286 51 10MB
English Pages 222 Year 1936
STATE LIBRARY OF PENNSYLVANIA 363.973K95ZL92
main,stks
Ku Klux Klan
in
Pennsylvania;
THE KU KLUX KLAN IN PENNSYLVANIA A
Study
in
Nativism
BY
EMERSON HUNSBERGER LOUCKS
The Telegraph Press
New
York-Harrisburg, Pa.
—1936
Copyright 1936, by Emerson H. Loucks
rights reserved, including the right to reprodi this
book or portions thereof,
in
any form
363.973
K95Z —
^
Printed in the United States of America by The Telegraph Press, Harrisburg, Pa.
——
Preface M' Chapter
I
Some Beginnings of Nativism
:
1
Nativism as a phase of cultural adjustment— The colonial background of nativism— Its expression during the early years of the Republic The Brutus Letters— The Native American Party: its principles and influence— The Rise of Know-Nothingism— The effect of the slavery controversy upon nativism— Post Civil War foreign immigration— The School Policy of the Roman Catholic Church— The founding of the American Protective Association— Its propaganda and political history.
)^Chapter
II
The Revival
:
the
of
Ku Klux Klan
15
Xhe-i>Fcr-e qu i&^ tie s- o f nativ i^sm--ami-4bei-g--i^««^Ge--in-4h&-post-'World W-a-F-f>€fied— The re-establishment of the Ku Klux Klan- Its founder The role of the Southern Publicity Association in its growth The spread of Klan violence— Press exposures and governmental in-
—
vestigations.
Chapter
III
The Klan Moves Into Pennsylvania
:
...
25
—
—
Atkins and Rich Provincial organization The use Kleagles— Early difficulties— The northern conspiracy against Atlanta Progress in eastern Pennsylvania Freeman's administration—Trouble with the "Dutch" Estimated membership Reasons for its growth Characteristics of Klan literature The strategy The handicaps of its critics— Belief in the Klan of Klan "lecturers" as an instrument of reform Emphasis on personal rather than in-
Early organizers of local
men
:
as
—
—
—
— —
—
—
—
stitutional reform.
Chapter IV: The Klan Changes Hands: Progress in Pennsylvania Under the Evans Regime ....
45
plan to oust Simmons from administrative control of the Order D. C. Stephenson's cooperation and his reward The successful culmination of this efTort The efifect of Evans' control upon the South The Evans-Stephenson regime in Pennsylvania Increased use of demonstrations The Carnegie, Scottdale and Lilly riots The local press and Klan publicity Cross burnings The types of people who joined the Order.
The
— —
—
—
)/
The Organization
Chapter V:
—
—
—
of
the Klan
62
—
a written constitution The subdivisions of the "imperial" government The organization and powers The Kloncilium as a judicial and adof the national Klonvokation visory body The centralization of power in the office of the Imperial Wizard The "Realm" organization Provisional and chartered stages The control of the Kloreros by the Grand Dragons Provincial organization The organization of the local klantons The Kleagle's
The adoption "empire" The
—
—
—
—
of
—
—
—
—
iii
289981
— —
Oath
of Loyalty te IraporiaJ-
Wizafd Evans— The advantages of secur-"sraod" Tribanals^Subadiary organizations The Knights KameHia and rCiiights of the Great Forest— The mihtary order: Klavahers— The mihtary line of communication— I-inancing the Order— Klectokens— Imperial and realm taxes— Local dues—An estimate of the total expense of maintenance. ing charters— The
Iceal- anor?. vol.
I-
11.
3A^^or^e
l^^'^^h
1,
136.
Pt'o
t?e
of
T-j„,„,j
Miiipr
K C
resident of Scottdale.
c. ^. Testimony of Joseph G. tlemmer,
ui
j
Chief
of
Police
McGuckm,
l^i^emeiifohohn
14.
S?pfoT Testimony
J.
(ibid)
ii/364
;
T.timony
at
Bristol.
of Mrs.
1,
p.
3.20.
The Kourier Magazine,
iq=^ p. n February, 1953,
:>
Van A. Barrickman
Mamie
l-ilS:^^.S^-M.S?e-: mony, Vol.
(above),
Klavern. b'/j't-K^lt^l'/lecJ^Ur^y-of the Scottdale
II-
18.
Oyer and Terminer.
in Equity Bar^Uy-'tr^nfcrip-t'of testimony. Case 1897
.
wrr
SfeghTnVc"unty Court
mcidents^^
Bittner.
Transcript
of
Testi-
;
CHAPTER The Organization
5
of the
Klan
'The government of the order shall ever be military in character, especially in its executive
and
and no
control,
amendment hereafter change
this
Empire."
—
legislative
or
management constitutional
shall encroach upon, affect or
fundainental principle of the Invisible
FroTii Article 1, Section 2 of the
Klan
Constitution
There should have been little doubt in the minds of the "citizens" of the "Invisible Empire" about the general type of organization they had joined. It had a written constitution which was
Drawn up and
distributed widely. of
Simmons/
published under the regime
was largely written by him although the body of the Order was vested by the charter with the power to "adopt and amend Constitutions and By-laws," and a committee of that body did work over the instrument prior Col.
supreme
it
legislative
to its publication.
This constitution set up a highly centralized "Empire" which was subdivided geographically into "Realms" or states and these in turn further divided into "Provinces" (groups of counties) and into local districts called "Klantons." This last division might include a township or small city or a few wards of a larger city. It represented roughly the area from which the
Klavern drew its members. Each of these geographical areas had its own set of officers.* The Klanton officers with minor exceptions were duplicated in local
the Province and were differentiated by the prefix "Great." Similarly the state officers were designated as "Grand" and the national officers as "Imperial."
*The Klanton otHcers were: the Exalted Cyclops, president; Klaliff, vice-president; Klokard, lecturer; Kludd, Chaplain; Kligrapp, secretary; Klabee, treasurer; Kladd. conductor; Klarogo, inner guard Klexter, outer guard Night-Hawk, in charge of candidates and three Klokann, board of investigators, auditors and advisers. ;
;
-
The Organization
of
63
the Klan
-
the national ''I-Pj^^ts largely centralized in d visions geographical the that It has been noted organization the geographical divisions Klux Klan parallel somewhat o The The similarity between th government. o the United States
Power was
Ku
Federal Constitution of
The there. two governments ends U S sets up three distinct departments check each were dSned to balance and
^
Ae
of government which The Klan con other. _
deoverwhelmingly powertul executive tution provided for an and legislative weak
pirent'and,
subordinate to
^"TL^\egt^^^^^^^^
the
branch of
Klon^kadon was made up
relatively
it,
of
Klan government
called
•
the
toge"
imperial o^cials and one elected delegate
all
officer the highest administrative local Klans province, and all heads of er) from each realm and held biennial meetings were who cared to attend. Regular made it a comparatively simp e The procedure of these meetings The ^^P^ to control them. „.atter'for the Imperial Wizard were appointed by the officials
who
Wizard and
presided over
all
action taken
its
meetings
was subject to ^^^^^^^
.
he Klonvo a three-fourths vote of veto could be overridden by Vot ng almost impossible to obtain. kation but in practice this was each was allowed one vote for was proportional. Each realm fraction thereof who were^ hundred Klansmen or majority allowed a Cyclops attending was eood standing. Each Exalted strength was remainder of the realm voting p sonal vote'and the present at the other representatives divided equally among the ^ few Klans Klonvokation.3' Since comparatively
r
from two hundred members and many had
to
^
hundred
th obviously gave the bulk of bers, this voting provision realm and provincial officers strength into the hands of
mem
vc.mg
whom
appointment^ through his power « he Wizard could control Wizard would ^ave o be Under such conditions an Imperial per cen^^^^^^ control the twenty-^ve weak indeed not to be able to being necessary to prevent his veto of the Klonvokation the votes
Klonlegislation passed by the ""^Bl^deT'this veto power over power enjoyed in his own "g^* ^he vokation, the Imperial Wizard not f u ly orthe governing of realms to furnish all laws for Kloreros were estabhshed and ganized * Even after the Realm
The Ku Klux Klan
64
in Pennsylvania
own legislation, none could become effective unless by him. This was true also of the rules and by-laws formulated by each separate Klan. These, too, had to be sub-
voted on their ratified
mitted to the Imperial
In Kloranic and to
the
office
ritualistic
and await
its
approval.*
matters the Constitution
Emperor complete charge
of
"creating"
as
»
delegated
well
as
of
"promulgating" the "Kloranic, ritualistic and philosophic work of the Order." This extensive legislative power included the right to "design or cause to be designed, all paraphernalia, regalia,
uniforms, costumes, emblems, insignia,
flags, banners, and jewelry for individual wear, honorary and official jewels, hoods, pamphlets and literature of the Order." When Col. Simmons withdrew
from the Order giving up his title of Emperor, his office was combined with that of Imperial Wizard and this latter office made even more potent.
The
judicial
Kloncilium. officers called
body
up by the Constitution was called the Consisting of the Imperial Wizard and fifteen other Genii and appointed by the Wizard, this body served set
as the court of appeal in all matters of a judicial nature. Its decisions were final but, according to the constitution, only "when same are ratified by the Imperial Wizard."^ The Kloncilium
not only had the above mentioned judicial function but was also the advisory council and executive staff of the national organization. Included in its membership was the Klaliff or vice-president of the Order, the Klazik or head of the Department of Realms, the Kligrapp or secretary, the Klabee or treasurer, the
Klonsel
or attorney, the Night
Hawk
or head of the Department of In-
Klokard who was responsible for publicity and for disseminating the ideas which the national organization wished
vestigation, the
spread
among
officers of
group
the membership.
lesser responsibilities.
It
included, as well, seven other It
was required
to
meet as a
in July of each year
and could be called in special meeting by the Imperial Wizard or by five of its members. These formal meetings were not particularly essential for a majority of the
members of the Kloncilium had their offices along with the Imperial Wizard in Atlanta. There was also a vague grant of legislative power given to the Kloncilium by Section three of the seventh Article of the Constitution which read: "It shall have
full
»
The Organization power and authority
...
of
the Klan
to act in the interim
65
between sessions
of the Imperial Klonvokation."
organization was noticeable feature of the National Wizard. the office of the Imperial the centralization of power in In view with virtual dictatorship of the Order.
The most
He was endowed of
the
Klan
criticism
of
monarchial organization of
the
which the Order gave
Catholic Church and the lip service to find democratic government, one is surprised
Roman to
the
its
m
own
or-
practice.
in principle and ganization extremely monarchial both charbe mihtary "The government of this Order shall ever Constitution " first Article of the is plainly stated in the acter un-amendable, there follows the statement,
m
and as
if
to
make
this
constitutional amendment hereafter "no' legislative enactment or change this fundamental prmciple shall encroach upon, afiPect or of the Invisible Empire."
As commander-in-chief
of the Order, the Imperial
Wizard was
departments of the orgamzagiven supreme supervision over all appoint all "He shall have full authority and power to tion«
...
^» to remove from Imperial officers and Grand Dragons station this Order of any rank or office at any time anv officer of whomsoever, on the ground ot or capacity, or any employee or for unbecoming incompetency, disloyalty, neglect of duty
conduct."
became Klonvokation "original jurisdiction" given to the The control exercised by the Imperial a rather empty grant. In practice it could Wizard over that body was determining. which was not acceptable to pass no legislation for the Order executive council, acted as him. His appointees, members of his committee chairmen." The controlits president, secretary, and delegates who were his appointees, ling vote was in the hands of He appointed and controlled the Klondirectly or indirectly. its act in the interim between cilium which was empowered to placed Moreover, all residual power was biennial meetings. not provided for "Whenever a question arises his hands. power Imperial Wizard "shall have full in this constitution," the and his decision, which and authority to determine such questions Klonvokation. if requested, shall he shall report to the Imperial
The
m
...
be
final."
The Ku Klux Klan
66
The Kloncilium in its judicial to the Imperial Wizard whose But while
decision.
in Pennsylvania
capacity
council
this
judicial capacity without the
was
similarly subservient
was necessary for a
ratification
was powerless
not restricted by the necessity of securing effective constitutional checks of
He, alone, had the power
to act in the
Wizard's approval, he in turn was its
approval,
or by
any kind.* on which
to "specify the conditions
charters shall be issued," to issue them, to suspend, or revoke
He
them.^"
of
name
financing, fix
was given the
officers regardless of
all
the
alone
Order
shall not be divided."
^«
for
its
extension,
In short, "the Imperial au-
shall ever center
and be vested
it
is
true that provision
for a just cause. ^°
office
such action
is
him and
evident,
The
however.
was the Wizard
evident that there
constitutional hindrance to as autocratic a rule as It is
in
"
wide grant of power,
this
might wish.
from
members
of this Order, with other
thority of this
little
to "construct, in
management, operation and business interests" and "to
the compensation therefor."
With
privilege to "specify the duties
rank or station,"
was made
for his removal
small chance of ever effecting
A
three-fourths vote of the
members of the Kloncilium together with the approval of the Grand Dragons was necessary for his removal and all of these officers
were
his
own
appointees and could be immediately dis-
missed for "disloyalty."
Nor need office
the
Wizard
expired.
Klansman
fear removal
when
his four-year
In the quadrennial election
term of
for this office any
good standing "as determined by the records of the was eligible for election. But the voting was carried on by the Grand Dragons (Wizard-appointed) who met in
Imperial Palace"
power proportional to the memrealms. Since these Grand Dragons own membership and voted without
in executive session with voting
bership of their respective
were uninstructed by their
Klansmen of their own Realms, it is difficult to how any Imperial Wizard who wished re-election could not
obligation to the see
W.
*At the time of the litigation between Col. Simmons and H. Evans over the latter's seizure of control, the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, decreed "that so far as the Constitution gives the Imperial Wizard the power to veto an act of the Imperial Klonciliui", the same is contrary to the charter." This meant that, if the Kloncilium in its e.xecutiye capacity acted affirmatively on any matter, the Imperial Wizard was bound by its action. When it is remembered, however, that any member of the Kloncilium could be dismissed "at any time" by the Wizard, open defiance of his wishes merely meant the elimination of such a member rather than a change in the 'V^'zard's policy.
v
The Organization
of the
67
Klan
Evans, in spite of much dissatisfaction the ofhce to maintain himself within the Order, has been able Wizard to the present time (1936).
obtain
Indeed,
it.
H.
W.
m
of Imperial
how
this
self-
seemed strange to many outsiders American Order, claiming to be termed one hundred per cent fundamental principles of democratic the chief defender of the of government Pressed government, could tolerate such a frame was often made by Klansmen for an explanation, the statement which it Order and the type of work that the secrecy of the both within and without the undertook opened the way for abuses authority and miliThis necessitated highly centralized Order its more boisterous and radica^ of tary discipline to keep the effectiveness of the Order, it members in hand. Moreover, the absolute obedience depended upon unity of action and It naturally
was
said,
rather This too demanded a military In spite of p ausible procedure. than a parliamentary type of between pnnciples and explanations, however, the contradiction proved the Klan's defenses and
to the governing officials.
a vulnerable point in plague the internal criticism began to a serious weakness when long as it did only because Order Indeed, the Order succeeded as the higher the ideals and leadership of its membership accepted
practice
was
officials
and did not try to change or
was not by
its
set
up
as a flexible institution
membership.
