COMPARISON OF OLD AND NEW KLANS
Having briefly sketched the causes which led up to the organization of the
original Ku Klux Klan, and to some extent the actual work accomplished by
that Order, and having shown in detail the rules and regulations governing
it in the form of its "Revised and Amended Prescript," we can easily see
by a comparison of the old and new organizations that the claim of the
latter that it is "the genuine and original Klan" is a historical fraud.
The modern system, while appropriating to itself the name, regalia, and
some of the nomenclature of the original Klan, is different in conception,
organization and purpose.
In certain respects the character of the two organizations is about the
same. General Forrest when called before a Congressional investigating
committee in 1872, stated that the Ku Klux Klan was a political-military
organization with branches in every voting place in the South, and that,
in addition to its work as a regulator of the peace, it was also engaged
in the task of fighting the Republican Party at the polls. The modern
organization states in its secret constitution that it is a military
organization, and a study of its oath and its literature as herein
presented proves conclusively that it is also a political organization,
which intends, when it develops the necessary strength, to drive from
public office in the United States every Jew, Catholic, and foreign-born
citizen.
The original Klan presents in its defense that it policed and enforced law
in a badly demoralized country, brought order out of chaos, and protected
the widow and the orphan. The new Klan has at times given out a few
charities, largely for advertising purposes, and whenever this has been
done has sought as much publicity as possible from its work. It has
announced that it intends to protect the womanhood of the country, and one
Klan in Texas has issued a warning that "husbands must spend more time
with their own wives," without, however, consulting the wishes of either
of the parties to ascertain if the same was agreeable. As far as has been
printed in the newspapers, however, the Klan in its eagerness to protect
womanhood has not discovered and punished the masked and white-robed
people who stripped Mrs. Beulah Brown of her clothing at Tenasha, Tex.,
whipped her and covered her body with tar and feathers.
The two organizations have something in common in the proven cases of
violence that have been reported in the public prints. According to the
statements of writers, who were members of the old Klan, there were men in
the organization who acted unwisely and selfishly, and who committed acts
of violence that were impossible to control. Precisely the same situation
has already developed in the United States today and the "Emperor" of the
"Invisible Empire" has had to discipline three of his chartered Klans for
proven acts of lawlessness. There is another point of similarity in the
two systems. The old Klan had hardly started its work of wearing disguises
to regulate public affairs when there sprang up imitators who used similar
disguises to aid them in performing acts of viciousness and crime. These
men were not members of the Klan and did things that had neither the
sanction nor approval of the Klan, yet their acts showed that the wearing
of disguises by the old Klan tended to promote lawlessness and crime in
others. As will be shown later there has been, since the modern Klan was
organized, an epidemic of crime in the South, usually committed by men
wearing disguises. Whether these acts have actually been done by Klansmen
or by imitators, it shows nevertheless that the admitted right of one
class to go about disguised puts the community at the mercy of any class
that chooses to employ similar tactics.
In spite of these resemblances, however, the difference between the old Ku
Klux Klan and the new is appalling. One of the first questions that
presents itself is, "What is the necessity at the present time for such an
organization?" The student of American history--in view of the abnormal
political situation in the Southern States during the Reconstruction
Period--can readily understand how and why such an organization should
have come into existence, and its justification lies solely in the
necessity of some agency to cope with the social upheaval of that time.
Public opinion in America today, as reflected by the editorial comments of
a vast majority of the leading newspapers, is practically unanimous in the
view that there is absolutely nothing in our present system of government
that would justify the existence of any kind of extra-legal Ku Klux
organization. Every state in the Union has a constitution which provides
for the creation and maintenance of legislative, judicial, and executive
branches, and in every State these branches are performing their regularly
constituted functions. None of them is perfect; none of them ever will be.
At the same time, the machinery is there, is being handled well, and there
are but few complaints against non-enforcement of the law, except in some
Southern States where men are going about in disguise terrorizing the
community. The Southern States are every one governed by white men. White
men make their laws; white men enforce their laws; and white men sit upon
the bench and interpret their laws. There is no danger in the South of a
repetition of the scenes of the Reconstruction, and no danger whatever of
the "White Supremacy" of the South being destroyed or set aside unless
the same is done by white men, who, under the false pretense of "pure
Americanism," seek to array white men against white men by the stirring up
of religious and racial hatred and prejudice. Where then, is the necessity
either in the South or anywhere else in America for this modern Ku Klux
monstrosity? From a standpoint of necessity, neither the facts of history
nor modern conditions offer the remotest excuse for its existence.
