Evening star., 1924-05-20
DENIES KLAN FUNDS
SUPPORTED MAYFIELD
National Auditor Says Senator Re.
ceived No Financial Aid
at Elections.
APPEARS BEFORE COMMITTEE
However, Admits One Local Spent
Sc for Postage.

Charges of heavy campaign con-
tributions by the Ku Klux Klan to
secure the election of Senator May
field in Texas in 1922 were formally
denied on behalf of the Klan today,
before the special Senate committee
investigating the contest brought
against Mayfeld by George z. B.
Peddy.
J. K. McQuinn, national auditor of
the Khan. told the committee his
books did not show the expenditure
of cent by. the Khan either in the
senatorial primary or election, which
resulted in the choice of Senator
Mayfield. Seconded by other Khan Of
ficials, he spread on the committee
table a great mass of official records
which he said would support COM
plete1y his statement.
During his examination counsel for
the senator declared they were pre-
pared to prove by other witnesses
that no klan organization contributed
to the Mayfield campaign fund, al
though one local in Texas spent Sc
for postage in connection with the
election.
Tells of Khan Work.
j. A. Jett of White Path, Ga, called
to the stand by counsel for Peddy,
the Klan and was questioned at
length about the attitude of it's Off
cials. At the request of the Peddy
counsel klan officers who were pres
ent to testify later retired from the
committee room during Jett's testi-
mony.
The witness said he was in the
employ of the Klan from its organi-
zation until last April. Asked what
he knew of the connections of H. w.
Evans. 7. ]. McKinnon and John D.
Maher, he said Mahers activities
were largely to find out about the
purposes of CASTOR B. Means, who
was investigating the Klan.
Inquiry Is Limited.
w. F. Zumbrunn, counsel for May
held, objected to an investigation of
the Klan generally and Chairman
Spencer ruled that the inquiry into
the Klan would be confined to it's
activities in Texas in the election of
1922 when Senator Mayfield was a
candidate.
The interest Of the Khan in Senator
Mayfields campaign. the witness said,
was TO have a senator who knew the
klan" would be of value from a propa-
ganda standpoint
n Referring er to a conversation between
Jett said that Clark told her that the
Klan could afford to give 100000 for
propaganda toward the election of a
senator, and that Texas seemed to be
the only place where they could at the
time elect one.
Salary Was $40 Week.
There was a meeting of Klan officials
at the office of II. S. Savage, an officer
of the Klan, in October, 1922, the wit
ness said, at which the Mayfield cam
paign was discussed.
Parenthetically ha rama rlro<7 th,t ho
was on a salary of $40 a week and ex-
penses, but made from $500 to $1,000
a week Senator Neely. Democrat, West
Virginia, said he must have been graft
down" people connected with the Klan
were Stealing
The witness said $4,000 was given
N. N. Furney. cashier Of the Klan, to
be used in aiding the Mayfield cam
paign. The money was to be largely
used. he asserted. in educating the Kan
to write Mayfield's name upon the
ballot. The money was given to Furney
by Evans. he said.
Jett was excused temporarily and
j. 70. Quinn. auditor and assistant
cashier of the Imperial Palace of the
Klan, was called to the stand. He
covered a part of a large table with
cashiers books of the organization
In reply to an inquiry by Luther
Nickels, counsel for Peddy. he assured
thS lueI6 ndQ Deen no aQ-
justment after the auditing of the
Klan books to balance the accounts.
Witness Explains Items.
Items upon the books which indi-
Gated IAN adjustment under the re-
port of the auditors were explained
by the witness as being merely for
the purpose of showing the real liza
bilities Of the organization by noting
interest items.
McQuinn replied in the negative
when asked II he had not been in
structed by officials of the Klan to
refrain from corresponding with To-
cal Klan lodges over the country with
regard to accounts receivable and
notes payable. In this connection,
thirty-seven letters had been sent out
to straighten out the accounts be-
tween the Imperial Palace and the
locals. .......
The income Of the national organi-
cation was derived, McQuinn said
from commission from the "propa-
cation department" money received
Continued on Page 2. Column g.,