It
The Order modified and to be molded
criticize
was organized
them.
to serve the purpose of
with the rank and file disagreed those at the top and as soon as were to submit or get out^ that leadership the only alternatives Empire were called The largest subdivisions of the Invisible The Imperial Wiz"Realms" and generally followed state lines. and power over the given the same close supervision
ard was
Realms
national organization. realms as he exercised over the of the Wizard and all could be organized only on declaration regulations named or approved and all laws and
were provisional period. furnished by him during the organization, the The Realms passed through two stages of
officials
In the former, the chief Kleagle which, in Pennsylvania officer carried the title of King This officer had was later changed to Imperial Representative.
provisional and the chartered stage.
held nothing but delegated authority and of the Wizard.
office
only at the pleasure
self-government There was no provision for any
The Ku Klux Klan
68
in Pennsylvania
Realm during
within a
the provisional stage. The Wizard appointed and supervised his realm leaders who acted with delegated authority only. Indeed, many of their subordinates were responsible primarily to the national organization at Atlanta instead of to the realm ofihce and were paid from national headquarters.
In Pennsylvania these subordinates consisted chiefly of three groups of people. The most numerous were the Kleagles or recruiting agents.
Their duties included the organization of local Klaverns and the collection of ten dollar donations (klectokens) from each initiate. The Realm office parceled out the territory
among these Kleagles whose success depended chiefly upon the number of members they were able to secure for the Order. The second group consisted of lecturers who generally travelled about addressing large public gatherings with the purpose of stimulating an interest in the Klan and of aiding the Kleagles in
A
their recruiting.
third
group of officials became necessary as These were the service men, in-
the organization progressed.
and trouble hunters who enjoyed the distinction of They were employed by the King Kleagle to check upon the activities of the recruiting officers, to discover and remedy any instances of dissention in the various klaverns and to recommend the suspension, banishment or re-instatement vestigators
being called "G-men."
of the
Klansmen where advisable. They represented in a special way Realm office. They were supposed to be more familiar with
the technicalities of the organization and the intricacies of the ritual than the Kleagles and were used to instruct and correct the Klaverns in matters of procedure and policies and to advise
them concerning
the political, educational
and social methods and measures which had the approval of the Realm officers. Finally, as the military branch of the Order, the Klavaliers, and the Junior
Order developed,
officials
were appointed
groups.
these
'
:
When known
administer
to
a
as
Realm became "fully organized" the Grand Dragon but otherwise
i
the titular head the office
was
was little
He
remained an appointee of the Imperial Wizard and remained subject to his immediate dismissal. Provision was made effected.
in organized realms for a
Klorero
to the national Klonvokation,
"
or convention corresponding
which was
at least partially repre-
of
The Organization sentative.
It
and
officers
Realm officers but from each Provmce of
consisted not only of five
delegates
69
the Klan
also of the
the
Realm
of each Cyclops or executive heads together with the Exalted must be called on y par loL klan in the Realm. The Klorero were not freely because (1) the state officers tially representative nomination of the Wizard-appomted but chosen only on
elected
Grand Dragons, (2)
the executive
^^^^^^ ^^^^/^^^'^^ ^^"^^
appointed by the Grand Dragon Titans) were not elected but charge of Imperial Klazik or officer with the approval of the
m
by officials were aU nominated Realms, and the other Provincial loca klans the Exalted Cyclops of the the Great Titans, and (3) be Provincial or ^^^^e heads, had to while not nominated by the
assume approved by them before they could
office.-
These
fea-
to so con rol the possible for the higher officials realm and little opposition to personnel of the Kloreros that these Realm conventions. imperial policies developed in of electing the mne Among the powers of the Klorero was that Dragon's executive council. "Hydras" which made up the Grand be installed, however, until they These elected officers could not of the the Imperial Klazik (later had received the approval of were also authorized to pass
tures
made
it
_
Imperial KlaHf?).
The Kloreros
not inconsistent with the constilaws for the Realm which were central too, the heavy hand of the tution of the Order. But here, Absolute veto power over all legislaauthorities could interfere. tion of the Kloreros
and was given to both the Grand Dragon
the Imperial Wizard.-*
The
from the top was not evident m Realm ran the internal affairs of the which a growing minority group
full effect of this control
Pennsylvania as long as smoothly. There was, however,
from 1924 on was opposed
to the
Hiram Wesley Evans-Sam D.
almost impossible to This minority group found it and Kloreros and they became more eet a hearing in the state the Klorero, it finally convinced
Rich control.
more
irritated.
Working
the national office
outside
from Pennthat Rich should be withdrawn
his resignation was announced sylvania and, in February 1926, Imperia Wizard head was appointed and the
A
temporary
state
opposed to Rich that he would promised the leaders of the group to the Realm. He promised nominate a Grand Dragon acceptable The Klorero vote on the matter. to allow the next Klorero
The Ku Klux Klan
70
met
at
DuBois
in
in Pennsylvania
August and the matter was brought up. The Wizard was one Herbert C. Shaw, for-
choice of the Imperial
merly a Methodist Episcopal minister of Erie. He was looked upon by many as a tool of the Wizard and by others as too rabidly anti-Catholic.
When
the question of his ratification as
Grand Dragon was put to a vote he was rejected. No new nominee was put forward. Instead, H. K. Ramsey, who represented the Wizard, brought considerable pressure to bear upon some of the delegates present and ordered another vote on the question of Shaw's acceptance or the alternative of continuing an appointee from Atlanta as Grand Dragon. Some of the delegates
withdrew and Shaw's appointment was ratified. This is a clear instance of the way the Klorero could be and was controlled by the national organization if occasion
seemed
to
demand
it.
It
should be understood, of course, that the constitutional right of
Mr. Shaw
to
the office
of
Grand Dragon was unquestionable.
The Imperial Wizard had the As he had chosen to allow a
right to appoint
whom
he wished.
vote of ratification, he could also
choose to withdraw that privilege.
With Mr. Shaw's installation as Grand Dragon, the chartered Realm of Pennsylvania may be said to have begun.
stage of the
Certain changes in the financial arrangements accompanied it* which had the effect of putting the Realm on a self-sustaining basis
and necessitating that
limits of its
own
its
expenditures be kept within the
income.
The
Provincial organization in Pennsylvania was, for considerable time, not highly developed. During the regime of Sam Rich
and the two temporary appointees that filled his office between his resignation and the selection of Herbert C. Shaw, there were but two Provinces in the Realm. The territory east of the Susquehanna comprised Province I, the remainder Province II. The latter,
although organized later than East Pennsylvania, had, at
the peak of
more members than had Province I, it had but 46 per cent of the total Realm membership 25 and subsequently declined more rapidly. its
organization,
but in 1926
Normally each province had eight officers, the Great Titan who was appointed by the Grand Dragon of the Realm and seven others
who were
•See Page 74.
elected
by a Klonverse (convention) to which
The Organization
71
Klan
of the
Cyclops and four
the Exalted Realm and Provmcial officers, m good standing might come^ delegates from each Klan was this regional organization
the
fh
-"-^f
function of
purpose was Its ^^J^^^^^^^^^^^^^ social. Klan constitution as fraternal and maintain the interest of Klansmen promote good fellowship and
of the to
in their Order.=«
„ Shaw was increased during the H. C would check the hope that such action ,
The number
of Provinces
admmistration, perhaps in the
dwindling interest and the
declining
membership. Visitations
Great
were
made pep speeches. Titans travelled around and Klan was presented to the visited Planned during which a gavel were rotated among the wrh due ceremony. Regular meetings services Provinces like summer union different locals within the Proa commui.i ty the different churches of are rotated vincial
among
organ ot the Klan to appear in the national news witnessing Magazine, instead of local Klavern
news began
the Kourier
the part of individual both to a smalle? activity on
an increased regional ministration of in 1933, there
activity.
K averns
..d
During the early part of the ad-
H. C Shaw Grand Dragon Stough, who replaced This number has were some fifteen Provinces.
State so that each county in the been increased to sixty-seven, This move has at potential Klan Province. is also an actual or Titans and has increased the number of Great least substantially
perhaps served to
fill
some empty
appointees of Moreover, since the Titans are it
Realm Kloreros. the Grand Dragon,
seats at the
over the Dragon added control has doubtless served to give
these gatherings.
Order-also During provisional and chartered. passed through two stages, were under the control of a Kleagle the first of these stages they community under orders to who often came unrequested into a the Realm office organization. In some instances,
The Klanton-the
smallest organized
umt
of the
establish a local
as a result of petitions requesting sent Kleagles into communities Sometimes a man in some outlying that Klaverns be established. seat or larger city joined a Klavern in his county
area
who had
thought
it
community
immediate secure enough persons in his and, often with the added to form a separate unit for one. be appointed a Kleagle, petitioned
possible to
hope that he would
The Ku Klux Klan
72
In whatever
way
in Pennsylvania
the local Klavern
was
initiated, the officer in
charge was always a Kleagle appointed by the Realm
Wizard from whom thus
the approval of the Imperial
When
he received his credentials.
was increasing and ship,
that there
it
office
with
indirectly
appeared that factionalism
was a group opposed
to his leader-
Imperial Wizard Evans took the precaution to have his
Kleagles sign the sonally
following "Pledge of Loyalty" to him per-
:
"I, the undersigned, in order to be a regular appointed Kleagle of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Incorporated), do freely and voluntarily promise, pledge and fully guarantee a lofty respect, whole-hearted loyalty and unwavering devotion at all times and under any and all circumstances and conditions from this day and date forward to M^'-W-i-fevaas as Imperial Wizard of the Invisible
Empire, Knights of the
Ku Klux
in all respects in perfect
Klan (Inc.). I shall work harmony with him and under his
authority and directions, in all his plans for the extension and government of the Society, and under his directions, with any and all of my officially superior officers duly appointed by him. "I shall at any and
all times be faithful and true in all and most especially in preventing and suppressing any factions, schisms or conspiracies against him or his plans and purposes or the peace and harmony of the Society which may arise or attempt to arise. I shall discourage and strenuously oppose any degree of disloyalty or disrespect on the part of myself or any Klansman anywhere and at any time or place, towards him as the supreme chief governing head of the Society named.
things,
"This pledge, promise and guarantee I make is a condition precedent to my appointment stated above, and the continuity of my appointment as a Kleagle and it is fully agreed that any deviation by me from this pledge will instantly automatically cancel and completely void my appointment together with all its prerogatives, my membership in the Society, and I shall forfeit all remunerations which may then be due me.
solemn pledge on my Oath of Allegiance and and honor as a man and as a Klansman, with serious purpose to keep same inviolate. "I
on
make
my
this
integrity
The Organization "Done
73
the Klan State of
in the city of
day
this the
on
of
A.D.
of
19..
Signed
Address Witness Address etteCed ^y Within the limitations ^^,^^^^ agle s hand. entirely m the Kl admit members was of
the
provisional
XTZZ
^^--J%f;°Z"C
his
commis-
raL'dse!t^hfrettrkt,:rw£.otecteditseU :lewhat by
obliging
^"-^ *Z^::^ w- ^^^^
The commission system
by^^^^^^^
P^,
an ove.empha.s ,
rather
Espectally
own was carried along by its utrned donation in hand -re
t"':— r ship standards,
'
eaders
-J^
;
"ja
Ltlg
given that
5°9^26%^rf?ad
I
vmpa hized^^^
fof Scl°^granted
.n
the
when
the
Man
^i,„ter and secure an
,
f
f^^^J^^
and, although confcsstng^
was raised high member-
„ijiection
P ^
Klavern
way and
^^^^.^^^^^
a charter as long delay the granting of as a prerequisite larger membership Ihere were three important when it was chartered, a local
r~
^^-^;^:i:^j£'J.ZZ^l:..r alt« th.s tru
wa
the tem-
ihe hrst
^^^^ ^^.^^
state.
the right
By
July
The Ku Klux Klan
74 to
who
determine
When each
should
be
in
Pennsylvania
included
within
membership.
its
the charter had been granted, a vote could be taken on
member then upon
enough
and three negative votes was Moreover, each new applicant had to
the
to reject anyone.^*
roll,
have his name submitted in three separate meetings with an opportunity given for objections to his admission, and in addition
undergo an investigation by a Klokann committee
of three.
If
was barred, except by special dispensation of the Imperial Wizard, from renewing his application again for rejected, the applicant
one year.
A
second advantage of being chartered was the privilege
gave to the
local klan to share in the selection of its
The Kleagle was removed from
own
it
officials.
authority and an Exalted Cyclops
and twelve Terrors were elected by the member Klansmen.
It
true these officials could not be installed until they had been
is
approved by the Great Titan or Grand Dragon within whose jurisdiction they were located and until the financial obligations
Klan
of the of
these
to
its
Province and Realm were met.
some
restrictions,
measure
Yet, in spite
self-government
of
was
obtained.
The
third advantage
was
financial.
part of the "donation" fee of
The Kleagle Realm office and
Prior to
new members
its
chartering,
could be kept in the
local treasury.
got his share and the remainder
sent to the
distributed again there.
tering the Kleagle, of course,
Exalted Cyclops
who
was out
no
was
After char-
of the picture
and the
took his place as chief administrative
officer
served without salary. Thus $7.50* of each subsequent "donation"
was retained by the local expenses, the
The
judicial
local organization
and could be used
remainder going to the national
body
to
meet
office.
of each local klan analogous to the Imperial
Kloncilium in the national organization was called the Tribunal.
up only when occasion demanded and consisted of sixteen Klansmen chosen by lot from a group of twenty-four It
was
set
persons nominated by the Exalted Cyclops, Klaliff, Klokard and
Kludd.
Appeals from
its
decisions could
be taken before the
Grand Tribunal, a permanent board of twelve persons appointed *The retained
records of some klaverns by the local klan.
show
that
only
five
dollars
of
each
klectoken
was
The Organization
of the
75
Klan
and Giants of from among the Hydras by the Grand Dragon
"onT
these bodies .f^ t^^^^^^^ could be brought before major crmimal one of six classes of charc^ed in writing with reccommittee, after investigation and if the Klokann offenses ana ottenses the against treason were: (1) offenses were. ^ > ommended trial. The ottense^ ^kresDect espect of C^) of Klan oaths United States, (2) violation the Ord.r violation of the laws ot virtuous womanhood, (4) habtual person or institution, allegiance to a foreign
I
ng Sunkennes? or
of (5) the pollution If the Klo offense.^ of a mmor and (6) repeated commission one such offense was a mmor e decided that the kann^ of the rule or profanity, disobedience as occasional drunkenness refusal to respond to a orders of the Klan or the iixaltea matter was referred to the Exalted Cyclops, the trial personally without holding a Cyclopstt handled the case prosecutor and major offenses, both the In ase of trial for the present witcounsel) could summon and he defendant (or his cou d e before the Tribunal. No one nesses and argue the case ,n however, who was not ^ Clansman present in any capacity, a threeacquittal was determmed by !ood standing. Guilt or gud^y ,,e defen ant wa-c.ed fourths vote of the Tribunal.3^ reprimand one of four penalties: (1) the Tribunal assigned forever with banishment and (4) bamshment (2) suspension, (3) members of the Order. complete ostracism by all only way a from the foregoing that the It will be evident removed from the Order by Klansman could be constitutionally conviction was by the process of trial and a fellow Klansman the Grand taken, if an appeal was in his local Klan and, other convicted in some jurisdiction Tribunal of his Realm. If mhad the right of ^ppeal to the than his own, the Klansman this to There was, however, one exception perial Kloncilium. power constitution^ The Imperial Wizard had the procedure. against a Ivlansman issue banishment order"
profanity,
omX
L
su„^
m
"at his discretion to
which those specifically listed above for any offense other than There was interest of this Order."was "inimical to the best banishment to the Imperia Te right of an appeal from this days a ter the date o KloncLm if it was made within ninety the the Wizard himself had If one assumes that banishment.