It is, however, the comparison of the _organization_ of the old Klan and
the new which refutes absolutely the claim of the latter to any
"genuineness" whatever. The "Prescript" of the old Klan reads: "The Grand
Wizard shall be elected biennially by the Grand Dragons of Realms." In the
secret constitution of the new Klan it is provided that the Imperial
Wizard shall hold his office for life, and can only be removed by the
_unanimous_ vote of his hand-picked Imperial Kloncilium.
Another important and interesting comparison is that of the personalities
of the two heads of the organizations. When the convention was held at
Nashville, Tenn., in 1867, for the purpose of choosing a Grand Wizard, it
selected Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the most distinguished and
capable officers in the late Confederate army, and recognized today among
military students as one of the foremost cavalry leaders of all times.
General Forrest was selected for his ability, his integrity, his
unselfish devotion to the Southern people, and his desire to aid them in a
great crisis. A careful search of every available record fails to reveal
that he ever received one penny as compensation for his labors, or that
his office as Grand Wizard ever brought him any gifts, perquisites, or
emoluments. His military title was unimpeached, his last commission being
that of lieutenant-general. He never called himself "Emperor," never
signed any of his official orders as "His Majesty," and never assumed any
of the titles or styles of royalty. He was a plain, unassuming soldier and
gentleman, who, having a great task to perform, did his work gratuitously
and from motives of patriotism only, and then, the work having been
completed, disbanded his organization and retired.
What a marked contrast to the gallant Forrest is "Colonel" (?) William
Joseph Simmons, Imperial Wizard, "Emperor" of the "Invisible Empire,"
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. I can find no record of any military
service that gives him privilege to use the honorable title of "Colonel,"
a title that has been won by American soldiers by virtue of hard service
in the army and by desperate deeds of valor on the field of battle. Where
then did "His Majesty" get the right to use this military title? According
to the _Literary Digest_, "his friends bestowed it upon him."
Forrest, as far as can be ascertained, served his country for patriotism;
"Emperor" Simmons, on the other hand, is promoting the cause of "pure
Americanism" for cash. Prior to his elevation to the responsible position
of "Emperor" of the whole United States he was, among other activities, a
professor of history at Lanier College in the good state of Georgia. He is
also said to have been a Methodist exhorter earlier in his career. So far
as the general public is informed, the remuneration of professors in our
colleges and universities, even the greatest, is not particularly high. As
Lanier College is a small institution that has had to struggle along in
the face of more or less poor circumstances, it is not unreasonable to
suppose that it is no exception to the general rule. In August, 1921, the
newspapers reported that it had been taken over by the Ku Klux Klan, and
that "Emperor" Simmons, "in addition to his other duties" would be its
President. It is reasonably safe to say that the average income of "His
Majesty" during his career as an educator could not have exceeded $2500 a
year. Behold, however, the great change that comes with elevation to the
Imperial Throne: "Friends of 'Colonel(?)' Simmons," at the Klonklave of
the Klan which was held in Atlanta, in May, 1921, presented him with a
$25,000 home on Peachtree Street--Atlanta's fashionable
thoroughfare--together with handsome furniture.
In addition to this wonderful munificence of his "friends"--whoever they
were--he is also paid a salary, which according to the "Emperor" himself
is $1000 a month, and recently his hand-picked Kloncilium voted him
$25,000 back pay. This stipend is augmented by the fact that the secret
constitution provides that the "Imperial Wizard" shall also be the
"Supreme Kleagle," and that he shall be entitled to "appropriate to
himself" the entire ten-dollar "donations" paid by any members he may
choose to solicit. Since the ordinary garden variety of Kleagle, with only
four dollars "rake-off," can make a very tidy sum by selling memberships,
the reader can draw his own conclusions as to the possible selling ability
of the chief monarch. There is also the Gate City Manufacturing Company
with its enormous revenue from the sale of robes, the Searchlight
Publishing Company, the Clarke Realty Company, and Lanier College, which
are interlocking corporations or business concerns conducted by persons
connected with the Ku Klux Klan. Where the revenue derived from these
enterprises goes has not been reported in the newspapers. The only thing
made public in connection with them was the statement that the "Emperor"
had been elected President of Lanier College. College presidents are
usually paid salaries. When one thinks of the unpaid Forrest and the
trying problems he solved, one can scarcely suppress a feeling of disgust
in the effrontery of this man of modern times, who declares that this "is
the genuine original Klan," and that he is engaged in the work of "pure
Americanism." Why, the man doesn't know what pure Americanism is!
The most important differentiation, however, between the old Ku Klux Klan
and its spurious successor is the character of their membership. It will
be recalled upon a study of both systems that in each candidates were
required to answer satisfactorily ten qualifying interrogatories before
being finally accepted for membership. Let us compare these together.
ORIGINAL KLAN MODERN KLAN
"1. Have you ever been "1. Is the motive prompting
rejected, upon application your ambition to be a Klansman
for membership in * * * serious and unselfish?
or have you ever been
expelled from the same?
