Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-28
DAWES KHAN STAND
CALL | Ed INADEQUATE.
BY PEOPLE Of EAST
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-ln this,
the hot-bed of anti-lilan feeling be
cause of the large number of Cath
olics, Jews, and negroes in the
voting electorate, the speech of Gen
eral Charles G. Dawes, Republican
nominee for vice president, has been
received for the most part as in
adequate
Both the general and President
Coolidge will find it necessary to go
further in discussing the Khan ana
even excoriating it if they wish to
retain the vote of the races ana
creeds condemned by the khan.
Far from disposing of the issue
for the Republican party, the Dawes
speech has only stirred 1t up mere
The Republican managers them
selves are not convinced that the
issue can be sidetracked. Ihey DO
not love John w. Davis any more
for injecting his khan query to the
Republican nominees but they know
that even the Democratic nominee
was forced to state his position by
the demands of the Democratic Vo;
ers of New Jersey.
w nat seems 10 Ille INC cHl1-hioeAi
people here most is that General
Doves has any kind words at all
for the khan His statement that
the khan represented in some places
''only an instructive cropping for lead
ership, moving in the interest OF
law enforcement aroused those who |
declare that the kian's cardinal prin
ciples are to prevent Catholics, Jews
Cf
to regard as 100 per cent Americans
only those who do not belong tc
those groups.
Racial issue i'm East
The khan issue in the east is not
primarily one of law enforcement
or lawlessness. 1t is religious and |
racial. The Catholics and Jews are |
bitter over it and what they for the
most part want is a denunciation
of everything the Khan does In otn
er words there is no room for mid !
die ground on the khan issue. Any
one who fails to condemn them ut
terly is not definitely anti-lllan but
angling for it's support-this is the
true political view hereabouts and |
no better confirmation of it could |
be obtained than the attitude as
sumed by Democratic leaders, par
ticularly Tammany, since General |
Dawes spoke. They had nothing up
to that time to tack on to the Re !
publicans and could not accuse them
of pro-klan feelings. The Dawes
speech will be used as a weapon of
attack to draw Republicans to the
standard of Davis unless President
Coolidge goes further than did Gen
eral Dawes and denounces the khan
and all it's works from top to bot
tom.
The recent Democratic national
convention fight on the Khan was re
Sarded at the time by Republicans
as something that would split the
democratic party, but would not
harm the Republicans because the
issue had been avoided at the CleVe-
land convention. But the Democrats
who started the fuss at Madison
Square Garden will not allow their
opponents to avoid it. John w.
Davis challenge to the Republican
nominees is a direct result of the bit
terness of feeling in this section on
the khan.
Must Face Issue
A public speaker who dares to
avoid the issue in this campaign, |
especially in the populous sections
of the east, stands little chance of
being listened to on anything else. |
Once he declares himself, however
the crowd settles down to a friendly
hearing. John w. Davis was warned
about this when he went to Seagirt.
He was told he could not straddle
if he wanted to and that a straight
out declaration was essential. Since
he made his statement Texas has by
an overwhelming vote given the
Democratic nomination, which IS
equivalent to an election, to Mrs.
Ferguson, the anti-klan candidate.
This has heartened Tammany and
the Democratic management in New
Jersey and is offered by them as tes-
timony of the wisdom of getting the
Khan issue out of the nations system.
President Coolidge is against the
khan in all it's implications. He had
been advised that he might rs well
avoid saying the thing as long az
possible. II he condemns the khan as
whole-heartedly as did Davis the is
sue will really be moved from the
national ticket, though it will play
IL us pdl I III lCNdtl CASNblOiiSs - 10 iACI
the unimportant problem, however,
which politicians thought it would
be several weeks ago. 1t has a mo-
mentum unlike any other issue be-
fore the electorate and unless re-
moved by an equal denunciation nv
all candidates, is going to plague
campaign managers until election
day for the pro-klan vote is by no
means small and the prevailing theO
ry is that if all candidates denounce
the Khan the supporters of that so
ciety will split their votes between
all candidates on all other issues.
GENERAL DAWES is CALLED
A "POLITICAL HUMORIST"
NEW YORK, Aug, Exchanging
General Charles G.. Dawes with at
tempting to "straddle a vital issue"
Edward II. Moore, Democratic ma
tional committeeman from Ohio, is
sued a statement here Sunday at
lacking the Republican vice presi-
Dental candidate for his references
to the ku klux Khan in his speech
Saturday at Augusta, Maine.
John w. Davis declined to COM
ment on Dawes speech
Moore described the general as
'bespurred, swivel-chair hero in
stead of the fighting HELM Maria