THE KU KLUX OATH
In the printed literature of the "Invisible Empire," it is stated that
those who cannot assume a "real oath," with serious determination to keep
same inviolate, are not desired in the ranks of Ku Kluxism. There is no
doubt whatever that "Emperor" Simmons, who probably wrote the oath, has
produced a "real oath."
In making a critical analysis of the oath, I shall first reproduce it in
its entirety, and then take it up in sections and show my viewpoint. If
this oath is not a dangerous document and likely to imbue people with the
spirit of taking the law into their own hands, then a considerable portion
of my contention against the Ku Klux Klan must necessarily fail. My case
against Ku Kluxism rests to a large extent upon the potential danger to
the country from an absolutely secret organization, bound together by this
oath, under the sole domination of one man, and likely at any time to draw
into its ranks men with no regard for anything but the Ku Klux law.
The oath is printed separately from the ritual, and the name "Ku Klux
Klan" does not appear in it. In places where the name is spoken there are
asterisks. The document consists of three printed pages bound together,
and, for the convenience of the person administering it, is broken up into
phrases separated by dashes. I am giving it here properly punctuated so
that the reader can more easily grasp its significance. It is supposed to
be administered in sections, sandwiched in between the verbose and
long-winded effusions of "Emperor" Simmons as contained in the ritual.
When the work is conferred by a full-degree team, it is given in "long
form" and the procedure follows the order laid down in the ritual. Most of
the Kleagles, however, put on the ceremony of "naturalization" alone,
using the short form, in which case the oath is administered all at once.
In the present mad scramble for commissions on the "donations," the
Kleagles administer the obligation at any time and place that suits the
convenience of the "alien" with the ten dollars, and Ku Kluxes are
manufactured on the "pay-as-you-enter" style in stores, factories, banks,
physicians' offices and any other place where there is freedom from
intrusion. One enthusiastic Kleagle wrote to the home office that he had
arisen from his bed one night after midnight, and clad in his pajamas had
administered the obligation to a "worthy alien," whose ten dollars burned
so badly in his pocket that he could not wait until daylight to be
separated from his money.
The obligation, consisting of four sections, reads as follows:
"SECTION I. OBEDIENCE.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'In the presence of God and man most solemnly pledge, promise,
and swear, unconditionally, that I will faithfully obey the
Constitution and laws; and will willingly conform to all regulations,
usages, and requirements of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which do
now exist or which may be hereafter enacted; and will render at all
times loyal respect and steadfast support to the Imperial Authority
of same; and will heartily heed all official mandates, decrees,
edicts, rulings, and instructions of the Imperial Wizard thereof. I
will yield prompt response to all summonses, I having knowledge of
same, Providence alone preventing.
"SECTION II. SECRECY.
"I most solemnly swear that I will forever keep sacredly secret the
signs, words, and grip; and any and all other matters and knowledge
of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, regarding which a most rigid
secrecy must be maintained, which may at any time be communicated to
me and will never divulge same nor even cause the same to be divulged
to any person in the whole world, unless I know positively that such
person is a member of this Order in good and regular standing, and
not even then unless it be for the best interest of this Order.
"I most sacredly vow and most positively swear that I will not yield
to bribe, flattery, threats, passion, punishment, persuasion, nor any
enticements whatever coming from or offered by any person or persons,
male or female, for the purpose of obtaining from me a secret or
secret information of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. I will die
rather than divulge same. So help me, God. AMEN!
"SECTION III. FIDELITY.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'Before God, and in the presence of these mysterious Klansmen,
on my sacred honor, do most solemnly and sincerely pledge, promise,
and swear that I will diligently guard, and faithfully foster every
interest of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and will maintain its
social cast and dignity.
"I swear that I will not recommend any person for membership in this
order whose mind is unsound, or whose reputation I know to be bad, or
whose character is doubtful or whose loyalty to our country is in any
way questionable.