"2. Are you now, or have "2. Are you a native born,
you ever been, a member white, Gentile American
of the Radical Republican citizen?
Party, or either of the
organizations known as the
Loyal League and the Grand
Army of the Republic?
"3. Are you opposed to the "3. Are you absolutely opposed
principles of the Radical to and free of any allegiance
Party, and to the Loyal of any government, people, sect
League, and the Grand Army or ruler that is foreign to the
of the Republic, so far as United States of America?
you are informed of the
character and purposes of
these organizations?
"4. Did you belong to the "4. Do you believe in the tenets
Federal Army during the late of the Christian religion?
war, and fight against the
South during the existence
of the same?
"5. Are you opposed to negro "5. Do you esteem the United
equality, both social and States of America and its
political? institutions above any other
government, civil, political
or ecclesiastical in the
whole world?
"6. Are you in favor of a "6. Will you, without mental
white man's government in reservation, take a solemn
this country? oath to defend, preserve and
enforce same?
"7. Are you in favor of "7. Do you believe in
constitutional liberty and clannishness, and will you
a Government of equitable faithfully practice same
laws instead of a Government towards Klansmen?
of violence and oppression?
"8. Are you in favor of "8. Do you believe in and
maintaining the will you faithfully strive
constitutional rights of the for the eternal maintenance
South? of white supremacy?
"9. Are you in favor of the "9. Will you faithfully obey
re-enfranchisement of the our constitution and laws,
white men of the South and and conform willingly to all
the restitution of the our usages, requirements and
Southern people to all their regulations?
rights, alike proprietary,
civil and political?
"10. Do you believe in the "10. Can you be always depended
inalienable right of on?"
self-preservation of the
people against the exercise
of arbitrary and unlicensed
power?"
_From the Prescript of the _From the "Kloran."_
Original Klan._
A careful reading of these requisites for membership in the two
organizations fails to show, except as to the matter of "white supremacy,"
that there is the remotest resemblance between them. Nowhere in the
"Prescript" of the original Klan, or in any printed publication relating
to it, can there be discovered any restriction whatever against the Jew,
the Catholic, or the foreign-born American citizen. On the contrary, old
men, who claim to have been members of the original movement, state that
Jews, Catholics and foreigners were members. The fact that the modern
movement is anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic and is opposed to the admission
of foreign-born citizens of the country brands it _ipso facto_ as a
historical fraud.
Another link in the chain of evidence against the modern organization lies
in the provisions governing eligibility for membership. Article VII of the
old "Prescript" reads:
"No one shall be presented for membership into the Order until he
shall have first been recommended by some friend or intimate who is a
member, to the Investigating Committee (which shall be composed of
the Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magi, and the Grand Monk), and who
shall have investigated his antecedents and his past and present
standing and connections, and after such investigation, shall have
pronounced him competent and worthy to become a member."
It is here observed that in the selection of members the old Klan
exercised the utmost care and scrutiny, and endeavored to throw around the
organization every possible safeguard against the admission of undesirable
characters. Even with precautions like those, men who were members of the
Klan and left behind them written testimony declare that many men of bad
character became connected with the order. How utterly different is the
modern system with its indiscriminate solicitation of membership, with its
advertising methods, its open and notorious canvassing, and its selling
campaigns by means of literature, letters, motion pictures, agents and
speakers.
Also, as far as the records show, there was no propagation department in
the old Klan, no system of Kleagles, King Kleagles, Goblins, or Imperial
Kleagle. All that is a Simmons innovation, designed to gather in large
sums of money from a large number of people, money that goes mostly into
the pockets of paid workers whose chief interest in the "noble cause" is
that of plunder and not of patriotism. The initiation fee of the old Klan
was the paltry sum of one dollar. The new Klan, in its great piety and
altruism denies that it has an initiation fee at all. It claims that
"citizenship" in the "Invisible Empire" cannot be bought. Accordingly it
requires that before attaining this delectable privilege, the "alien" must
make a "donation" of ten dollars. A "donation" covers a multitude of sins.
Where a victim makes a free-will offering to a "noble cause" he can hardly
claim afterwards that his money has been taken from him under false
pretenses.
In August, 1921, it was announced that "the Invisible Empire" had amended
its constitution so that women would be eligible for membership. This is a
further point of dissimilarity between the two organizations, for while
women were of great assistance to the original Klansmen in making robes
and in giving information, the more serious work was done by the actual
members who were men. In announcing that women were to be admitted to
membership the "Emperor" said:
"_First._ The influence of women over the youth of the land shapes
the destiny of the nation, and it is in the cradles of the American
homes where the principles and ideals of Americanism should first be
instilled into the minds and hearts of the young. To the preservation
of these principles the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is dedicated.