The Ku Klux Klan
76
in Pennsylvania
what was "inimical to the best interests" of the Order, a loose construction of "any other offense" would allow him wide powers of banishment. It will be remembered that the power of the Wizard to remove every official of the Order from his office was unrestricted as was his authority to right to determine
suspend or revoke the charters of individual Klans. of banishment extended his
was used Pennsylvania and was for
organization.
as
It
power
every
to include
This right
member
of
freely to check internal opposition in that reason fiercely resented by
many
an instrument of tyranny.*
Within the Order itself were several subsidiary organizations. There was a group of Knights Kamellia, a second degree into which a considerable number of Klansmen were initiated. A higher Order was called Knights of the Great Forest but com-
The
paratively few qualified for it.**
which these more
regalia
distinguished Knights could wear was finer than the white muslin
worn by
those
still
in the probationary
the donation required to secure
it
order of citizenship but
was correspondingly higher.
In isolated instances the Knights Kamellia maintained a complete organization of
its
own and
more or
held
less
regular meetings
but in most Klaverns no separate organization was maintained
and the degrees meant
little
more than the experience
of par-
ticipating in its initiatory drama.
The
military order of the
own
its
fees.
however, maintain a separate organization.
It
and
Organized
Klansmen,
in
in the
less
allegiance to
Hiram W.
military uniform
izations,
all
summer and autumn
of 1924,
it
offered
consideration of a donation of
dues of not
cers at
called the Pennsylvania State
constitution, laws, oath, officials, uniforms, dues
Klavaliers, did,
had
Klan
$16.45, monthly and an oath of strict Evans,^* the privilege of wearing a white
than twenty-five cents
and black leather
puttees,^' of being police offi-
outside-of-Klavern meetings such as parades, natural-
demonstrations and funerals, and of obeying the orders
of their superior officers.^*
The
duties of the Klavaliers
which
*See Page 188.
February 1928, Imperial Wizard Evans gave orders that the mask should no longer be worn and that every Klansman should become a Knight of the Great Forest. This was a time when there was danger that the Order might be legally prosecuted for lawlessness both in Pennsylvania and in Alabama in which event the leaders wished to be prepared to abandon the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, while keeping the organization under the name of Knights of the Great Forest.
**In
,
of
The Organization were
mentioned
specifically '
rld
meetings and the
klan^ml waJ
clean
included in their constitution
and
like,
keeping
necessary permits for paof each and seeing that the robe earned. concealed weapons were
for securing
responsibility
Trder
77
the Klan
all
no
that
doubtless Lilly and Bristol nots The a" ests of Klansmen at the reprovision,^ an .em hat lilted the inclusion of this last Ord r the succeeding General ceived much emphasis in Commander-in-Chief of the .
The Grand Dragon was
ex-officio
General appointed a staf¥ of two, a Klavaliers in his Realm. He state^ command all the units n. the fnd a Major General, to Klavern^ office^ officers analogous to t^^ unit might elect
Each
Th
no duties to them^ although the constitution assigned Commander-m-Chief * -^^^^^^e^ "General Order" signed by the turn who appoint a Klavalier captain the Exalted Cyclops to together ..re unit and these elevei. fi^^^^^
m
for the
select tin
houM
m
men per cent of the membership instructed to "select twenty urut Klavahe age," for their high standing and of military by he emphasized authority was Moreover, this centralization of the clearly stated that of the Klavaliers which Constitution
min the Order shall be vested Pn^anly ef Grand Dragon, as Commander-m-Ch perial Wizard, and the stated^ of these men, it further who shall be supreme." The will each and recognized and respected by Government of
1st
this
be "unquestionably
''?L^molf 'remarkable authorized bv Article
the top is phase of this control from After Klavalier Constitution.
VI
of the
o the an emblem or an insignia declaring every article bearing Realm orgamzation^ the property of the Klavalie^rs to ithe Klavalier Organ provision: "All moneys of
tee
L
appears this
Stion
in the possession of
any
officers or
^^^'^l;^^^^^^^^
moneys of the Staff Trea u y turned must be freely and promptly the Organization and same provision A supplementary section makes th>s
automatically become the actual of
ver on demand."
.^"^^^ disbandment of a applicable also in case of "the local Klavaher um a of funds and Juite evidently the properties Realm on the sufferance of the were at its own disposal only
K^^f
-7^. office
Gilden signed this order --n^j-^^Pr^iLspon^denc'^^s^^^^^ was held by the Grand I^^S^^-T-h^/'ifSer instance proving that many of the from walks of life, rather than selected f ,?n;%he
K;:^T'the^Sr^v|[f the
professional
or
upper classes.
™Uon
The Ku Klux Klan
78
found itself financially arrears, the way was constitutionally open for it to send out
Staff.
in
in Pennsylvania
It
is
clear, too, that if the Staff
make
"accredited officers" to
somewhat the Klan but not
Corresponding branch of
called "military line
collections.
in
with
terminology
actually organized
of communication."
Much
by
the it
stress
military
was the sowas placed
development by representatives from Imperial headquarters whose goal it was to perfect an organization capable of carrying notices and secret orders to every Klansman in the
upon
its
United States within forty-eight hours after their issuance at Atlanta.*^ Where this was actually set up each Exalted Cyclops divided up his Klanton into neighborhoods, usually on precinct,
ward or township lines. The resident Klansman in each of these neighborhoods made up a neighborhood committee over which a chairman, called a corporal, had charge.
In larger Klantons
there were groups of committee corporals under the chairmanship of sergeants.
Thus
the Imperial Wizard's military line of
communication spread fan-shaped from his office to the Grand Dragons and from them in turn to the Great Titans, the Exalted Cyclops, the sergeants, the neighborhood corporals
Klansman was
until
every
was the boast of the national headquarters in 1924 that already there were several Realms in which the military communications system was perfected to forty-eight Pennsylvania, however, was not listed among hour efficiency. reached.
these nor did this
It
system receive attention in
many
parts
of
the state.
In addition to the transfer of instructions from national headquarters to the individual Klansmen, it was also the purpose of the military communications organization to gather and send in-
formation
in the opposite direction.
was under instructions it,
to survey
its
Each community committee area,
know every man
who were bootleggers or engaged in know the attitudes of each on the leading
especially those
illegal practices,
tions of the
day and
of the neighborhood.
mation would, of the
it
all
other
ques-
other information pertinent to the
The higher
was thought, be
Order and form
within
its
officials,
by getting
life
this infor-
better able to direct the activities
policies.
The neighborhood commit-
tees served also as fact gathering bodies for the Civic, the Public
-
The Organization the Schools, the Governmental and
of
79
the Klan
Law
Support committees of
their local klans.
,
,
of the information from the bottom In directing the flow of etticient less set-up proved Order topward this communications klans top downward. Very few than in relaying orders from the the their membership and had trained investigators among most cases mimic secret service agents
who
snoopers
m
tried to
When an Exalted Cyclops w.^.ed became mere gossip mongers. reports from for himself or check on to make an investigation inhe generally used a special these neighborhood committees, telligence
Committee"-a few
'^Trerwlrpart
trusted
men who
of the Organization
from Atlanta and from the Realm
office
m
acted secretly as
officials
which the
took more -terest than had placed E. \ Clarke
After Colonel Simmons had increased to activities the revenues in charge of promotional we tempting prize. Indeed as an amazing degree and became a withm the Order was an have seen, the first major struggle over this of Simmons and Clarke effort to break the control SimClarke was driven out and income. This had been done. monthly salary and pensioned for a short time on a .
in the finances.
mons was finally
organization, leaving H. withdrew altogether from the
Evans and
The
his
to distribute the "gravy. of the Realm, and the local divisions
henchmen
national, the
shared the income. principal sources.
W.
The The
national office first
Order four from received money
was a percentage of the ten
dollar
the time they applied for "donations" which "aliens" made at was forwarded For some time half of each donation citizenship. reduced This amount was subsequently to the imperial treasury. the end o later to $3.75 and, toward to four dollars, somewhat received this, the national office 1924 to $2.50. In addition to which cost the Order less than a profit from the sale of robes were sold to Klansmen for $5X)0 $2 00 each to produce and which to secure a robe but At first no Klansman was obligated each Pennsyldid so. Later the price a good proportion of them No reason was given for this invania was raised to $6.50. improved. the garments supplied crease nor was the quality of to the due increase was Some Klansmen conjectured that the new robe organization had just acquired a fact that the national
m
The Ku Klux Klan
80
in Pennsylvania
factory and was rapidly paying for price
had been raised by the Realm
ing to their income.
As a
new
—which A
was added
it
every
however, the
This led to
an income from
was again reduced
to the "donation"
—now raised
to five
to $15.00
required to make. imperial
tax which the
from all chartered klans. It member. For Pennsylvania, the national headquarters from the time
collected
to $1.80 per year per
imperial tax turned over to the first klan 653.90.'*-
price
new member was
organization
amounted
The
source of income was the
third
national
decreased.
initiates
policy which guaranteed
this source for the future.
dollars but
a means of add-
officials as
result of this increase,
number of robes purchased by the adoption of a
Others thought that the
it.
was chartered
October
to
This represented a period of
1925, totaled $94,-
1,
about fifteen
months
most of the klans involved had received their charters Although later records are not now available 1, 1924.
since
after July it
is
from Pennsylvania did not After 1926 the total member-
safe to say that the imperial tax
decline for at least another year.
ship of the
Order declined so rapidly within the
state*
that,
must have been a substantial drop in the revenue collected on a per capita
in spite of the continued chartering of local klans, there
basis.
A
fourth source of revenue which the national organization
enjoyed was the income from even to estimate
this.
its
The Klan
investments. did not
It
is
impossible
own much
tangible
which Colonel Simmons had acquired, on a part of which he had hoped to erect a great Klan university, little was kept except the enlarged dwelling called property.
Indeed,
the "Imperial Atlanta.
The
of
the
real
Palace" and the fact that real
estate
Brown
office
building,
l
both in
property was more easily assessible
for damages at law was doubtless one of the determining factors in the investment policy of the national officials.
Turning from the imperial revenues to those of the Realm, the sources were practically the same. The Realm received a part of the initial "donations," which sum was increased by the income from petitions for higher degrees in the Order. There was a Realm tax collected from Klansmen in chartered klans *See Page 162.
.
:
The Organization and
at
times the national
office cut
percent of the imperial tax. Of each ten dollar donation, the
was
first
fixed
Klan
of the
81
back to the Realm
office fifty
amount retamed by the Realm
by imperial decree
at
one
When money
dollar.
grew more gen-
office began pouring into Atlanta, the imperial the amount allowed the erous toward the Realm and increased
latter to
two
Later, in 1924, this
dollars.
increased to $2.25.
The Realm
amount was further
also received a
commission of
Klansmen. on each robe ordered by Pennsylvania chartered klans, The Realm tax, levied upon all members of below which this was voted by the state Klorero. A minimum and one-third cents per tax could not be reduced, namely, eight Order." From the month, was fixed by the Constitution of the
fifty cents
was
constitutional provision viewpoint of the Realm officials this more than this minimum. very wise for the Kloreros never voted source of revenue By 1925 this tax had become the largest single imperial tax acRealm. This tax and the cut back of
for the
its reported receipts." counted for more than ninety percent of 1926 A financial statement « covering a five months period growing in imporshowed another source of income which was petitions for the degree of tance, namely, the revenue from
m
During the period reported, it eighty percent. exceeded the income from robes and helmets by 1926 are now Since no official membership records prior to probable income of the available, it is impossible to calculate the few financial with assurance or check the accuracy of the
K-Duo
or
Knights Kamellia.
Realm
statements which were released by the
Realm
authorities.
October 1925 audit for the fiscal year of October 1924 to
The
showed
is undoubtedly an undera total income of only $44,516.47. This by no Certainly "the naturalization of aliens" had statement. period but no mention is made in this
means ceased during
this
from donations. The income from robes fifty cents was set down as $1,502.00. If the Realm received members commission per robe, such a sum would represent 3,004 members, as most purchasing robes. If any of these were new report of the income
of
which them doubtless were, an income from the donations
they paid should have appeared in the audit. The way in which this money was spent by the
was shown by the audit
to be as follows
Realm
office
The Ku Klux Klan
82
in Pennsylvania
DISBURSEMENTS Oct. 1924 to Oct. 1925 Salaries
$19,438.13 2,802.39 5,201.76 3,220.00 2,164.17 2,182.44 1,323.30 368.75 502.00 1,483.40 965.28 439.85
Salary Expense Office
Expense
K-Duo Salaries K-Duo Expense Speaking Legal
Washington Parade Harrisburg Parade Conneaut Deficit Investigations
General Expense
Refunds
Z2>Z.79
TOTAL The
$40,425.26
Realm, received no
local organizations, unlike that of the
from the higher administrative divisions of the Klan. own dues which varied from six to ten dollars annually per member, and to pass the hat when funds were low or special activities were undertaken. Many klans experienced considerable difficulty in collecting dues and taxes which were payable quarterly in advance. The only members exempt from this taxation were ministers and a few individuals who had been members of the Klan of Reconstruction days. For financial aid
They were
a
member
obliged to levy their
to be in arrears for
him and took away
To
his privilege of attending
be re-instated such a
The
one quarter automatically suspended
any Klan meetings.
member must pay up
all
his
back taxes.
national headquarters were especially urgent that this rule
be kept and compelled each klan to turn in an elaborate quarterly report.
In the larger klans sufficient dues had to be collected to pay for the rental of a hall, the maintenance of the equipment neces-
sary for the performance of the
ritual,
the secretary's salary and
supplies, the traveling expenses of the Exalted Cyclops or other
representatives to the frequent
Realm and Provincial meetings,
the construction of crosses, the purchase of dynamite and the
other expenses incidental to their activities. local
many
Nevertheless, the
dues assessed upon members were usually the smallest item
of
The Organization of expense for the
the Klan
83
travelled for miles to attend
Klansman who
money for the children's home and for riot victims and lawyers' fees, for subscriptions to The Kourier Maga^ local charities, who purchased
numerous demonstrations and parades, who gave
his
jewelry or and The Fellowship Forum and bought klan
zine
some klan sponsored business venture.
stock in
supplementary Local klans were often hard pressed to find to increase their
ways
own
to charge admission to the initiations
strations or
available funds.
some of
keepers.
made
it
were
A
held.
stands,
was likewise discovered the organization by the sale sale
of
Of
course,
that
of
sale of little
turned into considerable
dog and
American
cream
ice
and pa-
flags
the weather proved inclement and
if
crowd disappointing, an anticipated
the
money could be refreshments, or more pin
for hot
concessions
and booths for the emblems.
triotic
twenty-five cent or fifty
gatedid remain in the pockets of the guards and
by the
easily,
was
more times was helpful even
It
for
of these
grounds when out-of-doors demon-
cent fee multiplied a thousand or if
One
was sometimes
profit
loss.
profitable. In Philadelphia, excursions on the river were often This was true especially when the members of the Women's
Organization were asked to participate.