"I swear that I will pay promptly all just and legal demands made
upon me to defray the expenses of my Klan and this Order, when same
are due or called for.
"I swear that I will protect the property of the Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan, of any nature whatsoever; and if any should be intrusted
to my keeping, I will properly keep or rightly use same; and will
freely and promptly surrender same on official demand, or if ever I
am banished from or voluntarily discontinue my membership in this
Order.
"I swear that I will, most determinedly, maintain peace and harmony
in all the deliberations of the gatherings or assemblies of the
Invisible Empire, and of any subordinate jurisdiction or Klan
thereof.
"I swear that I will most strenuously discourage selfishness and
selfish political ambition on the part of myself or any Klansman.
"I swear that I will never allow personal friendship, blood or family
relationship, nor personal, political or professional prejudice,
malice, or ill will, to influence me in casting my vote for the
election or rejection of an applicant for membership in this Order,
God being my Helper. AMEN!
"SECTION IV. KLANISHNESS.
"(You will say) 'I' (pronounce your full name--and repeat after
me)--'Most solemnly pledge, promise, and swear that I will never
slander, defraud, deceive, or in any manner wrong the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan, a Klansman, nor a Klansman's family, nor will I suffer
the same to be done, if I can prevent it.
"I swear that I will be faithful in defending and protecting the
home, reputation, and physical and business interest of a Klansman
and that of a Klansman's family.
"I swear that I will at any time, without hesitating, go to the
assistance or rescue of a Klansman in any way; at his call I will
answer; I will be truly Klanish toward Klansmen in all things
honorable.
"I swear that I will not allow any animosity, friction, nor ill will
to arise and remain between myself and a Klansman; but will be
constant in my efforts to promote real Klanishness among the members
of this Order.
"I swear that I will keep secure to myself a secret of a Klansman
when same is committed to me in the sacred bond of Klansmanship--the
crime of violating _this_ solemn oath, treason against the United
States of America, rape, and malicious murder, alone excepted.
"I most solemnly assert and affirm that to the government of the
United States of America and any State thereof which I may become a
resident, I sacredly swear an unqualified allegiance above any other
and every kind of government in the whole world. I, here and now,
pledge my life, my property, my vote, and my sacred honor, to uphold
its flag, its constitution, and constitutional laws; and will
protect, defend, and enforce same to death.
"I swear that I will most zealously and valiantly shield and
preserve, by any and all justifiable means and methods, the sacred
constitutional rights and privileges of free public schools, free
speech, free press, separation of church and state, liberty, white
supremacy, just laws, and the pursuit of happiness, against any
encroachment, of any nature, by any person or persons, political
party or parties, religious sect or people, native, naturalized, or
foreign of any race, color, creed, lineage, or tongue whatsoever.
"All, to which I have sworn by _this_ oath, I will seal with my
blood. Be thou my witness, Almighty God! AMEN!"
This document is the oath of the "Invisible Empire," Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan, and according to "Emperor" Simmons, good Americans are swearing
to it at the rate of five thousand a week! For the benefit of those who
cannot readily see the danger in such an obligation, and why it does not
belong in the class of obligations assumed by men who join real fraternal
orders, let us carefully analyze certain clauses.
"SECTION I. OBEDIENCE.
"I, in the presence of God and man, most solemnly pledge, promise,
and swear, unconditionally, that I will faithfully obey the
Constitution and laws; and will willingly conform to all regulations,
usages, and requirements of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which do
now exist or which may be hereafter enacted; and will render at all
times loyal respect and steadfast support to the Imperial Authority
of same; and will heartily heed all official mandates, decrees,
edicts, rulings, and instructions of the Imperial Wizard thereof. I
will yield prompt response to all summonses, I having knowledge of
same, Providence alone preventing."
Until I had resigned as Kleagle I had never been able to even see a copy
of the constitution and laws. This was in the possession of the King
Kleagle of Tennessee, who stated that he had had great difficulty in
securing it, and had been compelled to give a very rigid receipt for its
care and custody. The organization was evidently afraid to allow this
booklet to get into general circulation among the members, for the simple
reason that its general perusal would have shown the members the truth.
