The Minnesota fiery cross. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1924-19??, 1924-02-22

anlmateS and unlteS theSe TOUR MIL
lions is to set to one side the excres-
cences on the movement. They are
both noisy and numerous, and 1t is
very easy to mistake them for the
real embodiment of the Khan.
As soon as any organization begins
to gain power, certain kinds Of men
Join it for personal profit. There will
be promoters and organizers, second
rate politicians, business men looking
for trade, sharks seeking prey, Grim
inals hoping for protection, and
chronic failures who will try any
thing. The moro powerful the or
ganization, the moro numerous and
active will be these parasites, hypo-
critics, and grafters. The Khan has
its full share Of them, and they are
often prominent, since high places
are the best for the grinding Of pri-
vate axes. But, after all, they are
parasites, and do not represent the
idea and spirit that gave the Khan
its great growth. They are impor-
tant in many ways, for they have In
fuence, but one cannot measure the
real Khan by them.
There are such differences between
the Khan as it appears in Georgia and
Texas, in Ohio and New York, that
there Is room for doubt whether it
actually is moved by a single spirit.
Yet believe that it is; that there
is a unifying idea, a certain least
common denomination of thought,
which may be found and defined.
There is, Of course the native, white
Protestant supremacy" of the Khan
creed, but that appears to be . for
mula of action and theory Of social
organization rather than an end or
purpose in itself, and it Is not by
any means always involved in Khan
activities. The true spirit seems to
be something deeper, and at bottom
far healthier, although 1t sometimes
Unable forms.
This fundamental and unifying
idea is nothing more abnormal than
a passion for reform as DR.. Evans
has said. Yet it is abnormal, too,
for with the Khan this very common
trait has an intensity, q directness,
and concept Of personal duty to
do something, such as are seldom
found And 1t produces very unus-
ual manifestations. This Is partly
because the Khan reaches some
classes seldom stirred by such senti-
ments and therefore unfamiliar with
the accepted procedure; people of
simple, direct, and intense emotions
who act accordingly. Partly, too, it
is due to the violent prejudices and
instincts the Khan doctrine arouses.
But whether the immediate aim be
the regulation Of q neighbours con-
duct or the ousting Of parochial
schools or of corrupt officials, re-
form of some sort has beeen the
moving spirit Of the Klan wherever
have seen it.
This is not a blanket approval
far from it. There can be little de-
bate that the reform spirit on the
whole is useful, but only when kept
within limits. The line is not we'll
defined; sincere people who disap-
prove equally of drink, tobacco,
gambling and the like are to be
found on both sides of the questions
Of how far ones own virtue should
regulate other peoples vices; but
there is always a saving popular re-
sistance which prevents most re-
forms from going too far. The Khan
aims to go very far indeed; even Of
ficially it attacks questions and en-
ploys methods to which we are not
hardened, in its programme it APP
plies race and religious standards
which we are in the habit of ignor-
ing, and it's individual members have
aims and use methods considerably
farther from normal than the lead
ers wish.
Moreover, reform at its best has
some unlovely aspects. 1t always
implies "holier than thou" atti-
tude, it always makes trouble and
disturbs the even tenor of life, it is
often so beneficial to the reformers
that their motives may easily be
questioned, and it sometimes shows
narrow, meddling, officious, I'M
just, and even cruel spirit. Often,
too, the pleasure of reforming others
appeals more strongly than the good
to be done. All these things appear
strongly in some members of the
Khan; indeed, it often seems that
the Khan is demonstrating just how
bad reform may be. 1t is no Won
der the opposition is violent. But,
however distorted, the Khan idea is
at bottom nothing more or less than
new and startling outbreak of our
good old American habit of rear
ranging the world. There is much
expert testimony that we do this Of
tener and worse than any other peo-
pie on earth.
When all allowances are made for
other motives-love of excitement,
self-interest and brutality-this re-
form idea is still to be seen even in
the worst of the Khan actions, the
night-riding and maltreating Of
neighbors. This particular phase is
worth some study, since if one can
understand this it will be easier to
understand also some of the less vic
ious but still dangerous practices of
Klansmen.
There is no need to list the evils
of night-riding, but it is always
worth while to find why compara-
lively decent people take to doing
utterly wrong things. / put this
question to the Governor of State