Dog
degree was conferred, as
as a
scheme to bring
italize
the
curiosity
it
profit to
of
the
was
Here
also, the
in other places,
some Klan leader
unsuspecting,
Yellow
sometimes
willing to cap-
sometimes
to
bring
needed funds into the treasury of the Klavern. The initiation required for this degree included a good deal of vulgarity which
most of the
initiates
enjoyed but which proved distasteful to a
few who, having been asked to share the fun, paid their fifty cents or dollar and became unwilling actors in rather low comedy.
Some
estimate of the
amount
of the communities where klans
following letter:
money which was taken existed can be made from
of
out the
— The Ku Klux Klan
84
in Pennsylvania Scottdale,
Pennsylvania
May-2-1928 Mr. Van A. Barrickman, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dear
Sir,
Enclosed find report of money sent to the State and Naoffices of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan by Scottdale Klan No. 37. I can be qualified to this amount as I have receipts and papers to show for same. There is more but I can not get it as J. A. Kelley our former Kligrapp has the records and has gone along with Shaw and Evans. tional
379 members when charter was received 4 of these ministers (no charge)
@ @
375 members $10.00 Klectoken 119 members $5.00 (other $5.00 retained by No. 37) Paid for robes
$3,750.00
595.00
.
Imperial Taxes for May and June 1924 Imperial Taxes for July 1924 to July 1925 State Taxes January 1925 to July 1925 ... Imperial Taxes from July 1925 to July 1926 State Taxes from July 1925 to July 1926 Imperial Taxes from July 1926 to July 1927
Taxes from July 1926
State Lilly
to July
1927
.
.
.
.
Fund
TOTAL There
is
more of
1,480.00 'l06.50 875.45 204.43
618.90 339.66 467.45 256.92 186.50 $8,880.81
the Lilly
Dispatch and others of which
Very
Fund, Abbott Fund, Pittsburgh I
cannot get the records.
truly yours,
(Signed) James A. Miller, Acting E. C. Scottdale Klan No. 37
Attest
:
(Signed) Ira B. Ritenour, Kligrapp, Scottdale Klan No. 37 This brief account of the organization of the Klan reveals a highly centralized, far from democratic Order to whose little known higher officials Pennsylvania Klansmen gave liberally of personal loyalty and of financial support. Prior to 1930 the
money
paid by Pennsylvania
port their local,
state
Klansmen
in fees and taxes to supand national organizations was at least
The Organization
of
the Klan
85
additional intheir activities involved $5 000,000.00 and certainly more than that sum. Perhaps direct expenditures of considerably benefit the general psychological the enjoyment, the excitement,
Totalling up the the money. derived by members was worth betterment and balancing them results in community objective
one
made by the Klansmen, against the financial expenditures that the cost was high. is inclined to say
References
and 2, 1923, P- 13cilium, meeting of May 1 Article 6, Section 3. Article 6, Section 2. Article 16, Section 2. 10. 5. Article 18, Section 6. Article 5 6. 7. Article 7, Sections 2, 8. Article 1, Section 2. 9. Article 10, Section 5. 10. Article 10, Section 10. 11. Article 10, Section 9. 12. Article 6, Section 1. 13. Article 6, Section 314. Article 10, Section 3. 15. Article 10, Section 6. 16. Article 10, Section 3. 17. Article 10, Section 2. 18. Article 10, Section 12. 19. Article 10, Section 1. 20. Article 9, Section 2. 21. Article 9, Section 1. 22. Article 16, Section 2. 23. Article 18, Section 17. . 24 Article 16, Section 2. 25.' Estimate of H. K. Ramsey, Imperial Kligrapp. Section H, 6. Article 26. 2. 3. 4.
..ifi.,„ie',
!i:{^J!rd \7\
llea'gle
Pledae
^IftVuired
fo
Harry
A.
to
its
of Loyalty" submitted by execute^ i? and who testified
authenticity.
^9
Kfansmln-UckUn/of
30. 31.
Article 20, Section 2. Article 20, Section 18.
the
in the mimeographed Imperial Klazik's office as reported 1924, p. 6.
minutes of the State Klorero, Dec. 6,
of the of the Klavaliers of the Knights Article 3, Section 2Pennsylvania. (official). Enlistment Paper, Pennsylvania Klavaliers 5. Klavalier Constitution, Article 1, Section Article 6, Section 3, Supplement B.
II ^;'nsdtut?on':nd°law; State
34 35'.
36. 37. 38.
Ibid. Ibid.
Ku Klux
Article 2.
General Order No.
1,
October 31,
1924.
Minutes
41
Klavalier Constitution, Article 1, Sectiori i. a 3 and supplement, paragraph Article 6, Sections 2 Ibid. O. H. Curry, For example, see the address of Klansman
43.
l??nS o^X^l^l^htsJ^ thV iu
^^^Z
39 40
Klan of the
of
to
September
Aich\%mperial\epre. frr9'^5\^"sigrd'by ^'j>be^"feunT'"/ud^o^,^rd^?m't: 45.
Signed'by H. K. Ramsey, Trustee, and covering 30,
1926.
a
period from February 16 to June
CHAPTER
6
The Klan and Klansmen
:
Fraternalism
"I swear that I will be faithful in defending and protecting the home, reputation and physical and business interests 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 all things honorable." From Section IV of the Oath of Allegiance.
"W
e appreciate the intrinsic value of a real practical fraternal relationship among men of kindred thought, purpose and ideals and the infinite benefits accruable therefrom, and we shall faithfully devote ourselves to the practice of an honorable Clanishness that the life and living of each may be a constant blessing to others." the Ku Klux Klan Kreed.
—From
Fraternalism was a principle which was emphasized again and again in the literature of the Order. While many members of other fraternal societies enlarged their social contacts by joining the Klan, it is more significant that considerable numbers of
men found
in the
Klan
their one fraternal
lodge and their service club.
home.
They attended
its
It
was
their
meetings, ex-
changed with other Klansmen the mystical SOG, and discussed the status of the nation and the morals of their community. It
when visiting some other town, to give the secret when recognized, enter into fraternal conversation with persons who ceased to be strangers because, like themselves, they enabled them,
sign and
held citizenship in the Invisible Empire.
It enhanced their sense Dignified both by numbers and by what were felt to be defensible aims and high ideals, furnished by its founder
of power.
with a high-sounding
ritual and suitable regalia, and equipped with secret countersigns, handclasps and pass-words, the Klan became a common man's club. That it brought relief from the
monotony of routine existence for the residents of many a spiritless community cannot be successfully controverted. dull
87
The Klan and Klansmen
A
substantial expression
to the
was given
fraternal spirit
by
The regular activities of the Order. the social and recreational There was dravalue. meetings were not without recreational the robes and participating activity in donning their
m
matic
opening
ritual.
There was purpose
in creating a
commendable
led to it and having it ca degree-team and pride in listening to There was the exinitiatory rites in other Klaverns.
perform
hilarating
by-play that characterizes
moments of
a group of
men
m
their
relaxation.
Moreover, basket
boat trips picnics, spelling bees, debates,
various social gatherings to
many
of
which the
Women
and
of the
as a welcome Klan were cordially invited served Klaverns frequently planned. diversion and consequently were sections of the state reported numerin the "Pennsylvania Dutch" and goat roasts which became ous enjoyable sauerkraut dinners Provincial and Realm ofoccasions not only for speeches from and for the best for sleight of hand performances
Ku Klux
ficers
but also
The frequent tell their tales. joke tellers of the Klaverns to picnics with visitors ga"demonstrations" were simply glorified and refreshments. lore, speakers, stunts, parades were filled with these.^ The records for The summer months
and while the Klan was 1927 are most complete in this regard nor its demonstrations as by no means as strong then as earlier On such affairs.* numerous, there were held on July 23d six Lewistown, at MidAugust 6th three were held concurrently at On August 20th five others were deltown, and at Reading. lasted for three consecutive held.** Some of the demonstrations Klaverns usually turned days and Klansmen from neighboring out en mass to help celebrate.
gave these picnics publicly in the circular Exalted sent to local Klaverns. letters which were periodically The larger to attend. Cyclops were expected to urge Klansmen
The Realm
office
more it would build and the more enthusiastic the gathering, the refreshment booths morale, the bigger would be the profits from more successful it would or from the sale of concessions and the be from the standpoint of publicity. Lykens and *Held at Peabrook, Indiana. Portage, Hustontown. Lion. Red and Kingston * 'At Benezett, Irwin, Wyalusing,
Pitcairn.
The Ku Klux Klan
88
in Pennsylvania
Waynesboro Klan advertised one such occasion
as a three day meet" with a "great regalia parade," a "mammoth fireworks display and sports of all kinds." Admission was 25 cents. On September 3, 1927 the Carnegie Klan charged 50 cents admission "field
a great demonstration with "fireworks, band concerts, singing and sports." The following is a typical program of one of the
to
less elaborate affairs:^
2 P. M.
Song
:
America
Prayer Flag Raising Star Spangled Banner Address: George Strayer, Dayton, Ohio Solo:
P.
S.
Wight
Address: A. B. Taylor, Greensburg, Pa. 4 P. M. Band Concert 5 P. M. Aeroplane v,
Klavalier Drills 7 P. M. Parade 8:30 P. M. Aeroplane
Address: Rev. J. F. Strayer, Latrobe, Pa. Male Quartet Address: Rev. Toba, Dallas, Texas Male Quartet 9 :30 Naturalization 10:30 Fireworks
While the
men
fraternal relationship
which developed among Klans-
as a result of this recreational activity
was
valuable,
it
volved no appreciable sacrifice by Klansmen for each other.
in-
Did
fraternalism reach deeper and find expression in charitable ac-
The evidence
tivity? if
proof
is
points to an affirmative answer.
Indeed,
needed that idealism and desire for service were im-
portant elements in the early history of the movement, one need
only review the generosity of the local Klaverns in their charities. In the
first
gave generously to their Order with no There were no questions asked at first about
place, they
strings attached.
which either their original ten dollar donation or their quarterly national and realm taxes were put. For at least four years, i. e. from 1921 to 1925, there did not develop sufficient the use to
demand
for the accounting of
office to issue
Realm funds
to cause the
Realm
a regular statement of receipts and expenditures.
89
The Klan and Klansmen
expenses of propaThat these monies were chiefly used for the of the emphasis which the gation and not for charities in spite understood by the Order put on "klanishness" was generally members. But no objection was made. for
all
Klaverns were, therefore, chiefly responsible Klansmen and for other donations which were made to needy Local
While the amount of contributions for
benevolences.
purposes was of enthusiasm,
way.
charitable
period no doubt large, especially during the early planned there was little done in an organized or
reported to the writer, project, where an organ-
single instance
There was not a
with the exception of the Klan Haven needs was drawn up. ized budget covering definitely predicted
and generally made the contrary, the giving was haphazard As a consequence it was largely to meet immediate requirements. It made or not. fortuitous whether adequate provision was not other depended upon the closeness to payday, upon whether or the eft'ectiveness of the collections had recently been taken, upon and many other cirappeal, the popularity of the beneficiary Cyclops, who have reviewed this phase of
On
cumstances.
Exalted
writer, have been frank the activity of their Klaverns with the in the way charities had to admit that there was Uttle fairness
needy person would been distributed. Often the relatively less need was great. Klansreceive more than the individual whose
men
usually gave without
knowing what others
were contributing. Naturally, the Order tried
first to
its
number
own members who
Hen upon the benevolence regular item on the agenda of
were considered
as possessing a first
of their fellow
Klansmen.
A
help
of their
the question asked each business session of a local Klonclave was "Does any Klansman know of a Klansby the Exalted Cyclops Klansman's family who is in need of financial or :
man
or a
fraternal assistance?""
Klan
charities did not,
however, end with
Baskets at Thanksgiving time were dismany local Klaverns. tributed to the needy of the community by Klan Another type of benevolence is illustrated by the Scottdale crippled been which paid the hospital expenses of a child who had There were instances not a few of Klaverns aid given to
Klansmen.
from infancy. prevent eviction which paid back rent of deserving individuals to foreclosure. prevent and which met the interest on mortgages to
The Ku Klux Klan It is
in Pennsylvania
impossible to estimate quantitatively the amount of this many instances no record of collections and hat-
charity for in
passings was kept.
Some Kligrapps
(Secretaries) un-business-like procedure on the ground that it
justified this
was
desirable
keep donations as secret as possible. If no record was kept, there would be less possibility that at some future time the recipient of the gifts would be reminded that he had been an object of charity. Often the collection was simply turned over to a committee with no announcement of the amount collected to
or accounting from the committee except the report that the collection had been "delivered to the beneficiary as directed."
The obvious looseness of these methods and the abuses which grew out of them led to a recommendation by the State office that regular standing committees be appointed
and that the whole matter of charities be put on a sounder basis. Most of the Klaverns followed the advice and three committees were named which dealt respectively with welfare, sickness, and funerals or
The Welfare Committee undoubtedly had and its members were appointed by the presumably "after consultation with the Kludd (chaplain)."
"lodges of sorrow."
the most responsibility
E. C.
To
it
were assigned the following duties:
(a) To administer all charity funds of the Klan, including the tithe of net local dues that should be set aside for charity and
all
freewill offerings for that purpose.
(b) To investigate all cases of need reported, determine their worthiness and dispense funds as the case may demand and the money available may permit. (c) In case other assistance than funds is needed to report the circumstances to the Klan, requesting such aid from fellow Klansmen.
(d)
To
assist
Klansmen
in
need of advice or other aid
during any misfortune. (e) To report in writing at every meeting. The financial items in this report shall become a part of the minutes.*
The dissatisfaction arising among Klansmen because of too frequent appeals for free-will offerings at the Klavern meetings was noted and included with the above recommendations was the advice that "no such appeal
is
to be permitted until
approved by the Welfare Committee."
it
has been
91
The Klan and Klansmen The Sick Committee had
the
usual duties of
responsibility for all floral oflEerings.
that called for charity, they
If they
visitation
and
found circumstances
were instructed to report that fact
to it. Welfare Committee and turn the matter over Sorrow was Upon the Committee of Funerals and Lodges of
to the
sympathetic kindness to a bereaved of a departed brother, family for proper honor to the memory Lodges of Sorrow in such and fo'r conducting the Funerals and beauty and dignity of Klana manner as to impress upon all the administer charity but had to summon craft."=^ It, too, could not
placed
the
"responsibility
for
Welfare Committee
in case of this need.
into the hands Unquestionably this centralization of alms-giving obliged to investigate requests of a single committee which was needed reform. It and "report in writing" to the Klavern was a its first crusading was proof that the Order had passed from The ugly charge phase. phase into its second commercialized and too misappropriation or misuse of funds had been made
of
often
honor
not as posts of the leaders considered their positions service but as which permitted them to render gratuitous
now
jobs in which there
Klan
was the
possibility of profit.
determine, charities, as far as the writer could
were made
Unlike the Service Clubs, rather than institutions. organizations, not Rotary and Kiwanis, local Klans rarely gave to Chests, City Chanty even to Boy Scouts, Red Cross, Community
to persons
boards, or temperance societies. to the' Protestant churches, as
Even when donations were made was frequently the case, the gift pastor.