They would have discovered that the organization was a "one-man" affair,
with "Emperor" Simmons in practical control, with a life-time easy job,
living on "Easy Street" as a result of money that came into the
organization from the public. They would also have found that they were
members of a military organization, and that the "Emperor" was the
Commander-in-chief. Obedience to the "Imperial Authority" means obedience
to "Emperor" Simmons.
This first section binds a "citizen" to obey "unconditionally" laws he has
never seen and is not permitted to see, and also to obey all laws that may
be enacted in the future regardless of whether he approves of the laws or
not. Any man who takes this obligation and keeps it, gives "Emperor"
William Joseph Simmons a blank check on his life, his liberty of thought,
and his entire actions. Any one who doubts my statement has but to read
this section of the oath. It is there in plain English. Regardless of the
merits of the organization, no fraternal order man ought to be a member of
any society in which he has so little voice in the management of its
affairs, and the head of which has so framed the constitution that he will
enjoy a lifetime of "easy money." And the incorporators of the "Invisible
Empire" say in their application for a charter of the "Knights of the Ku
Klux Klan" that they want to be classed with the Masons and Knights of
Pythias! In both those orders, the constitution and laws of the order are
always open for the inspection of any member who cares to see them, and I
have yet to hear of an official of Pythianism or Masonry who has been
chosen to hold a position for life. Some officials have held office on
merit for many years, but their tenure for life is not fixed in the
constitutions.
Under the second section of the oath, in the first clause, is found the
words:
"I ... do most solemnly pledge, promise and swear, that I will
diligently guard and faithfully foster every interest of the Knights
of the Ku Klux Klan, and will maintain its social cast and dignity."
This is a sweeping declaration that every interest of this organization
must be held paramount, and the slightest deviation from absolute
obedience and loyalty to "Emperor" Simmons, who is the organization, would
mean that the offender had broken his oath. "Maintaining its social cast
and dignity"--whatever that means may indeed be a very hard obligation to
keep.
"I swear that I will pay promptly all just and legal demands made
upon me to defray the expenses of my Klan and this Order, when same
are due or called for."
Here we find that the avarice and greed that permeates the whole system of
organized Ku Kluxism has even been incorporated into the oath. When a Klan
is chartered, a per capita tax of $1.85 for each member is required to be
sent to the Imperial Palace. If the organization has 650,000 members, as
has been claimed, then there will be derived from dues alone an annual
revenue of $1,202,500. In order to insure the payment of this vast sum,
the "Emperor" has sworn all his "subjects" to keep up the golden stream
that flows into the coffers of the "Invisible Empire." Under this section,
it would also be possible to levy an assessment on all of the members,
which they would be bound to pay, or else they would be guilty of
violating their obligations. No amount of payment is specified. When a
person assumes the obligation, he gives "Emperor" Simmons a blank check on
his bank account.
"I swear that I will never allow personal friendship, blood or family
relationship, nor personal, political, or professional prejudice,
malice, or ill will, to influence me in casting my vote for the
election or rejection of an applicant for membership in this Order."
The "Invisible Empire" wants more "citizens." More "citizens" mean more
money. Under a ruling of the organization no person can be blackballed
unless objectors are prepared to stand up in open lodge and state just
what are their objections, and then they might be admonished to "lay off."
In the present system of propagation the Kleagle is the court of last
resort as to the persons who become charter members of a Klan.
