have a warm re-
gard for some people in this country
who are not Protestants, who are not
Gentiles, who are not white and who
are not native born. It is not race
calor, or creed which determines a
creed, which should determine a
mans place in society, but what he
is and how he conducts himself.
We have a code of laws, regularly
constituted courts and Officers for the
execution of these laws. No man can
proceed against another man without
due process of law. Force can
only be used by the officers of the
law against those who refuse to obey
the law. ALI mob violence is crime
and must be punished as such. Lin
coin said: There is no grievance that
is fit object of redress by mob law"
intolerance, prejudice and race hat
red are foes of good government and
are always a menace to the peace
and happiness of the state.
The symbol of the Ku Klux Klan
is the flaming cross. Since the begin
ming of the Christian era the cross
has been the symbol of love, toler-
ence, goodwill and mercy. The Ku
Klux Klan is making the cross the
symbol of hatred, intolerance and
persecution. Instead of being loyal to
the cross, the organization by it's acts
is false to the true meaning of the
cross. Those who follow the cross
must exemplify the Christ spirit.
In my judfement the time has come
when. If we are to remain true to
American ideals of religious liberty.
The Democratic party should take its
stand against any organization. which
would seek to secure power and con-
troll through the appeal to rare and
religious prejudices.
WILLIAM E. SWEET.