THE HOODED TERROR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16662, 18 February 1922, Page 4

THE HOODED TERROR.

new ku klux klan. HOPED TO CREATE “INVISIBLE EMPIRE.” ( tJ Pear&on’s Weekly.”') “ The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.” This name vas once the dread and terror of thousands of American citizens. In the 3 ear following the close of the Civil War. the original Klan was formed in the Southern States, the name being chosen in imitation of the Bound made when the old-fashioned army rifle was cocked—“ Ku-Klux Klan.” Rapidly this secret society became an organisation for terrorising the negroes and those whites who openly sympathised with the latter’s newlywon freedom. Burnings, lynching®, and tar-and-feathering marked the trail of these ghostly night-raiders as. clad in long, flowing white robes, with conical hoods with slitted eye-holes, covering the face, they scoured the country pide. The national Government eventually suppressed the Klan, but now it has been revived with all the terrorism of former times. NO QUESTIONS MAY BE ASKTTD. To-day “Klan” has proved to be a gigantic financial swindle, which has already netted its promoters at least » million pounds, through the clever stirring of the passions of white against black, white against yellow, creed against creed, and nation against nation. William Joseph Simmons, who in turn has been a preacher, and a professor in a small self-styled “ unher-. sity ” in the South, organised the up-to-date Klan in 1915 with thirty-four of his friends as members. Now the Klan is active in forty-five of the fortyeight States of America, and has a membership of more than 500,000. Each member pays an entrance fee of ten dollars which means that the inner ring of the Klan has had roughly nearly two million pounds to play with, c nd no questions may be asked under penalty of death to the inquisitive Klansman. In addition to the entrance fee. the Klan chiefs make a fat profit from the sale of the white uniforms. These are cheap cotton affairs which cost about four shillings each to make, .yet members are forced to buy them through headquarters for twenty-six shillings. In the last year alone there hare been 152 recorded cases of masked lawlessness. amon" these eases being four killings and one horrible mutilation. The best side-light upon the justice of this wholesale terrorism is furnished by the private character of one of the chief officials of the Klan (next to Simmons himself) —Edward Young Clarke. This man was expelled from membership of a Methodist church in 1919 on eight charges—lying, extortion, fraudulent and unjust dealings, improper handling of funds, false and malicious slander, inordinate ambition, and hypocrisy and treachery. He made no appeal against the Church’s action. Since the publication in America of these facts. Clarke has resigned hii official position in the Klan. but not his membership in the organisation WHY THE PEOPLE JOIN. It may well be asked, why on earth people join the Klan. The answer is three-fold. First, there is the childishly mystic, nonsensical combination of titles, ritual and dress. Second, there is the appeal to race hatred. Third, the force of fear-—the fear ot not belonging to an organisation which boasts that its members, and only rts members, are patriotic citizens. Simmons, as head of the order, is styled the “ Imperial Wizard of the Invisible Empire ’’ and his headquarters in Atlanta is known as the “ Imperial Palace.” The members of the Klan art Knights. Clarke, second in command, is called “ Grand Kleagle,” and a Mrs Tyler is head of the women’s division, the members of which are called “ Kluxters.” Simmons wrote a “ bible ’’ for the Klan, which he called the “Kloran.” < course, secrecy about the Klan has been one of its great lures, and Simmons was very indignant when extracts from its ‘ ‘ sacred book ” were published He apparently forgot, that laving copyrighted it meant that he had presented two copies to the Congressional Library at Washington for all who wished to read. , The aim of Simmons was to take into the organisation as many officials as possible, in order to permit the Klan to carry on its work of profitmaking and terrorism without fear of prosecution. They hoped really to create an “ Invisible Empire ” w ithin the United States of America. Only the recent publicity given to the working of the Klan has killed this movement. PRIVATE ARMY AND FLYING SERVICE. A year ago Simmons wrote : Among tho Klan s most appreciated and loyal members now are members of Congress. State officials of various States, and court officials. There not only has been no clash with the authorities, but there has not even been a hint of such.” Investigation showed that the Klan .agents were making desperate and not unsuccessful attempts to enrol chiefs of police. policemen, county sheriffs, official prosecuting attorneys, foremen of grand jurie«, postmasters and judges all over tho country. An attempt was made to enrol© officers and men on the reserve list of the American Army, and there was a movement to found a branch order to be called the “Knights of the Air.” These schemes were started in order to provide a private army and flying service for the “ Invisible Empire.” Both schemes were frustrated. How far tins whole Ku Klux Klan movement would have gone hut for its timely exposure, one hardly cares to imagine. But facing investigation as j an unlawful body, and threatened with j n Department of Justice inquiry as a treasonable and criminal organisation, the Klan’s day is done-