Much capital is made by the organization of the fact that each person who
becomes a "citizen" of the "Invisible Empire" is required to take a
solemn oath to support the Constitution of the United States. While this
is true, the allegiance to the Constitution and the law, is, in my
opinion, pure camouflage for the purpose of concealing the deadly fangs of
this illegal oath. In considering this point, it should be borne in mind
that the members of the original Ku Klux Klan also took an oath to support
the Constitution of the United States, which oath can be found in the
Prescript of the Order. Just how much weight the original Ku Kluxes
attached to the Constitution of the United States when it became necessary
to put the fear of God into a "carpet-bagger" or negro is a matter of more
or less doubt. They were organized as a matter of necessity for the
purpose of policing a section of the country where political madness and
hatred reigned supreme. As will be shown further along, a Ku Klux Klan in
Beaumont, Texas, in May, 1921, although all of its members had sworn to
support the Constitution of the United States, arrested a citizen without
a warrant, tried him with a jury, convicted him, and acted as his
executioners in total violation of the Bill of Rights of the United States
Constitution. It has been proven in one instance that swearing allegiance
to the United States Constitution had but little effect, in preventing
members of the "Invisible Empire" from committing acts of lawlessness.
Hence, I believe that the pious and patriotic clause in the oath of
"Emperor" Simmons' organization is sheer camouflage, because the very
document shows on its face that the Ku Klux oath is considered paramount
to any other tie or obligation.
In order to prove this latter statement, I call special attention to the
following clause, which illustrates fully the relative importance the
"Invisible Empire" attaches to the Constitution of the United States and
the Ku Klux obligation:
"I swear that I will keep secure to myself a secret of a Klansman,
when same is committed to me in the sacred bond of Klansmanship--the
crime of violating _this_ solemn oath, treason against the United
States of America, rape, and malicious murder, alone excepted."
Note this clause well! "The crime of violating _this_ solemn oath" comes
first! Treason against the United States of America, rape and murder are
afterthoughts. Under this clause, a Klansman can go to another Klansman
and confess to having committed robbery, seduction, burglary and nearly
every other crime in the calendar, and the one to whom the commission of
the crime was confessed would be bound to keep the information secure to
himself. But, however, if a Klansman should confess to one of his fellows
that he had broken his Ku Klux oath, that violation of the obligation is a
crime of so heinous a nature that it is of more importance to the Ku Klux
mind than the crime of treason against the United States of America,
which crime comes second.
The most deadly part of the oath is saved for the end. The candidate has
been led up to it by high-sounding words about "Klanishness," and has
sworn allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
"Emperor" Simmons knew very well that had he started off his oath with
this clause, most of his victims would have backed out, so he tacked it on
at the end. It reads:
"I swear that I will most zealously and valiantly shield and
preserve, by any and all justifiable means and methods, the sacred
constitutional rights and privileges of free public schools, free
speech, free press, separation of church and state, liberty, white
supremacy, just laws, and the pursuit of happiness, against any
encroachment, of any nature, by any person or persons, political
party or parties, religious sect or people, native, naturalized, or
foreign of any race, color, creed, lineage, or tongue whatsoever."
My contention is that this part of the obligation is absolutely illegal,
that it is an accessory before the fact to lawlessness and mob violence,
and brands the entire proposition as an outlaw enterprise that should be
abolished and suppressed by the United States and State governments. Let
us study a few of the words, as they stand out so strikingly. "Zealously
and valiantly," "shield and preserve," "any and all justifiable means and
methods," "against any encroachment," "of any nature," "any person or
persons," "political party or parties," "religious sect or people,"
"native, naturalized, or foreign," "any race, color, lineage, or tongue
whatsoever"! Just read these groups of words over and over again! When
individuals or a group of individuals proceed to "zealously and valiantly"
use "any and all justifiable means and methods" to accomplish a certain
specified end, they take the law into their own hands. When the Barons
wrested Magna Charta from King John at Runnymede, they "used any and all
justifiable means and methods"! When the Germans invaded Belgium, and
cynically declared that a treaty was a "scrap of paper," they used "any
and all justifiable means and methods"! When a mob of masked outlaws takes
a helpless old man from his bed and beats him up, they use "any and all
justifiable means and methods"! When masked men drive up to a hotel and
seize a helpless woman, convey her to a secluded spot, strip her clothing
from her body and cover her with tar and feathers, they have used "any and
all justifiable means and methods." Under this outrageous oath, any band
of ruffians or outlaws can defend any lawless action they wish to commit
on the ground that the "means and methods" were "justifiable."
