Evening star., 1924-08-08

This power controls every impor-
tant branch of industry-mining,
manufacturing and transportation. 1t
controls markets and credits and die
tates the price of every product neces-
sary to feed. clothe. warm and shelter
| the human family. To control that
which sustains life is to control life
itself. This is economic slavery.
side by side with economic despotism.
ITO this issue, in so far as l am
| able, 1 shall hold the attention of the
voters of this country. From this
position / shall not be turned aside.
Hence I deem it most unfortunate
that questions involving religious
opinion and other questions unrelated
to the vital issue of the restoration
of government to the people. have
been raised in this as in other critical
controversies feed upon and infiame
prejudice and passion to the exclu
sion Of issues involving the very life
| of government itself.
This brings me to say in response
| to your inquiry as to my stand on the
Ku Klux Klan that I have met this
question in various forms during my
| public life.
especially in my own State, knows
| that l have always stood without
reservation against any discrimina-
| tion between races, classes and creeds
I hold that every citizen is entitled to
the full exercise of his constitutional
| rights.
| Cannot Long Survive.
| II am unalterably opposed to the
evident purposes of the secret organi-
zation known as the Ku Klux Khan,
as disclosed by its public acts.
I sI
| Relying upon the sound judgment
and good sense of our people, it is
! my opinion that such movement is
| foredoomed. 1t has within it's own
body the seeds of it's death.
Abraham Lincoln, nearly 20 years
ago, set forth his views on this ques-
tion in letter to his friend, Mr..
Joshua F. Speed. dated Springfield,
Ill. August "a. 1855:
stand rhst nSu is inagiTe Sjseuted whers noint
think 1 am a Whig; but others
| say there are no Wings, and that l
| am an Abolitionist.
| "I am not a KnowNothing; that
is certain. How could 1 be? How
can any one who abhors the oppres-
| sion of negroes be in favor of de-
| grading classes of white people? Our
| progress in degeneracy appears to
me to be pretty rapid. AS a nation
we began by declaring that 'all men
1
tically read it "all men are created
| equal except negroes" When the
Know-Nothings get control it will
! read all men are created equal ex-
| cept negroes and foreigners and Cath
olics." When it comes to this I shall
| prefer emigrating to some country
where they make no pretense of low
ing liberty-to Russia, for instance,
where despotism can be taken pure.
and without the base alloy of hypoc-
4 fri
| "A. LINCOLN
With this statement from Abra-
ham Lincoln I would join also a pas
sage from a letter written by Thomas
Jefferson to Edward Dowse in 1903:
| Il never will. by word or act. bow
| to the shrine of intolerance, or ad-
nit right of inquiry into there
ligious opinions of ethers.'
| Upon these statements of Jefrer-
son and Lincoln. expressing the sem
! the vast majority of our citizens
cherish and to which they will ever
rigid1y adhere, and upon my own
views expressed in this letter, am
content to stand without quailnca-
| tion or evasion. ,-
| Sincerely yours,
| ROBERT NJ. LA TOILETTE"
Outcome Interesting.
| What will be the effect of this
| frank statement of Mr.. La Toilette
on an issue which threatened to dis
rupt the Democratic party at its con-
Ivention in New York remains to be
| seen. In some quarters today 1T was
| argued that it probably would in
cline many Catholic and Jewish votes
| to the La Toilette standard. that 1T
would offset in some quarters the un-
favorable effect which the accept
ance of the Endorsement of his can
didacy by the Socialist party may
| In a measure. the statement of La
Toilette on the Klan is challenge
to the nominees of the Republicans
and the Democrats also to clarity the
Khan issue. That the Klan is an is
sue was well demonstrated at the
Democratic national convention in
New York. Whether the Republican
be able to remain silent on this issue
If they wish to-in view of the
present revival of the question by
senator La Toilette time alone can
tell.
| Cites Davis Letter.
Democrats in Washington today
were pointing to letter written by
John w. Davis and made public last
night, in which the Democratic NOM
inee said that he was not, never had
been and never would be a member
of the klan. Continuing, MIR. Davis
said:
| II trust that in my coming speech
of acceptance / shall make my posi-
tion on the great question of reIig-
| ious tolerance. too plain for any mis-
understanding or dispute.
| There was an intimation in Repub-
lican circles here today that after
| President Coolidge has made his
speech accepting the nomination
August IA there would be greater
freedom in discussing issues, inciud-
| ing the Khan issue.