It is
obvious
was always presented to a person, usually the that Klansmen from a study of the donations which they made, who received person generally were unwilling to give unless the To give to another instithe gifts knew whence his aid came. would only be adding to the tution like the Red Cross, they felt, would control the distribuprestige of that organization since it The Klan was not interested in any second tion of the bounty. helped, the Klan handed charity. If the boys and girls should be Junior Order than to contribute felt it better to establish its own Klan believed it should If charity was needed, the to the Scouts. or cooperate make its own distribution rather than work through
Community Chests. with the Organized Charity boards or Klansmen
in their
own
If
giving tried to follow the biblical injunc-
The Ku Klux Klan
92
tion not to let their left
in Pennsylvania
hand know what
their right
hand had
more evident that they tried to make sure that the individual recipients and the public in general knew who their benefactor was so that due acknowledgment could be given. There were two special funds which the Pennsylvania Klan given,
it
is
far
raised in behalf of
own
people which are significant in an evaluation of the charitable activities of the Order. They were designated as the Abbott fund and the Lilly fund. As previously
mentioned
(ante
its
52),
a riot
occurred in the
fall of 1923 Carnegie when an attempt was made to prevent a parade of Klansmen. In the confusion incident to that affair Thomas Abbott had been shot and subsequently died, leaving a widow
p.
at
and one small child with no funds
to provide for them.
Clearly
was a case when Klansmen were obligated to come to the assistance of a Klansman's family. A collection was taken on the night of the murder, the exact amount of which was not reported. Since the Imperial Wizard was present, the money was turned over to his office and was later increased by special offerings. this
Mrs. Abbott did not
live
long after her husband's death and
received scant attention from Atlanta.
One, Minnie Behling, of
McDonald,
Pa., was given custody of the child, Thomas Abbott, and, according to her testimony, received for a time $30.00 Jr., a month from the National treasurer. But Pennsylvania Klans-
men were never given an accurate accounting of this fund and never knew how much of the money reached the family for
whom
was given. Another riot at Lilly, Pa., had resulted in several deaths, in much litigation and a great deal of hardship for the families of the Klansmen who served jail sentences as a consequence. Another fund was set up, this time by the State office and a committee, with H. C. Woods as chairman, was made responsible for it. it
Numerous
Klansmen over the state brought in, by November, 1924, some $34,1 56.« The greatest single disbursement reported was for litigation. The attorneys received $18,355, more than twice as much as was spent for relief of Klansmen and their families ($8,999.46). For printing and special stenographers the outlay was $3,023.86 while court costs and witness fees and costs of investigation totaled nearly $3,000. Sufficient appeals to local
irregularities in this matter
had occurred to cause considerable
The Klan and Klansmen
93
safely editing of the minutes of the Klorero before they could not altobe circulated to the different Klaverns, so the matter is
Quite evidently, however, the fund was not priThe fund was marily a charity to aid distressed Klansmen. figures raised largely by an appeal for charity but, as the above
gether clear.
show, was used by the State organization to pay for expensive litigation in an attempt to clear the name of the Order.* The most commendable charitable undertaking for which the
Order was responsible was the Klan Haven project— a home for needy and homeless children. Initiated by the women of the Ku Klux Klan, it was supported by both the men's and women's organizations and eventually was placed under joint control. Speakers were hired to make appeals and to gather money. A men's regular annual Klavern meeting was set apart by the organization—the meeting immediately preceding Thanksgiving— Klan Haven meeting and contributions taken to meet current expenses. Various special methods were used such as the raising as
for the of a mile of pennies with various Klaverns competing regular Klan honor of raising the largest portion of the mile.
A
day was established in midsummer when caravans from various parts of the state met in Harrisburg, on the grounds
Haven
visitation
A
program of speakers, of Klavalier drills, helped to pubof games and entertainment added attraction and The original stone dwelling was destroyed by licize the Home. of the
Home.
but
fire
special
money was
raised to rebuild
it.
At
the peak of
its
ac-
were housed and tivities, forty-one children, chiefly of Klansmen. Some of the children had been provided for at Klan Haven. committed by court order and the State helped with the mainteIndeed steps were taken to nance expenses in these instances. Pmchot's secure court orders in as many cases as possible and Mr. administration was interested in the
home and cooperated
to this
end.
In the minds of
many Klansmen
the obligation of
fraternal
was interpreted to include commercial patronage of Order. business enterprises operated by fellow citizens of the led to Klan the Undoubtedly the class loyalty engendered by
assistance
cer-
expenses of *Some money was withdrawn from the Lilly fund to pay the hospital wounded m the not at Niles Oh o. tain Pennsylvania Klansmen who had been for the family Klorero the A special collection amounting to Sli:'6.00 was taken m .
of L. P. Bailes, Greenville, Pa.,
who had
died as a result of this same not.
The Ku Klux Klan
94
in Pennsylvania
considerable discrimination against Jewish, Catholic and foreign
born
men. This benefited the Protestant, Gentile, group but only where the mass of people were in the
business
nativist latter
Retaliatory
classification.
discrimination
by
non-
the
group was often used with effect where that group was numerous, as the Klansmen in Latrobe and Patton to mention but two instances found to their sorrow.'
nativist
—
—
But the question remained
men
Should Klansmen buy of Klans-
:
rather than of other native born Protestants?
Fear that
men who wished
such a result would actually obtain led not a few business to join the
Order
to sell insignia to
push
their
sales
Jewelers, for instance,
for security.
Klansmen took pains to join so that they could as brothers. Other Klansmen with their own
business interests at heart wanted to use the
Klavem
rolls
as
lists and exploit the value that lay in fraternal appeal. Other Klansmen dreamed of companies which would have a monopoly on the sale of certain articles to Klansmen. The Gates
mailing
made enormous The American Printing and Manufacturing Company at Atlanta was similarly managed by insiders. In Pennsylvania a City robe factory enjoyed such a monopoly and
profit.
group of Klan business men the
possibilities
of
in
and around Pittsburgh conceived
putting on the market a specially wrapped
candy with the Klan insignia prominently stamped on felt
that
Klan
loyalty
would
It
it.
was
build a regular market outside the
practically guaranteed sales at the
Klan demonstrations and
picnics
and make a handsome profit for the promoters. Some $5,000 worth of stock was sold for the proposed scheme when the declining fortunes of the
Order
in
Western Pennsylvania turned
hopes of income into actual loss for the investors. In this same connection
it
is
interesting to
know
that another
A
economic possibility of fraternalism did not go unnoticed. ect
was
officer, to
Klan.
initiated
A.
by "Judge" James
Comer, an Imperial
organize a National Service Club within the
Ku Klux
The Club might be joined by any Klansman who
annual service charge
—reputed
proj-
to have been set at
$36
for an
—would
receive national advertising and national cooperation for mutual
business interests throughout
all
the
Agents of the Club were appointed
Klavems in
of the
Nation.*
Pennsylvania* and sup-
:
The Klan and Klansmen
95
and information were distributed when unknown but easily of the project. surmisable circumstances caused the abandonment Insurance Similarly motivated was the Empire Mutual Life and Missouri of Company which was chartered under the laws a hope acquired by certain Klansmen who saw in the venture and Maccabees Members of other lodges such as the profit.
plies
of
Fellows supported the insurance departments of their expected Orders and the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan might be conwas insurance Moreover, as far as fraternal to do no less. Klansmen represented a virtually unworked clientele with
the
Odd
cerned,
great faith in anything labeled with the
and a
lively zeal to
promote the Order.
This Klan subsidiary began in the
Klan name or symbolism
its activities
in 1924, duly heralded
columns of the Kourier Magazine:
"Some Company No.
1.
No.
2.
No.
3.
No.
4.
facts regarding the Empire of Kansas City, Missouri
Mutual Life Insurance
This company is an Old Line Legal Reserve Mutual Stock Companv. All of its stock is owned by, and is being held m Knights trust for. the National Headquarters of the of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. This company was unanimously approved by the Second Imperial Klonvokation held in Kansas City, Missouri, September 23 to 26, inc., 1924. This company writes none but native born, White, Gentile,
American
citizens."
While some millions of insurance was written by this Company, the states of Missouri, its activities were largely confined to There was little Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.^"
made in Pennsylvania until 1927. In that year the the Imperial Wizard circularized the Klans in its behalf urging members to purchase their protection in a white, Gentfle, ProtBy that date, however, the Klansmen of estant Corporation.
solicitation
Pennsylvania, remembering the failure of Daily Dispatch Publishing
Company, the Flowers Product Company and
enterprises,
the
were skeptical of
Order and considered
all
this
similar
of the commercial affiliates of just another money grabbing
proposition.
The idea that the Klan as a its members financially received
fraternal organization could aid attention
from some of the
local
The Ku Klux Klan
96
in Pennsylvania
branches during the heyday of the Order as well as from the State and National officials. The Klan at Irwin is an instance.
Convinced that their Order was "the biggest thing in America" with hundreds of thousands of members in Pennsylvania alone,
and believing that Klansmen would "stick together," the members at Irwin decided to invest in one of the leading hotels in the town. They felt that they would have the guaranteed patronage of their brother Klansmen, many of whom would stop at Irwin as they
highway or the main line of the Pennsylprospect of profit seemed rosy.^^ At Scottdale, the same hope of financial gain led to the purchase of the Shupe farm adjacent to the borough on the north. Part of this farm they expected to turn into a permanent home for their Klavern and the remainder, they hoped to sell as lots at travelled the Linclon
vania Railroad.
The
a substantial profit.
and
at
Similar projects were undertaken at Indiana
Lancaster.
Unfortunately for the Klansmen who invested
made
donations, these enterprises turned out just as
in stock or
badly as had the more spectacular Publishing Company.
The
combination of declining membership and economic depression were disastrous. Stoically accepting their losses, the Klansmen
who remained gave up
the economic phases of fraternalism and
spent their time planning to have a
how
their local
good time on Friday
Klan could
assist
them
nights.
References 1.
2.
3.
4. 5.
6. 7.
Practically every issue of "The Kourier Magazine" carried under the heading "Pennsylvania Notes" accounts of such affairs. Held at Scottdale, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1926. The quotations made in refence to the Waynesboro and Carnegie Demonstrations were taken from printed handbills of these affairs. Mimeographed "Instructions for Exalted Cyclops: Standard Plans for the Organization and Operation of Klans in Pennsylvania, 1925." Pamphlet F 102, (American Printing and Manufacturing Company, Atlanta) en-
—
titled,
"The Klan
Ibid;
p.
8.
10. 11. 12.
Action,"
p.
14.
of the State Klorero, Dec. 7, 1924, p. 20. In Latrobe the Lutherans suffered more than others because of their alleged support of the Klan among them Dave Griffith, optometrist and Kate Weiss, milliner. In Patton, the boycott was more general on all Protestants, according to the Methodist Episcopal minister, W. A. Graham. Although the boycott was rather rigidly maintained while it lasted, in the most instances it was rather temporary. Few cases were reported after 1926. Correspondence of Mrs. Mary I. Goodwin to Rev. Strayer (Feb. 1928). Dan Ensminger of Hershey was one such agent. Proceedings of the Second Imperial Klonvokation. p. 132 ff. Told the writer in interview with Irwin Klansmen. Told the v/riter in interviews with the Exalted Cyclops and Kligrapp of the Scott;
9.
in
15.
Mimeographed minutes
dale
Klavern.
CHAPTER The Klan and the
State:
7
Political Activities
"People vote their resentment, not their appreciaanything, tion. The average man does not vote for Munro hilt against something."— William Bennett
have frequently assumed that an organizapolitical power. tion is important to the extent that it wields most This point of view has some justification in the fact that of organizations which have gained power, whether by virtue Political historians
numbers of wealth, have used that power to control the processes Modern governof government in behalf of their own interests. ments exercise such vast authority over the
life
of their respective
can peoples that no institution representing well defined interests might, afford to neglect the possible benefits which the government be influenced to bestow. Moreover, it is quite possible, under the democratic processes extant in America, for small groups, well organized as blocs, to
with
sufficient pressure,
wield inordinate power.
This
is
especially true
when
a general
issue divides the voting public almost equally between the two major political parties. Minority blocs whose special interests are
major issues which split the mass of voters, then hold a balance of power and are able to play one party
paramount
to the
against the other for concessions.
The Klan said:
leaders were not blind to this fact.
"Everybody knows that
kinds of 'elements' mostly nitely anti-American.
They
some
cater to the
of
them
nowadays
cater to
corrupt, and
some
politicians
selfish,
As one
German
all
defi-
vote, the Catho-
vote, the lic vote, the Jewish vote, the Italian vote, the boot-leg vice vote, and sometimes even to the violently criminal vote. What
Klan intends to do is to make them pay some attention to the American vote, the Protestant Christian vote, and the decent, the
God-fearing, law-abiding vote."^
The Ku Klux Klan
98
in Pennsylvania
This "God-fearing, Protestant Christian" group had special interests of its own. FeeHng that they possessed property rights in their country's culture
by the laws of heredity, they wanted to it. This claim was candidly stated
enforce a kind of entail upon
by the Imperial Wizard himself:
"We their its
future,
who
America bequeathed to it, the control of it and of no one on earth can claim any part of its
believe that the pioneers
own
built
children a priority right to
and that
inheritance except through our generosity."^
Klansmen made no apology for this claim. The legalistic assumptions current since the breakdown of the feudal system supported it. It was as sound certainly as the right of a son, regardless
of
competency, to inherit his
father's
Evans, moreover, refused to admit the possibility on the part of the native American inheritors.
"We
believe," he continued, "that the
was bred under highly not be mongrelized,
.
.
life
.
automatically and
veloped a kind of civilization which healthy
American
selective surroundings
.
and growth; and that
this
is
Mr. of incompetency fortune.
.
stock, .
and should
instinctively
suited to
best
which
its
de-
own
cannot be safely changed
own
except by ourselves and along the lines of our
character."^
This assertion was tantamount to a claim by the nativists within America that they did legally and should in practice have the right to control and develop the country's civilization.
The
Klan refused to argue about this dogma. Like the Trinity, it was accepted on faith and the orthodoxy of anyone's "Americanism" was denied if he questioned it. The Klan made no pretense of serving any group which did not accept this as "an instinctive belief" and staked its success upon the theory that it was the conviction of "the great mass of Americans of the old stock."
Now
the right to direct the country's civilization necessarily
included the control of slogan,
its political
processes.
The Klan's
poHtical
"Put none but Americans on guard" merely expressed a
logical corollary of its article of faith.