In the concrete instance I have previous mentioned, where the _Johnson
City Staff_ undertook to protest against the coming of Ku Kluxism to the
town, the spirit of the "Invisible Empire" interpreted "freedom of speech"
to mean freedom only in so far as the Ku Klux Klan was allowed to proceed
with its affairs unmolested. As soon as opposition developed the Ku Klux
"freedom of the press" manifested itself in a desire to boycott the
newspaper. Under the obligation to use "any and all justifiable means and
methods" I see no reason to deter a local organization from taking an
editor out and administering a liberal coating of tar and feathers, in
case he should presume, in the columns of his paper, to antagonize the
"Invisible Empire."
I have been a student of the Constitution of the United States for twenty
years, but until I saw the oath of the Ku Klux Klan, I never knew before
that "white supremacy" was a "sacred constitutional right." The Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments to the Federal Constitution removed all political
barriers against "race, color, and previous condition of servitude," and
guaranteed all citizens of the United States equal protection under the
laws. The Ku Klux oath, on the other hand, binds its followers to "use any
and all justifiable means and methods" to enforce "white supremacy," and I
see no reason why members of the organization would not interpret it to
excuse any and every shade of mob violence, lynching, hanging, or burning
of negroes.
By the term "separation of church and state" is usually meant the
resistance to the advance of the Catholic people in the political affairs
of the country. Preachers of Protestant Churches may get up in their
pulpits and talk politics, may make speeches on the stump, and may take
upon themselves the general duties of running a community, but their
actions are seldom criticized. The advance of the Catholics in politics,
however, is a "union of church and state," in the popular conception, and
this advance, the Ku Klux swears that he will resist by "any and all
justifiable means and methods." The methods may be lawful and they may not
be, but to the "Invisible Empire's" obligation they would be "justifiable"
if they succeeded in driving the Catholics out of public life.
It would also be well to note the blanket phrase "the pursuit of
happiness." The oath says "use any and all justifiable means and methods"
to secure the "pursuit of happiness," which, by the way, is also classed
as a "sacred Constitutional right." This covers a multitude of things. A
Ku Klux might derive unbounded happiness out of covering his neighbor's
body with tar and feathers, while the victim of the performance might
become a most unhappy individual as a result of the operation. The oath
means in a few words that whatever suits the Ku Klux mind, whatever it
wants to do in a community, it is going to use "any and all justifiable
means and methods" to accomplish. The midnight prowler in his mask and
white robe might well ask the question: "What does a little thing like a
police force and sheriff's posse matter. If they attempt to interfere with
us, we will simply remember our Ku Klux obligation, and 'zealously and
valiantly shield and preserve our pursuit of happiness by any and all
justifiable means and methods.'"
Under this section, any sort of crime can be excused in the mind of the
person who commits the crime. "But," the answer probably will be, "an act
is not justifiable unless it is legal." The obligation might easily have
been written so that the distinction could have been clearly stated, but
it was not. That oath on its face is an accessory before the fact to any
and all kinds of crimes and outrages, and placing such an obligation
indiscriminately in the hands of men of average intelligence is like
giving dynamite to little children and expecting them not to be blown to
pieces.
In summarizing the oath of the "Invisible Empire," there are three salient
things that stand out very prominently:
First: It binds men to obey unconditionally laws they know nothing about,
and laws which will be enacted in the future, and to follow blindly an
organization which is largely a one-man affair.
Second: It places the Ku Klux obligation prior to the obligation to the
government of the United States.
Third: Its last paragraph is illegal, and is nothing more or less than the
condonement of mob rule and the use of methods in carrying out its views
that are contrary to all the basic laws of the land.