The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-10-16

Over fifty before the dreadful succeed
the Civil War, Southern whites had instituted
ku Kux Klan. 1t developed of the pranks of some
fellows in Tennessee WHO in spirit Of mischief
set themselves to exploit the superstitous fears Of the
arkes Men, covered with sheets and high white paste
oard hats draped with pillow slips, and sometimes riding
orses bedecked and shod to walk with the silent
tread of cats appeared in certain negro settlements
he negros fear of ghosts quick respond and to
i've him like his savage African ancestor in like
to the jungle or the swamps and to keep him
ing for days to Something effective thus dis
covsred for restraining the from the waywarness
nd wantonness into which the noxication of his
found freedom easily led him. When the edge off
his tool and the would longer satisfactorily
espond to the ghostscar brutal reality introduced
to make good the Offending blacks were whipped
nutilaed hanged burned by sheeted figures the dap
serving to disguise induce awe So when those
heeted figures the roads, the burning
lighted up the nght-sky to give notice of their solemn
ouncils, the negro did we'll to heed and tremble.
President Grant secured Federal legislation to sup
the Klans activities and the South confronted by
their old unreenting foe the conquering General drew
back from another contest with him. and let the Kan
dissolve. But the modern conditions in Georgia, which
have described brought it back To this extent then
the Kan in the black belts of the South the natural
product of social conditions Yet say this is of
far from saying that the Klan servceable de-
fensble product of social conditions.
The negro problem is incomparably most difficult
dangerous problem And candor compels me to say
that there is nothing which unansweraby testies TO
political ineptitude of the Republican Party its
advance
freedom it so noby secured Henry Cabot Lodge some
thirty years ago brought forward Bill providing for the
of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Con-
tituton but when Southern Democrats threatened to
retaate by penazng northern states including Massa-
chusetts for their educational votngtests Lodge and
lis Republican supporters drew back presumably lest
they lose offices and perchance control of the
ement Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner were un-
questonaby contentious cantankerous fanatical
men, but they least did offices and petty
,ediency in fighting the negros battles. And knowing
the spirit of those do hesitate that if
they alive today the Of Republicans would not
be marching the ranks the Kuxers and Republican
candidates for the high Offices to be filled by the voters
this state would not silently bear the asperson of be-
ing Klansmen, and the Republican press of this state
would not be mute before such anomalous situation
Shame whose political forebears lie tonight in
grave by in southern fields where they fell
Sighting for the freedom of the while they in
silence bid for high Offices candidates of an
organization whose basic philosophy calls for racial dis
elimination and negro subserviency Are these
able to the facts? Or they basey prosting
principles to expedency? In either submit they
unworthy to stand official representatives of the
| great Party which gave Honest Abe"
The negro problem difficult it is can be solved
tut the Kan give the solution The Klan So
really the old solution of master YER
The Klan has in the last resort better ex
eden than the ash the gibbet, and the human death
oyre What horrible testimony to lack of leader
hip in this matter Are we willing to concede
that inferte in invention and so calous in
| feeling that TINS DarDarouS pIan Will suhce' Aiuiy
trough have been very indifferent about the mat
The other month, Marcus Garvey negro no white
of rational sort having been proposed inaugu
ated get the blacks off to Africa, their
ancient home His program almost certainly imprac
| icabe probably mprac able than the plan OF
citing the Jews back to Palestine The movement col
| epsed Yet it full of suggestion to us Americans
Who might be supposed, sorely stand in need of
geson in this matter. mpractcable the plan as
complete solution Of this racial tension it seems to me
ather strange that statesman advocated government
| id to all negroes who might be willing to embark Woult
not be much better ship off hundred negroes al
overnment expense than lynch hundred negroes be-
cause the race contacts close? Or might it bt
try the plan of locazaton in southern
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