While the number of
the local Klaverns
was
still
small and the
energies of the leaders were needed to increase membership, attention
exciting
little
was given to a political program. There were more and spectacular ways to act. Besides, there was little
chance of poHtical success when only a small number of
men
99
The Klan and the State
undertakings belonged to the Order and when success in its But, existence. was essential for its growth, indeed, for its very
membership grew, political activity rapidly increased. Some "the limkation of items of the Klan platform, viz, "just laws," were adimmigration," and "the separation of Church and State," the Order into mittedly political in nature and inevitably brought
as the
politics.
organizaAlways the Klan worked within the established party The political success of the A.P.A. had shown the adtions.
establishment of vantage of such procedure compared with the Party" of the 1840's a separate nativist party like the "American Republican and 1850's. The fact that Pennsylvania was a strong the however, make the Klan pay particular attention to even especially in the selection of candidates on Republican tickets,
state did,
years
when
was
ing
party votnational officials were elected and straight
In the alternate years
prevalent.
when
local
officials
persons were were selected, the Klan tried to see that the "right" nominated on the tickets of both parties. protested against assertions that they "controlled" "advice" was admitthe votes of Klansmen. "Information" and his voting booth "his tedly given but when the Klansman entered This was, no doubt, only compulsion was his conscience." the average true. When one considers, however, that
Klan
officials
theoretically
opportunity to hear contrasting points of those who adview or inclination to weigh opposing arguments,
Klansman had
little
vised also controlled
The information
many
of their votes.
usually given out
items as the candidate's religious the
secret
orders
to
at first to
was limited
such
affiliation, his
place of birth, and
belonged.
Such information,
which he
falsified without although secretly given and hence more easily instance which the detection, was accurately reported in every
writer checked. of
If the candidate
Columbus or had was
a
member
a
member
of the Knights
with the B'Nai B'Rith he was the other hand, if the candidate for
affiliations
automatically eliminated. office
was
On
patriotic of the Masonic fraternity or of a Order of American Mechanics or the
order such as the Junior Patriotic
creased.
Order of the Sons of America,
his
prestige
was
in-
The Ku Klux Klan
100
When
in Pennsylvania
the choice lay between the
Columbus and the
Patriotic
members of
the Knights of
Order Sons of America,
it
was
course easily made.
Often, however, the selection had to be
from candidates
of
whom
of
made
on general grounds.
In such a case the Klan tried to secure the election of the individual
most favorable
all
qualified
Klan leaders were, nevertheless, loath to endorse such a person unless he had a good chance of winning. If a candidate who had received Klan endorsement was defeated, it meant the loss of prestige for the Order and Klan officials often preferred to make no recommendation or to recommend all the candidates unless it could be determined in to the Order.
advance that one of the candidates was almost certain to win. Klan caution in this regard was noticeable in connection with the Prohibition issue.
Although
principles pledged Klansmen to support "law enforcement," in communities where anti-prohibition sentiment was strong, the Klan avoided open endorsement of its
"prohibition candidates" likely to be defeated.
The Order, reasons.
itself,
When
it
tried
was an
not to become an issue for obvious issue, all the opposition
Negroes, Catholics, foreigners
—united
to defeat
it.
groups
Only
—Jews, if
these
groups were divided among themselves on other issues could a
Klan minority, voting
secretly as a bloc,
attain its nativist
ob-
jectives.
Klansmen themselves were frequently candidates for office and members since their obligation "to go to the assistance" of a Klansman in any way "at his call" was susceptible of broad interpretation even if the qualifying phrase "in things honorable" was remembered. Certainly there was no doubt about the "call." Klansmen travelled about from Klavern to Klavern in behalf of their own candidacies. In some cases they sent out their friends to speak in their behalf. as such claimed the support of the other
As one Exalted Cyclops
confessed, "It got terrible around election had to stop one person who travelled around in behalf of Dr. Hunter of Monessen. We had to tell Dr. Hunter
time
.
.
.
We
to speak for himself.
This other fellow was terrible."* was encountered when more than one ambitious Klansm; 11 decided to run for the same office. In Texas, the first state where the Klan was politically strong, a method of solving this problem was evolved which was also widely adopted
Some
difficulty
101
The Klan and the State in Indiana.
within This method involved the holding of elections Klansmen then to the regular party primaries.
the Klaverns prior
whom the^ entire chose by secret ballot the one candidate to This kept given. strength of the Klan vote was subsequently assured the victory of the Klan vote in a solid block and usually this procedure was not a Klansman for the office. Wide use of Klan was made in Pennsylvania— one reason, perhaps, why the Indiana. Texas or politically less effective here than in either secrecy of Klan action
The
made
possible the
growth of
its
a reputation in scattered areas western counties for of the state and especially in some of the In some being a potent political force controlling local elections. but the general instances this was true in others it was fictitious last minute or public, not knowing the secret endorsements
The Klan gained
political prestige.
;
have made, changes in recommendations which the Klan might the leaders could not gainsay the claims of political victory which regularly
made
after every election. political
Another factor increasing the
was
the fact that
its
secrecy
great
the
political
equation to
Since
membership was
its
made
it
strength of the Klan
an incalculable factor
dismay
of
the
political
secret, its voting strength
in the
bosses.
was unknown
and often exaggerated. Local bosses were sometimes frightened if they had into concessions which they would not have made
known
all
the facts.
The
prestige of the political boss also de-
his party.
pended upon victory for
Bosses, therefore, exercised
good care to see that the victors at the party primaries had a to victory bringing chance of attracting the floating vote and of
They were often inhibited from supthem porting candidates of their own choice if Klan opposition to was anticipated. Where the Klan was strong the bosses frequently endorsed Klan candidates, giving them the support of the often party machinery just as the Klan in building up its prestige, the party in the elections.
endorsed the party candidates
who were
sure to win anyway.
The more astute bosses did not endure this inconvenience for long. They simply encouraged some of their own henchmen to join the local Klaverns, and
full
information in regard to the Klan's
was quickly furnished them. The Klan not only "advised" its own members but tried also were printed to swing elections by circulating cards upon which
political
activities
The Ku Klux Klan
102 the
names
of
in Pennsylvania
candidates endorsed by the local Klavern.
The
which had come to the notice of the writer was during the fall primaries of 1923 in Westmoreland County. Heralded as "The People's Choice," and carrying no acknowledgment of their Klan origin, these cards appeared on doorsteps or in mailboxes on the morning of the election, having been stealthily earliest instance of this
placed there during the previous night.
This practice was widely adopted in the smaller boroughs and villages where there was a rather friendly attitude toward the Order.
There were some
For
was found impracticable. Hazelwood Klavern in group engaged in very little political
districts in
which
it
instance, the Exalted Cyclops of the
Pittsburgh admitted that his activity.
"It would have been impossible to do much more than influence ward politics so we didn't try. The city was so large that nothing could be done about city politics by our
Everyone had his own friends and it would have been useless. I remember advising a friend of mine who was running for office to make his contribution to the Catholic Church. That was the wise thing to do anyway in this ward. But it got out that he was a Klansman and he
group.
lost."^
Most Klaverns, however, found in local political most successful expression of their power.
When
activities
the inquiry turned toward the end to which the
the
Klan
used
its political strength, the answer was disappointing. The Klan goal was generally a negative one. Seldom was a constructive program of community improvement set up by the Klan toward the attainment of which interested persons from all groups in the community were requested to cooperate. Programs, when
they existed
man's religious
which
were secondary to personal considerations. A affiliation or place of birth were centers about
at all,
political
support or hostility revolved.
Religion and birth were, of course, easy to determine well suited to the
common American
with
little
outside the narrow requirements of his occupation.
neither
power of
analysis nor fineness of
a man's religion or his place of birth.
and defend a constructive program.
It
—
criteria
acumen
intellectual
judgment
It
required
to determine
required both to create
But when such Klan
criteria
103
The Klan and the State were
for political action
Much more was
leaders protested.
the
statement
simple
as naive
criticized
a
that
and
juvenile,
Klan
inferred, they said, than just
candidate
was a foreigner or a
Catholic.
an unalterable accident of foreign birth was held to denote to really understand and deficiency in the ability of an individual
The
truly appreciate
been raised in possible for a
Of
values.
and principles. Since he had to be ima different culture, Klansmen held it and foreigner to completely lose his old habits American
course,
if
ideals
he had come to
this
country in infancy
schools, there was and had gone through the American public negligible in number. some hope for him; but any such were in the Of the great mass of foreigners, Klansmen believed,
language of their highest
official
that,
wrong by foolish to expect, and it has been proved different and experience to hope that people of alien education their and inheritance into them both by "It
is
which are bred can within a training entire' or the Spirit American the
ideals,
Taken attitude.
at its face value there
The
few years understand America, American ideals."''
was
little
to be criticized in this
notion fallacy lay in the fact that the stereotyped Klansmen made them accept a state-
of foreigners held by most
No foreigners. ment Hke that just quoted as descriptive of all American education is in many credit was given to the fact that and that while differrespects patterned after "alien" education were staunch supporters ing in some of their ideals many aliens of other ideals
which Klansmen
called
"American."
The
fact that
of their habits
some foreigners were "anti-American" in some which made and ideals was exaggerated into a stereotyped notion respect. all foreigners un-American in every
Klansmen thought of a Catholic not simply as a placed his communicant in the Roman Church but as one who
Then
too,
To allegiance. church above his country both in his affection and of John Calvin have Klansmen who were bred in the tradition make this them, and John Knox, or at least largely influenced by condemnation of
Roman
most Protestants were
Catholics sound hypocritical. For, while willing in practice to let the authority
were forced to demur.^ of state be their conscience, in theory they
The Ku Klux Klan
104
What
then was the difference
in Pennsylvania
It was found in the connotation word "Church." Protestant Klansmen, in case the authorof the State was in conflict with what they believed to be ?
of the ity
God's
did not deny that their
will,
God.
This,
when they authorities,
of
obligation was to their was exactly what the Catholics meant
course,
first
said that their first obligation, in case of conflict of
was
preted by his
to
own
Church,
their
e.g.
special representatives
Klansmen denied
to
on
God's will as interearth, "the
Church."
the hypothesis of God's special representa-
and held that the pure white light of God's truth was broken by the quite human prisms of prelate and foreign pope. On the other hand, they were themselves stumped when asked for proof that this white light of truth was transmitted any more perfectly by their own lay consciences, admittives
into fantastic colors
tedly
human
When
both the Roman hierarchy and the individual Protestant's conscience was waived, the problem resolved itself into the speculative question of the also.
the
infallibility
of
relative quantities of truth and light obtainable by the contrasting methods thus supported, a problem insolvable by any known
procedure of mathematics.
Only the formulas of faith were applicable, which left the answer as disputed as ever because faith, in the respective instances, did not speak the same language. The Klan formula: "The voice of the native, white, Protestant is the voice of God for America" was as little acceptable to many people in America as was "The voice of the Pope, in matters in which he claims jurisdiction,
is
the voice of God."
More important than this theoretical problem was a more pracconsideration. The philosophy of Catholicism, with its dogma
tical
of Papal infallibility and
its
highly centralized form of govern-
ment gave direct
it power unknown to Protestants whose dogmas of communion of the individual with his God and the su-
premacy of the individual conscience were essentially schismatic and weakening. Time after time Klansmen were reminded "The Roman Catholic Church is united and its membership is susceptible to manipulation by the priesthood."® :
The Roman were largely our
era,
Catholic Church, whose doctrine and government
cast during the chaos of the first ten centuries of
naturally found Unity, as a prerequisite to order and
brotherhood, the highest
ideal.
Division and schism were hand-
105
The Klan and the State
maids of chaos and, as a consequence, "dogmatic intolerance" was her regarded by her "not only as her incontestible right, but as sacred duty."®
Protestantism was in a measure the expression of the reaction The ideal against the regulation of life by a "medieval" Church. contrasting principle
now was found not in Unity but in the The emotion that attended of Liberty. was the
salvation
result of faith alone
was
to
that
discovery
the
many
like the wild
evening from the compulsions
joy of a school child liberated at It was pleasant to learn that the "inner of an officious teacher. God had bestowed upon each of his elect was adequate to light"
vouchsafe God's will for him
Word.
But
if
this individualism
Protestantism's greatest joy,
it
he diligently studied His sacred
and freedom of conscience was
was
also the source of its greatest
Catholic popes had been able to
weakness. guilds.
if
Protestant divines,
science, surrendered
much
when they
of that
command
kings and
affirmed liberty of con-
power.
This dilemma of Protestantism was still current in America when the Klan marshalled its members. Loving liberty, unity
was sacrificed. Could the Klan find some method of synthesis which would preserve both? It boasted of its function as "the "i" unifying cement of Protestantism.
But unity on a constructive program was manifestly impossible. Let a national or even a state wide campaign for any specific diflr'ered political or educational reform be proposed, and Klansmen about its advisability. Let strict enforcement of the Volstead Act be advocated, some Klaverns cooperated while others refused their support.
Like a family whose non-cooperative individualistic members unite only against complaining outsiders, Klansmen found that they could really act unitedly only by joining in a crusade against they feared were taking advantage of the weakness Protestants had brought upon themselves by claiming In its general aspects, therefore, the Klan the right to differ.
those outsiders
whom
program was almost predestined to be negative. Klansmen would "We not admit this. Indeed, they were vociferous in its denial :
are not anti-Jewish;
foreigner
;
in fact
American.""
we
we
are not anti-Negro,
are not anti-anything.
Of course no
exact line can be
we
We
are
not anti-
are simply pro-
drawn between
the
The Ku Klux Klan
106
in
Pennsylvania
One does work in to. own cause when he weakens his opponents, but Klansmen who called their strictures against Catholics and "pro" and "anti" attitudes thus referred
behalf of his
foreigners a Pro- American activity, merely refused to recognize the distinction between "pro" and "anti".
This attitude was as
absurd as to take the point of view that advertising slogans
like
"Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet" are not anti-anything but essentially positive and justifiable. In spite of Klan denials which, although illogical, were in most cases
sincere
enough, a large part of the Klan's
ac-
political
was negative. An attempt was made to destroy the political power and weaken the influence of individuals and groups which Klansmen considered "un-American." In Pennsylvania this was tivity
chiefly confined to activity against the efforts of its
communicants
Every Catholic public
Catholic
Church and
to secure political office or
official,
be
he
policeman
all
power.*
or
burgess,
school director or tax collector, councilman or congressman must,
and no Catholics elected. While Klansmen would not assert that an individual's affiliation with the Catholic Church pre-determined his beliefs about traffic regupossible, be turned out of offfce
if
or tariffs, there
lations
was a general
feeling that the election
of every additional Catholic to public office
would hasten the time to a foreign Pope
when our government would be turned over for
so
whom it
indeed a place of residence was already being prepared,
was
said,
within the walls of the Catholic University at
Washington, D. C.
Nor was
that
fateful day believed to be
Klansmen were convinced
that the nation
far distant.
that "catastrophe" during the administration of
when
Many
had narrowly escaped
(so they asserted) a Catholic shared the
Woodrov/ Wilson White House as
when Secretary Tumulty, "a Catholic of the Catholics commanded the entrance to the White House,"^^ when, accord-
his wife,
ing to widely circulated reports, "over seventy per cent of
appointments made by President Wilson were Catholics
(and) 62 per cent of
all offices in
When
this Catholic factor efforts were generally ofSce or else the Klavern was locality.
.
