Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-08-07
LORDS PRAYER BROUGHT
PEACE AT CONVENTION

An interesting story is told by a
member OF the subcommittee OF the
Democratic National Convention, as
related in a recent issue of the Man
ufacturers' Record of the effect which
the Lords prayer of Hebrew origin,
repeated by the assembled Protest
ants and Catholics in unison, had up
on the committee, when it was about
to break up in row. The Ku klux
Khan was being discussed, warm de-
bate was on the question whether to
name the Klan by name iii the. plat
form or merely refer to- its activities
and TO go on record against their prac
tees The circumstance as related was:
civilian J. Bryan occupied the
chair and he bore himself with calm
ness, fairness and dignity through
out the entire battle OF words and
views. He heard what every man
had to say upon the subject: he did
not deny anyone the right TO ex-
press himself as he wished to. All
had ample opportunity to utter what
was in his heart and the result was
a complete showdown. Maybe it
was the best way to handle bad
problem-to let each man get 1t out
of his system" Pattangall of Maine,
for instance, stood up and exclaimed:
Before the Ku Klux Klan sent its
emissaries into Maine we were Com
monwealth of more than 100000 peo-
pie, living together in amity and good
will. But after the Klan came and in
troduced its religious and racial bit
terness into our state everything was
changed. Social relations were blight
ed; even the women's sewing societies
were broken up and dispersed Ill will
succeeded friendliness and doubt and
suspicion were abroad. That is what
has happened in my state because of
the work of this secret order"
"At last late in the night in fact in
the early morning-John H. Mccain
of Pennsylvania pushed his way thru
the crowd about the table and i'm
secured the attention of the
whole gathering. He said q remem-
Der in first words very welD: Il am
a Roman Catholic. am a Democrat.
/ was elected judge by majority OF
5000 in a county that is naturally and
strongly Republican and in which go
per cent of the people are Protestants.
Before me as a judge was tried to the
satisfaction of the public the Ku Klux
case up there. think we should and
can reach harmony"
This brought profound hush up
on the committee and then Bryan
spoke: Never said he, did we need
divine guidance more than we do
now. l wish, he continued, that you
would come around beside me and re-
peat the Lords prayer and after you
have finished 1 will supplement it with
a few words of my own"
"After a momentary interruption by
some member who desired to express
himself. Judge Mccain went around
the table to a position beside Bryan
and as requested, solemniy repeated
the Lords prayer. Bryan followed
him with short, well-worded petition
of his own asking for the guidance
and blessing of the Almighty upon all
those present and upon their work.
There was mo more wrangling, no
more bitterness, nothing but an earn
est wish apparent to end the work OF
the committee in good feeling and with
a heartfelt desire to do the best that
was possible with the question which
there were such widely divergent
views and the result was that when
the matter came before the full conven
ton next day the expressions on both
sides were moderate and considerate,
although there were thousand po-
licemen in the hall placed there be-
cause of the apprehension of the au-
thorities that some unbalanced person
might say something that would pro-
yoke violence and bring about riot
But Bryan's appeal to the members
OF the committee and his and Judge
McCann's petitions to God had been
followed by a calming of the approach
ing tempest and peace followed where
war was feared"