"_Second._ The loyalty of the women to the original Klan of the
Reconstruction period convinces us that as members of the Klan today
there will be equal loyalty and devotion to the fundamental
principles underlying the Order.
"_Third._ We know women can keep a secret, because they made with
their fingers 160,000 robes for members of the old Klan and not one
of them ever disclosed the identity of any man who wore one of those
robes.
"It is through the influence of women today that we have some of the
strongest men in the Order. And the time has come to give the women
recognition and to allow them to partake of the honor and glory of
membership in the organization."
In his statement, however, the "Emperor" failed to elucidate point Number
Four, which was no doubt the principal incentive that caused the admission
of women. Each lady Ku Klux will be required to donate ten dollars to the
"noble cause," and the admission of women doubles the number of
"prospects" to whom the Ku Klux "gold brick" can be peddled. It is
doubtful if the effort to "work" this new field will prove successful, as
the women of the South are more or less antagonistic to the movement. The
Daughters of the Confederacy of Virginia, at a convention held in the
spring of 1921, passed a resolution condemning the organization, and
asking the Virginia authorities to suppress it. It is hardly likely that
the daughters of the women who "made with their fingers 160,000 robes for
the old Klan" would care to become associated with the Gate City
Manufacturing Company, which is selling robes to all members at $6.50 a
robe, with a handsome profit on the side. Women, as a rule, are good
buyers, and it is hardly probable that they will look upon membership in
the "Invisible Empire" as a bargain even at ten dollars. Women are also
the chief supporters of the churches of the country, and it is doubtful
if they would care to go through a "Naturalization" ceremony that is a
blasphemous and sacriligious parody on the sacred and Holy rite of
baptism.
Another point of comparison between the two organizations lies in the
attitude of the old Klan and the new in reference to allowing members to
study their constitutions. We find, in the case of the original Klan, the
following edict:
"Every Grand Cyclops shall read, or cause to be read, this Prescript
and these Edicts to his Den, at least once in every month; and shall
read them to each new member when he is initiated, or present the
same to him for his personal perusal."
Here we have openness, frankness, and a disposition to take every member
into the confidence of the Order, so that each Klansman, at all times,
would have an opportunity to study and to understand the laws of the
organization under which he was working. During the time I was an active
member and worker in the modern Ku Klux Klan, the constitution was a
secret document. Members under me repeatedly asked for a copy of it, and I
transmitted their requests to my immediate superior who could not comply
with it for the reason that he had never seen a copy of it himself. It was
only after he had served as King Kleagle of Tennessee for six months that
he was permitted to have one copy for which he had to give an iron-clad
receipt. I was allowed to glance through the booklet comprising the
document, which afforded me the opportunity of noting a few salient
points, but this happened just as I was leaving the work. The officials of
the organization dare not permit the booklet I saw to be generally
circulated among their members.
As a final comparison of the two organizations it is interesting to note
that the leader of the old Klan recognized that it was brought into being
for the accomplishment of a specific, a definite and a concrete purpose.
It fulfilled its mission, and as soon as it became evident that this was
the case General Forrest ordered its disbandment. He stated that with the
courts properly functioning and the government properly established, there
was no longer any need for the Klan's existence. The new Klan, on the
other hand, aside from taking money away from the public, has not made any
public statement as to its real intentions. In some of the pronouncements
printed in the official organ, there is an indication that the "citizens"
of the "Invisible Empire" generally understand that the movement has a
definite national mission. It is a matter of serious conjecture as to what
kind of mission a secret, military, "Invisible Empire" can have in the
United States. That there is no intention of disbanding the organization
is evident by the fact that every attack made upon the system has so far
resulted in a redoubling of efforts by the propagation agents. Statements
reiterating the idea of "pure Americanism" and giving expression to
high-sounding and sanctimonious platitudes come in unending streams from
the pen of the "Emperor," who brazenly insists that his organization
intends to enforce law and order.
The old Ku Klux Klan has a very deep place in the hearts of the Southern
people, and it holds the added glamour of being an organization about
which little was known by the public up to a few years ago. Knowing this
feeling, the promoters of the modern organization have worked overtime
upon the sympathies of the South in fostering an entirely different
proposition. No matter what may be the ultimate objects of this
organization, its claims to "genuineness" are fraudulent. Some of the
leading men of the South and most of the newspapers have detected the
fraud, but a great many unthinking men have joined the new movement under
the impression that they were becoming members of the old organization.
These men, when they have learned the truth, and have taken the trouble to
study for themselves what I have discovered, will, I believe, withdraw
from the organization and denounce it for what it is--an historical
fraud.