.
the United States, both elective
and appointive were held by Roman
political
.
all
was not a part of the
Catholics. "^^
While the
political setting of a Klavern, its frustrated by factional struggles between Klansmen for merely an acljunct to the dominant political party in its
107
The Klan and the State
The Grand worst of their predictions had not yet been fulfilled, KlansDragon of Pennsylvania warned all "faithful and esteemed "determined to present that the Roman Hierarchy was still
men"
country as a gift to the Pope of Rome."^* ef¥ect such Although Klansmen were never very clear about the
our
fair
generally, the an eventuality would have upon our institutions belief
was commonly held among them In the
result.
first
place,
they
that four things
believed
that
the
would
CathoHcs,
the American
wherever they secured a controlling influence in strengthen government, would use the agencies of government to funds would be apthe Catholic Church and that government
Thus the schools. propriated to support the Catholic parochial would American principle of the separation of church and state be abandoned. the institution of In the second place, Klansmen feared that This they inferred from the civil marriage would be in danger. to recognize the validity fact that the Catholic Church refused
of the
civil
ceremony for the marriage
of its
communicants.
which showed Third, whether or not facts could be gathered Christian other of that American Catholics had been tolerant of the denominations, it was held that the ruling "hierarchy" Roman Church had never accepted tolerance as a principle, but ,
circumstances in only as a temporary policy which the peculiar America made necessary. Klansmen believed that the philosophy of the Roman Finally,
does the authority of the Pope, was not that "papal democratic but autocratic and, when Catholics claimed ex-cathedra made infallability" was only claimed for utterances
Church, elevating as
on matters of
faith
it
and morals and did not extend
to political
Klansmen refused to believe them. In the words of Catholic Grand Dragon H. C. Shaw, "the teachings of the Roman and instiChurch are fundamentally hostile to the spirit, ideals, persons have unwise to tutions of our Republic"^* which made it
matters,
brought up under
this doctrine in public office
here in America.
Klaverns and Such beliefs were repeatedly expressed in local Catholic candidates acted upon in elections with the result that In parts of the state. for local offices were defeated in many most the was national politics the presidential campaign of 1928 evident case of
Klan pressure
to
defeat a Catholic
for
office.
The Ku Klux Klan
108
Prior to that campaign, the state little
interest
in
politics
of a
in Pennsylvania ofifice
of
the
Kian had taken
wide or national character.
state
While Sam D. Rich was King Kleagle (or Imperial Representative) his own lack of interest in politics was reflected by virtually all the state officers. There is considerable evidence to show that Gifford Pinchot received favorable endorsement by many local Klaverns and Lemuel D. Peoples of the State Office took some interest in the success of his candidacy
sent of his superiors.*
there
was
date,
John
name
in his speech at
little if
W.
any
presumably with the con-
In the presidential campaign of
efifort
made
1924,
against the Democratic candi-
Davis, even though he denounced the Klan by
New
August 22. More effort was made to discourage Pennsylvania Klansmen from supporting the candidacy of Robert M. LaFollette. On October 6 and 7, 1924, at Conneaut Lake Park was held the largest Klan Sea Girt,
Jersey, on
gathering in the state immediately prior to the election of that
Time was taken on that occasion by both Sam D. Rich and Imperial Wizard Evans to denounce LaFollette as a radical
year.
and to predict turmoil and disaster
if
he were elected president.
Against the candidacy of Alfred E. Smith the Klan put forth the most vigorous political effort of
The
its
career in Pennsylvania.
leadership of the Pennsylvania realm had passed by that
—
—
from Rich and several temporary incumbents to Rev. Herbert C. Shaw, an ex-Methodist minister from the South who had served a short pastorate in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was an time
outspoken anti-Catholic and, unlike Rich, was much interested in The correspondence from Shaw's ofifice began,
national politics. early in
'What March
is
1927. to prepare for the
the
Ku
coming
Klux Klan's next great
presidential
of that year, and emphatically answered,
prevent the
Roman
struggle.
battle?" he wrote in
"The
battle to
hierarchy from seating Mr. Al Smith in the
Presidential chair."
Programs for Klavern meetings were suggested by the State office. Catechetical exercises were prepared and sent out containing references to the recent Eucharistic Congress at Chicago and
High Mass on the Sesqui Centennial grounds The one was "the Roman Catholic Hierarchy's"
the celebration of at Philadelphia.
•In correspondence allegation.
with
Mr.
Pinchot he
declined
either
to
corroborate
or
deny
this
109
The Klan and the State
candidacy, the other its western background for the Al Smith (these sections) by a eastern background "calculated to over-awe
" To arouse the fears of earnest display of numerical strength." advantages Klansmen, thev were told that Smith had many "The Roman Catholic Church controls to the coming election. country." Multitudes of Repuba great extent the press of the Smith because "their love of lican Catholics would support Mr. Klux Klan was the Church will supplant love of party." The Ku out against "Romanism only organization which stood boldly warning was given and "nullification" to stem the tide. Solemn election: "It is a foregone of the consequences of Mr. Smith's Protestant from office that conclusion that he will remove every of Columbus in his place he can safely remove and put a Knight seek occasion to use the armed forces
m
Without doubt he will Roman Catholic yoke to the neck of our Country ro restore the "Why is the Ku Klux Klan opposed of the Mexican People." concludes the catechism, and as if to Mr. Smith for President?" answer is given: summarizing all the long list of reasons the dominated by Catholic, he is "subservient to and .
because being a
the Papacy."
The Democratic convention that his
at
Houston, faced with the fact
succumbed to Smith was the strongest man of the party, their courage by nomination as inevitable and whipped up and by roundly the historic liberalism of the party
stoutly asserting
Senator Robinson who shouted, Statute of rehgious freedom. "Jefferson glorified in the Virginia of the constitution that declares no
applauding speeches
He
like that of
rejoiced in the provision
qualification for religious test shall be required as a
trust in the
United States."
"
an
office of
Democratic Klansmen who found helpless
m
their
not as themselves powerless at Houston were Wizard Hiram W. Evans, the head local communities. Imperial transferred his base of operations of the national organization, with an mcreased staff from Atlanta to Washington, D. C, and voters Smith's election. Since Republican directed the fight against
5.b outnumbered Democratic voters more than on than upon Pennsylvania less effort was concentrated to 1 orators like New York State. On the other hand, high powered into Pennsylvania and Senator Heflin. of Alabama, were brought Grand Dragon Shaw denounced large audiences were harangued.
in Pennsylvania
..
.
The Ku Klux Klan
110
in Pennsylvania
the Catholics on every appropriate occasion
making much mention
of the political designs of the "hierarchy" which he professed to
have learned
at the
Chicago Eucharistic Congress into which he
A
claimed he had gained entrance disguised as a priest.
was made
effort
to get
Forum
Fellowship
vitriolic
Klansmen and,
special
to subscribe personally to the
when
this effort failed to secure
the hoped for circulation, to get the local Klaverns to use
some
of their monies to purchase copies for free distribution.
When
gained the presidency by a substantial
loud in
Hoover had majority, the Klan was
the election returns were in and Herbert
its
claim that
it
had saved the country from a
survey of the returns in Pennsylvania
upon the revelance of
is
sufficient
this claim in this state.
300,000 Klansmen enrolled in the Order at
A
must be remem-
It
bered, of course, that while Pennsylvania had
papist.
commentary
some 225,000
its
to
peak, by 1928
(April) that number had shrunk to a mere 26,000 and continued
during the year.
to decrease
below are counties several instances, listed
in
was
The
counties listed in the table
which the Klan had been strong and, still
strong.
The
figures
in
in
parenthesis
under the 1928 columns are the votes cast for the guber-
Reed on the Republican ticket and McNair Democratic ticket. They are included because they offer
natorial candidates
on the
:
a slight check on the presidential vote.
Table " Democratic
1924:
Per
Republican
County
(Harding)
Allegheny
.
Westmoreland Philadelphia Schuylkill
Luzerne Washington Lehigh .
.
York
.
....
.
.
149,296 34,522 347,457 34,578 46,475 22,315 20,826 23,044
(Davis) 21,984 10,223 54,213 10,111 14,500 6,706 10,415 15,600
cent of
total vote
12.8 22.8 13.4 22.8 23.7 23.1 33.3 40.3
111
The Klan and the State 1928:
Democratic
Republican
(Reed)
County ....
.
.
(28,991 Reed) 40,291 (37.643 Reed) 45,791 (36,602 Reed)
Lehigh
York
cent of
total vote
160,733 (144,855 McNair) 30,587 (29,270 McNair) 276,573 (259,819 McNair) 40,424 (37,350 McNair) 73,319 (68,299 McNair) 17,149 (16,966 McNair) 13,463 (14,237 McNair) 11,215 (17,512 McNair)
215,678 (212,976 Reed) 51,760 Westmoreland (47,500 Reed) 420,320 Philadelphia (412,747 Reed) 46,033 .... Schuylkill (45,512 Reed) 67 ,872 Luzerne (66,869 Reed) 31,099 Washington ..
Allegheny
Per
Smith (McNavr)
Hoover-
45.3 37.1
39.6 46.1
51.9 35.5
25.0 19.8
in York and Lehigh be obser^^ed from these figures that population was small, Counties where the percentage of Catholic the inRepublican votes was much greater than It will
the increase in crease
in
Democratic votes.
It
is
quite
evident,
also,
that
in
substantial Catholic group, every section in which there was a had been to increase the Smith vote
the effect of the campaign
Hoover by a much larger percentage than the course, impossible to determine
how much
vote.
It
is,
of
of the increase in the
the
in getting out Republican vote was due to the Klan activity much the Klan was Protestant vote, or, on the other hand, how enhancing the stirring Catholics to activity and
responsible for
Smith
vote.
in the
former
That is
it
was
open to
as as potent in the latter regard
little
it
was
doubt.
of smaller narrower investigation of the election returns existed shows precisely the districts where flourishing Klaverns
A
same result."
— The Ku Klux Klan
112
in Pennsylvania
Votes Polled by the Presidential Candidates 1924 1928 Republican Democratic Republican Democratic Altoona 8,687 2,146 13,718 7,297 Bedford* 756 510 901 312 Carnegie 1,684 245 2,099 1,928 Homestead 2,277 190 1,480 4,141 Indiana 2,810 404 3,481 645 McKeesport ... 6,303 1,095 8,534 5,173 Mt. Pleasant .. 824 327 1,214 868 Shamokin 4,279 1,388 5,912 3,555 York* 8.275 4,020 14,246 4,554 *These places had relatively few Catholics.
Town
The Pennsylvania Klan made legislative
program
but one attempt to introduce a
into the State Legislature.
This took place
when a
battery of four bills were prepared by the Order and introduced into the Assembly by Representative George G. Weber, of DuBois, on February 21, 1927. While these bills died in the
Committee on Judiciary General their content
is
to
which they were referred, Klan poHcy.
descriptive of the focal points of
Three of the four
were directed against the Catholic Church subsidiary organizations. The first would by one direct blow have made the organization of Knights of Columbus and certain other Catholic Orders and Associations impossible by making it a felony punishable by from one to ten years hard and
bills
its
labor in the State Penitentiary to hold membership "in any secret
oath-bound corporation, association or society organized within this
Commonwealth when
the qualifications to membership is membership also in either a corporation, association or society whose seat of government is in a foreign country or whose chief
executive officer
A
second
bill
is
not a citizen of the United States."
proposed to stop criticism of
presumably by Catholics
civil
—
marriage
by making it a misdemeanor "punishby a fine of $300 to $1000 and imprisonment of three: to twelve months to question the validity or the sanctity of any marriage or to reflect upon the morality of the marital state or to deny the legitimacy of the issue of any marriage when such able
marriage has been or
is
about to be entered into and solemnized
in accordance with the statutes of this
other State."
The
third
bill
Commonwealth
also related to marriage.
or of any
Any
per-
113
The Klan and the State
ceremony was forbidden to son qualified to perform the marriage the marriage) to "persuade, entice or induce said parties (to agreement, or stipulation, oral or ni enter into
any contract,
of said marriage accordmg writing, to educate or train the issue particular church, sect, religion, to the teachings or tenets of any showed the attitude of the or belief." The last of the Klan bills between the Negroes Klan toward the question of inter-marriage terms of the bill, and whites. Such inter-marriage was, by the minister or It was made a felony for any prohibited."
"forever
marriage, to unite any such persons in
other authorized
official
on penalty of a
maximum
prisonment of
A
number
fine
of $5,000
and a maximum im-
five years.
of
Klansmen
in the
Assembly credited the
lack of secure the passage of this legislation to the that he had part of the sponsor of the bills. It is true
and no experience
in
handling matters of this kind.
failure to
skill little
on the ability
But even
if
had been in difTerent hands, there which were so was little hope of pushing through measures in Besides, there was insufficient Klan strength discriminatory.
the sponsorship of these bills
to barAssembly to make it worthwhile for other "interests" gain with the Klansmen. interest in Turning to national affairs, the Klan took some
the
share of the immigration restriction and claimed a considerable of 1924. There is glory for the passage of the Immigration Act Pennsylvania organization took little evidence, however, that the Senator James Reed, of Pennsylthe matter.
an
active part in
and would certainly have have given him been familiar with interested groups which might Reed asserts, however, that he was not aware of any
vania, sponsored the
bill
in the Senate
support.
Pennsylvania, nor, support given to the measure by the Klan in for that matter, by a Klan lobby at Washington.^" League of The Klan did directly oppose our entrance into the reflected the norNations and World Court. Klan membership Americans mally isolationist attitude and the fears of the average that
Characterisbe drawn into entangling alliances. primarily however, the reasons given by Klansmen were of predominance It was the political.
we would
tically,
neither
economic nor
League and World Court and the conAmerican Protestantism that made them bad.
Catholic countries in the
sequent dangers to
.
— —
114
The Ku Klux Klan
The Realm
Office circularized
its
in Pennsylvania
members and urged them
chase folders for distribution in public places.
No. 4
culars, identified as Leaflet
One
to pur-
of these cir-
in the correspondence of the
"Why the Ku Klux Klan Opposed was regarded as one of the best issued. On the back of the Leaflet was the maxim, "The Ku Klux Klan holds that American Questions should be settled by Americans in America. Inside was merely the following brief statement. Realm Office was the World Court."
entitled, It
World Court Officers
—
Catholic. President, M. De La Torriente Pereza of Cuba Vice-Presidents, M. Pusta of Esthonia— Catholic, Count De Gimeno of Spain Catholic, M. Fortoul of Venezuela Protestant. Catholic, Sir Lord Robert Cecil of England (80^0 Catholic*)
—
—
Council of the League of Nations Advised by the World Court
— — Dr. Benes of Czechoslovakia— M. Briand of France — — M. Scialoga M. Quero Boule of Spain — M. Sjoberg of Sweden— Austen Chamberlain of Great Viscount Japan — Shinto.
M. Vandervelde of Belgium Catholic. M. DeMello Franco of Brazil Catholic. Catholic.
Catholic.
of Italy
Catholic.
Catholic.
Catholic.
Sir
Britain
—Protestant.
Ishii of
(Council
The Assembly
of
70%
Catholic*)
the League of Nations
— — — — — — — — Brazil — six— (Assembly membership 286. *Catholic —one subservient
— — —
Catholic. etc., etc., etc.
Catholic.
The U.
S.
— —
Bulgaria three Catholic. Finland three Catholic. France twenty-four
Abyssinia three Catholic. Albania two Catholic. Austria two Catholic. Belgium six CathoHc.
