The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-02-29


has worked, not shirked; tried not
cried, shouldered responsibility not
lodged it; put his shoulder against
the wheel not stood off and argued
about RELATIVELY while all his wife's
relations got the wrong slant on
what one hundred per cent Ameri-
cans were doing for their country.
The Anti.KnOw Nothing Plank
If we desire unrestricted immigra-
ton with the doors of America open
to floods of aliens-if we desire the
Japanese among US, owning our SOIL
and intermarrying with us-if we de-
sire the wedding of church and state,
our government dictated by an alien
head, our theology polluted by for
eign Interpretation, our religious
rights imperiled by an unyieldlng
and relentless foe, we may be favor
ably interested in the respectable et-
forts of a few who are seeking the
destruction of America by endeavor-
ing to revive the principles OF the
Anti-Know Nothing plank OF 1856.
This plank, as we see it, was one
of the most vicious and Unbalanced
attempts ever made to strangle pure
Americ anism by political trickery. A
modern repetition of the sentiment
and method ought to crush the party
making it because it is wholly alien
to our most constructive national
thought.
The vivid features of the 1856 dec
laration read as follows: Every at
tempt to abridge the privileges of
becoming citizens and the owners of
soil among us ought to be resisted
with the same spirit which swept the
alien and sedition laws from our
statute books And whereas,
since the foregoing declaration was
uniformly adopted by our predecos-
sors in national convention an ad-
verse political and religious test has
been secretly organized by a party
claiming to be exclusively American,
It is proper that American democracy
should clearly declare it's determined
opposition to all secret political So
cieties, by whatever name they may
be called. And hence political
crusade in the nineteenth century,
and in the United States of America,
against Catholics and foreign born
is neither justified by the past his
tory or the future prospects OF the
country nor in unison with the spirit
of federation and enlarged freedom
which peculiarly distinguished the
American system of popular govern
ment."
In point of fact the Underwood
Renaissance of the 1856 idea must
be understood in it's true relations.
The Khan, as an organization is not
in politics-the stone from the old
sling flies Wholesome klansmen,
however, are in politics, and they are
willing to buy at any cost the con-
tinued liberty of the American peo-
pie.
There are heroes in our common life
Unknown to wealth and fame;
They 90 about their daily tasks,
Unmoved by praise or blame;
Their motive is the common good;
They have a noble creed;
They are the nations right hand
men
Knights of the Worthy Deed.
We repeat again and again that
the Khan specifically stands for re.
Stricted immigration, separation VI
church and state, and the mainten-
ance of our public schools. That is
its public communicable stand for
these things without violence, with
out trickery, without establishment
or self-praise, sans peur ct sans re.
prOche. And as we repeat this tru-
ism we stress the fact that klans-
men should make it clear to the out
siders that these are the principles
of action and direction which we
most jealousy guard All patriotic
American fraternalists stand or
should stand for the same things.
Citizens who do not uphold such
principles are not good Americans.
1t takes a heap O. tellin'" to get
these simple facts clear in the minds
of many otherwise intelligent peo-
pie.
In a weekly paper open to such
contributors, one William Willard
Howard says: 81 have received word