The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-04-18
SIEGEL SAYS He WILL
REDUCE CITY TAX Rate
Denies Starting Story That st.
Paul Executive is Member Of
Ku Klux Klan
(By TWILIGHT)

The St. Paul mayoralty race
is getting somewhat personal as
it gains momentum. Charges are
flung with wildness that makes
one wonder about many things
not directly connected with the
issues Of the campaign. So far,
Mayor Nelson has been on the
defensive.
The local daily papers are support
ing the mayor for reelection, but
that does not seem to worry the Sic
gel forces in the least. In this con-
nection Siegel man pointed out that
the Sanity City dailies were so far
away from the common people as to
make their support of doubtful value
to any candidate, whether local, state
or national.
Somehow the Klan was injected in
to the mayoralty campaign, and May
or Nelson has felt it necessary to go
far out of his way in order to malign
the great Protestant organization.
When it comes to grandstand tactics.
Arthur E. Nelson takes the cake with
onion filling. In his denunciation of
the Ku Klux Klan Nelson emphasizes
toleration and broad-mindedness. Pol
iticians used the same stuff when Mo
ses wore knee-breeches. To hear the
mayor talk you'd think he's ashamed
to be a Protestant. Of course Arthur
E. isn't that, but his public utter
ances go to show what man will say
in order to win in politics. Read the
following statements as made by the
mayor of the SANITY City, and draw
your own conclusions.
Mayors Statement
There is no place in America for
one who does not believe in the prin-
ciples of equality and natural rights
upon which this government is found
ed. The right to life, liberty and
happiness includes absolute religious
liberty, and any attempt to divide
the American people upon lines of
race, religion or color, is an attempt
to overthrow the principles upon
which the government rests.
Il have already, on several occa-
sions, made this statement, but this
seems to be the age of dirty politics,
and so a whispering campaign of viii
ificatfon has been started by my en-
emies. and one of the most persistent
and false statements made by them
is that / am member of the ku
Klux Klan.
81 believe that my analysis of the
true principles of government was a
sufficient answer to this falsehood,
because membership in that order
would be inconsistent with those
principles, and l don't believe that
even my enemies say that / am afraid
to tell where | stand; but good
friends of mine have told me that
many well-meaning people have failed
to put the proper construction upon
my utterances and suggest direct
answer.
Last night John H. Hickman, a
colored man, who had been an en-
ployee of one of the oldest jobbing
firms of this city for 40 years, was
honored at a banquet by the officers
and employees of that great CONNER
cial concern, and we have had the
spectacle that during period when
loyalty and honesty and steadfastness
seemed to be weakening, this col
ored man, John H. Hickman. stood out
as the representative of each of those
qualities.
Zone of the closest political and
personal friends | have is Carlton F.
McNally, a sincere. loyal, and con-
sistent Catholic.
upon the district bench of this
CITY is Judge Charles Bechhoefer, a
Jew, whom / feel honored in calling
my friend, and whose high character
and legal ability fits him for any po-
sition in his profession.
'No organization which would bar
such men from every privilege OF
public or private life is consistent
with American ideals, and now state
with as much emphasis as | am ca
pable of, that | am not "a member OF
and do not belong to the ku klux
Klan or the so-called Invisible En-
pire. and so far as am informed Of
it's objects and methods, do not ap-
prove it: nor do | belong to or ap-
prove of any organization which
would deny to the men ! have men,
toned. and others like them, any
privileges or rights under the law OF
this country which / enjoy as an
American citizen"
Obviously Mr. Nelson is playing for
the Roman Catholic vote and so is
willing to go on record as opposed to
the worlds greatest Protestant or
ganization, Knights of the Ku klux
Klan. Evidently the mayor doesn't
give a whoop for the Protestant vote
of St. Paul. Nelson's anti-klan
speeches have no Justification what
soever and serve no worthy purpose.
Every Klansman knows that the st.
Paul Mayor is not sincere in his de-
Of the Protestant order,
Arthur + has worked himself into a
mental state that gives his imagina-
tion a recklessness bordering on the
farce-comedy. He talks SO much
about Whispering campaigns that
sometimes ! think he really believes
the buncombe he spills In connection