CathoHc 192, Protestant 94) and dominated by the papacy.
to
cancellation or reduction of foreign
was also consistently opposed
war
debt
owed
to the
in the literature of the Klan,
but since the policy of our State Department was in line with
Klan
beliefs, there
about this matter.
was no occasion for the Klan to get excited There was, however, one other item of foreign
115
The Klan and the State policy which aroused the
Realm
office to feverish activity.
This
to enforce its re^ was "the Mexican Question." In an attempt charged by certain American vised Constitution, Mexico had been There was considerable interests with violations of their rights. our Department of State and the Mexi-
correspondence between can government.
But the
interest
which the Klan took
in this
the literature of the controversy was not economic. Nowhere in understood the Order is there any evidence that the Klan leaders under dispute. They optechnical, legal or commercial matters not because they were posed intervention in the affairs of Mexico in Mexico, but because hostile to American trade or investments it
intervention. appeared that the Catholics wanted American
The new Mexican
cerConstitution besides trying to repatriate
politics and land resources had also tried to secularize foreign priests and education. As a means to this latter end certain monasteries were forbidden to remain within the country, made for pubhc and nunneries were aboHshed and provision was privilege suffered by education under state control. The loss of aroused the sympathy of the Roman Church in Mexico naturally
tain mineral
many American
Catholics,
some of whom openly expressed
the
preserve at once wish that the U. S. would intervene in order to American economic interests and religious freedom.
Mexican This interest of American Catholics in the saw in it an was a source of alarm for the Klansmen. They country in a^war attempt of the Roman Church to "involve this Concealing its aim to regain thereby its "lost with Mexico." laying down "a privileges and power," the Roman Church was situation
property." smoke screen of protecting American lives and CathoKlansmen held that Secretary Kellogg had been misled by Government's casting off the lics "to believe that the Mexican fact that the yoke of Rome is Bolshevism." They broadcast the
clever
propagandize Knights of Columbus had raised a million dollars to Coolidge was for intervention, and prophesied that President as the adready to "lay a strong hand upon Mexico" as soon interjournment of Congress would free him from Congressional arouse The Realm Office encouraged all Klansmen to ference. klavems to meet the crisis and informed the local
themselves that
it
had not been negligent of
its
duty but had distributed
t
The Ku Klux Klan
116
in
Pennsylvania
"upwards of one hundred thousand four-page Mexican Leaflets" and had in addition "assisted with Bulletins and speakers." "
With
the mention of the anti-Smith campaign, the ef¥ort to
prevent the entrance of the United States into the League of Nations and the World Court and the flurry of excitement over a feared U. S. intervention in the
list
of political activities
Mexico to aid the Catholic Church, of any national importance under-
taken by the Klan in Pennsylvania
Order, with
its
just another patriotic society.
is
After 1928 the
exhausted.
membership became increasingly
greatly depleted
In
its
literature
it
supported the
army and navy program, applauded the Daughters of the American Revolution, and even expressed good will toward Hitler because his anti-Semitic policy was felt to be somewhat akin to big
its
own
racial attitude.
Between the
the implication that
it
much
propaganda one could read might not be a bad thing for the United
lines of
of its
movement with
the Klan in the role of leaderBut the dwindling membership of the Order gave no promise of that. Perhaps it was more to keep the Klan from disintegrating altogether than to produce the fear
States
if
a fascist
ship were to develop here.
prerequisite
for a large grant of
power
to a dictator that the
Klan leaders after 1931 simulated increasing concern over the growth of radicalism within the country and substituted "the menace of communism" for the fading spectre of Romanism.
References 1.
2.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8.
9.
10. 11.
Quoted by Stanley Frost Hiram Wesley Evans in
in
the
the Outlook,
Forum,
vol.
vol. 13(5, p. 74, p. 801,
66.
December,
1925.
Ibid.
Told Told
to the writer by Ross Kalp, E. C. of Scottdale Klavern. to the writer by Sterrett L. Clark, E. C. of Hazelwood Klavern. the Outlook, vol. 1}6, p. 64. of American Protestants to the Supreme Court Decision in the Macintosh Case. See for instance Christian Century, June 10, 1931, p. 776; July 1, 1931, p. 878 ; Jan. 20, 1932, p. 84; also Lit. Dig. Jan. 25, 1930, p. 14. For example, see: Correspondence of H. C. Shaw to the Exalted Cyclops of the Realm, March 29, 1927. Catholic Encyclopedia: Article on "Tolerance."
Hiram W. Evans in Compare the protests
Klan Leaflet, Form C-lOn. There was not a single Klan Exalted Cyclops or state official with whom the writer raised this question who did not deny that the Klan's program was negative. See
manuscriDt of a speech delivered many times by Rev. J. F. Strayer also Proceedings of the Second Imperial Klonvokation, p. 35: "The Knights of the Ku is not in any sense an anti-organization..." 12. Circular letter by H. C. Shaw to all the Exalted Cyclops of the Realm, March 28, 1927. also
;
Klux Klan
15.
Anonymous pamphlet
14. 15.
Klansmen of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Circular letter by H. C. Shaw to "Faithful and Esteemed Klansmen," June 16, Pittsburgh Gazette Times, October 7, 1924.
entitled
"Food
for
Thought"
which
was
circulated
among 1927.
117
The Klan and the State References 16
Correspondence of Shaw
to his
Exalted Cyclops, March 29,
1927.
«noSJs.r:v£ijr from the 'Pennsylvania Manual'' 1929,
oLu"oT?etatw\ ?enf from Shaw's tributed
in
the
to'
527
Mex,crn*n^
office
spring
p.
to
or
all
the
summer
Klaverns of
1927.
following.
were taken ^rom m.meographed circulars Undated, tliey were d.sin the State.
CHAPTER
8
The Klan and the Church
:
Religious Activities of the Order
'Men
wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for for it; anything but live for it." Caleb Colton
will
it; die
—
Founded by a one-time Methodist preacher, the Knights of The the Ku Klux Klan boasted of their devotion to religion. purpose of the Order was to attain the "solidarity of Protestants for Social, Civic, and Moral Defense and Progress." ^ Its symbol was a cross. Its "Kreed" asserted that Klansmen "reverentially acknowledge the majesty and supremacy of the Divine Being, and recognize the goodness and providence of the Same." - One of the officials of every klavern was a chaplain called a Kludd.
At each meeting he delivered an opening prayer, expressed to God the hope that Klansmen might "forsake the bad and choose and strive for the good, remembering always that the living Christ is
a Klansman's criterion of character."
^
In the closing ceremony
of the klavern, in answer to the Exalted Cyclop's inquiry,
"How
of our God?", the Kludd arose to say: "Thou shall worship the Lord thy God. Render unto the State Love the brotherhood, honor the things which are the State's.
speaketh the oracles
Bear ye one another's burdens and so
the king. Christ."
A
*
fulfill
the law of
"kloxology" was raised to "God of eternity" and
God" were called down upon them in benedicwas done before an altar, which was an essential
"the blessings of All this
tion.
piece of equipment of every klavern.
In the naturalization ceremony by which applicants were invested with membership in the Order, the applicant was obliged to affirm his belief in "the tenets of the Christian religion,"
anointed with "a transparent, fluid
.
.
.
divinely distilled,"
*
life-giving,
powerful,
was
God-given
and was dedicated by prayer "to
119
The Klan and the Church
our
work harmonic with God's will and purpose in were Thus was it officially assumed that Klansmen no had they the Lord God for whose benediction
that sublime
creation."
^
servants of
hesitancy in asking.
Not only were klavern meetings and
ceremonies given
initiation
m
state conventions, especially a religious cast but national and history, were conducted in an the first few years of the Order's produced by the atmosphere of religious devotion deliberately of God's Mention of Christian ideals and the invocation leaders. Imperial the were common. H. E. Evans, addressing
guidance
minimizmg Klonvokation in 1924 (Kansas City, Mo.), tactfully asserted that the importance of his own leadership, of giving done a greater thing for the Klan than that
He
leadership.
has given
it
His
Own
Leadership.
"God has it human The Lord
which we rejoice. This has guided us and shaped the events in growth must increase our faith in the Klan,— in its fact complete victory." In grace and power, in its mission, in its final the Klan, each day's session was begun all important gatherings of Scripture reading was with a devotional service. The favorite his Roman brethren to the familiar admonition of St. Paul to
m
.
.
.
recompense to be kindly alfectioned There live peaceably with all men." no man evil for evil Klansmen a high evidence that some Klan leaders held before
"think soberly
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
is
spiritual idealism
and devotion.
To
quote from one of them:
never enter a Klavern and stand before looks down upon me, a prepared altar where the Fiery Cross all the sacred traditions of the its Holy Light blazing forth the feet of Klansmen past, nor behold it as it gives light to great city, that 1 do not in parades through the streets of a in the nation wish that I myself and every Klansman and cry with him: could behold that Cross as Paul beheld it, cross of our 'God forbid that I should glory, save in the unto me, crucified Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is nation the in Klansman and I unto the world.' If every Amerfor safe be say that with Paul, America \yould
"My
brethren,
I
.
.
.
could icans
from
this
day to the end of time.
.
.
.
emu"Keeping step with the Master and daily striving to be may it sacrifice sacrifice, if late His example—this is the world the and America called which Klansmen offer that consecrated may be saved. Are you ready to lay all your a token ot as afternoon power of manhood on the altar this
The Ku Klux Klan
120
in Pennsylvania
love and gratitude to Him, and to say: 'By the help of Almighty God, I determine that from this hour on I will so live that I can hand down to future generations the standard of what a real American ought to be that I will seek to make America the first of all the nations to fulfill the will of God and to crown Jesus Lord of all?" " ;
There by the
no doubt
is
that
many
honest Klansmen were inspired
Order
religious activities of the
to consecrate themselves
which they believed, whether mistaken or not, were Returning from the Kansas City Klonvokation of 1924 one Pennsylvania Exalted Cyclops ob-
to principles
consistent with Christian teachings.
served to the writer: "Pve attended a lot of church gatherings and conventions both of my own and other denominations but I never attended one where the revival spirit was as pronounced as it
was It is
at the
Klan Klonvokation."
not true, however, to infer that the religious fervor which
characterized a few great inspirational gatherings of the Klan typical
of
the
general run of
state
was
meetings in Pennsylvania.
Called Kloreros, these annual meetings were likewise opened with devotional exercises.
Rev.
J.
W.
Dempster, of Crafton, was con-
spicuous as a leader of these services for the
they were held.
first
few years that
Nevertheless, the minutes of these meetings gives
one the impression that the devotions were not an integral part of the programs, being largely perfunctory like the routine prayers opening of a session of Congress or the required ten verses of scripture and the repetition of the Lord's Prayer at the start at the
of the day's
work
the officiating minister
of the session Locally, a
The spirit invoked by was not noticeably present as the business
in the public schools.
was taken
up.
few klans maintained a rather sustained
atmosphere over a considerable period. the early part of the
It
was
evangelistic
characteristic of
movement, however, and of those Klaverns
which had enrolled most of the ministers of
their communities.
While the number of such instances was by no means large enough to consider them typical of the movement, it can likewise be said that the absence of
any expression of religious devotion other
than that in the ritual was also typical of only a small percentage of the local units.
;
The Klan and the Church
121
ceremonies grew wearisome or ceased and the programs were often business to be transacted was small, klavern a religious or semipieced out with song services which had hymns which were conreligious character. Among the standard
When
initiation
were the familiar "Blest the Wondrous Be the Tie That Binds" and "When I Survey official hymn. an almost "The Old Rugged Cross" became
sidered by
to be appropriate
Klansmen
Cross."
of its author, it Although sometimes sung with the original words changing the was more often turned into a campaign song by ." Fiery Cross chorus to read, "I will cherish the bright of Klansmen found considerable expression .
The
.
m
ingenuity
Klan making appropriate changes in familiar hymns to by the Wildsymbolism. Thus "There's a Church in the Valley in the Wildwood" became "There's a Cross That is Burning Valiant wood" "Onward, Christian Soldiers" became "Onward, became: Klansmen"; and "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" suit the
;
"Let the fiery cross be burning, Spread its beams o'er land and sea Satan's wiles forever spurning, Bringing Christ to you and me."
often naturally In KUan ideology, religion and patriotism were conand unconsciously mingled. It is doubtful if most Klansmen
God" and
ceived of "love of
They thought
of
God's special gift
"love of country" as distinct things.
America, as the Israelites had of Canaan, as preto the people whose culture He wished to
being that this cuhure was akin to God's for the whole world. will for America and through America religion of At its worst, Klan tliinking turned the non-racial
serve, the inference
racial as was the Christianity into one as narrowly national and of the Judges. Jehovah worship of the Israelites during the period
God became merely
the press agent of the Pilgrim Fathers.
who found in Klan publicity a very luGod and his own Christian (Campbelite)
Rev. Paul S. Wight, crative
way
to serve
Church and who
Company"
to
Klansmen,
is
finally
distribute
established
"The
International
Music
song booklets and victrola records to
this the author of the following verses illustrating
synthesis of patriotism
and religion:
;
The Ku Klux Klan
122
:
in Pennsylvania
Klansman's Jubilee Song^^
We
(Tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic) Old Glory in our robes of spotless white;
rally 'round
While the
Come
fiery cross is burning, in the silent silv'ry night. join our glorious army in the cause of God and Right.
The Klan
marching on
is
.
.
.
The blessed Pilgrim Fathers, fought and died for liberty. They sailed through troubled waters, died that we might be made free. Oh, shall we dare surrender ? No Our battle cry shall be !
"God's truth
is
marching on."
yes, we stand for liberty, for freedom of our land The same as our dear fathers' won from cruel tyrant's hand. We'll keep the sacred heritage, for in His might we stand, As we go marching on.
Oh,
Another "religious" practice which was
characteristic of
throughout the state consisted of church visitations.
Klans
Just as their
song services combined religious worship with "kluxing" and the building of morale, so these visitations had a double purpose.
They passed for devoutness and advertised the Order as well. The most common fonn of this practice was to come to the church in a
body dressed
made
in full regalia.
Usually there was some attempt
to secure the permission of the minister or other important
official of
the church and to have provision
made
for a
room
in
and reserved seats adequate to accommodate them This latter allowed them to march in after in the auditorium. the usual audience had assembled and after the service had com-
which
to robe
menced.
The
escorting ushers, the orderly marching, the waiting
was felt, all added dignity and impressiveness to the Sometimes the Klansmen would contribute a special song to the service often they merely sat quietly and gave as much attention to the minister's remarks as their uncomfortable bodies, perspiring under their robes, would allow. audience,
it
ceremony.
;
Klansmen were
quite conscious of the publicity value of these
occasions and in view of this fact and the anticipation of a
news
item in the local paper, they were quite willing to pay for value received.
When
the collection plates
were passed they were gen-
erous in their contributions, often giving as
much
as
a
dollar
123
The Klan and the Church
impoverished church wela pastor and deacon of an Regarding the effect benefit. comed visitations for this pecuniary district official boas ed donations upon Klansmen, one
Many
each
of these
that there
had been an increase
members.
"Around Reading,"
in
Hberality
said this official,
Klan "the 'Dutch were
among
the