evans hiram wesley - the klan's fight for americanism

7/28/2019 Evans Hiram Wesley - The Klan's Fight for Americanism

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By lllRAl\1 WESLEYE VANSl'!']J'>'ial ,Witord and EmPffl)r, Kni,h, ;oj.!M r"'Kl= Klml 'J


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERICANISMBY 1111lAM WESLEY EVANS

(T.W. ~ , . , . . .,. I.U KM Klwz ElM., I.UJ...-.1. ,.,_....


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMEUICANISMthe defeat of the Catholic nttempt t.o seize the Democratic party.All these we have helped, and all are important.

The outstanding proof of both our influence and our service,however, has been in creating, outside our ranks as well as inthem, not mercly the growing national concentre.tion on the prob-lems of Americanism, but also & growing sentiment againstradicalism, cosmopolitanism. and alienism of all kinds. WehaYe produced insteAd a sane and progres.ive conservatism alongnational lines. We have enlisted our racial instincts for the workof preserving and developing our American traditions and cus-tom$. Thie wao u_OfJt. etrikingly ohown in tl\e e l ~ t i o n s lnst. Lill,when the conservative l i o n anl&Ud all p o l i t i c i a ~ a l l ythe LaFollette rout in tl>e Northwest. This ~ t i o n addedenormously to the plurality of the !'resident, the size of whichwns the great surprise of the election.I wish it might fairly be claimed that the Klan from tle be-ginning had this vision of its mission. Instead the beginningswere groping and futile, as well RS feeble; they invoked errorswhieh long prevented any important achievement. The chiefidea of the founders oeems to have been mercly to start a newfraternal society, bRSed on rather vague sentiments of brotherhood among white Americans, and of l o y ~ > l t y to the nation andto Protestantism. There was 1>lso a sentimental reverence forthe Klan of the 'Sixties which led to revival of the old name andsome of the ritu..l. There was 6 n ~ > l l y the basic idea of whitesupremacy, but this was also at the time fl mere sentiment. exceptua lt. o.ppliod to oomo Negro um-cot.

Rut along with thcso ideas there shortly apJ>


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TRE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERJCANlSl\.l 5remarbble i m p r o ~ m e n t as reprda lyoching in the lu t twoyean.The eliminat.,., of private pro6t for o ~ r s of the Klan camenu t and with it went a democratizing of the order. The Klan,lxing chiefly an organized crusade, cannot operate efficiently on apurely democratic b.u;., but the autocracy of the early years haalxen rq>la


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II Tilt: SORTll AliERICA..'I' REVIEWlo analyxe. 1ml into definite words, nnd give purpooe lo lh- half

t " n n ~ ' i m p u l e nn.., Kbn. tt .. ..,cm. ha. now com to lor the great massol i\nwrirnns o i lhe old pioneer stoclc. We believe that il doesfairly anl laithlully rq)retOples of the SOt-nliNI ~ l r rHt our own cbildrm


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOll A.\!ERJCANlS) 7in our own IChoob fundamental bctt and lnltha were torn&wa.f from ua. Tbooe who maiolaioecl the old staodarda did.o oDly in the race or ooostant ridicule.Along with this went economic distreM. The aMurance for lhefuture of our children dwindled. We found our great citiu andthe control of much of our industry and commerce taken v ~ r byalrangers, who atacl:ed the cards ofsuceas and proeperily againstUl. Sborlly they came lo dommatc our sooernmenl. The 6loeayatem by hich thil was done is now familiar to all. Evtrykind of inhnbilant CJ


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8 TJIE NOltTH AMERICAN REVIEW"" T h.v had o t h ~ r loyalties: each '1\'&s willing-snxious!-to.. .crifil'e lbe iniAOreSI.s Of the l'OUntry Jhal bad gi\eo him shellerto tlc inlen.'111S or the one he was supposed to hcne cast off; eachin fact did lL"" lhe r..._..,uom and political power we had ghen himagainsl ouJ'5CI\'C5 whenen


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERICANISM 9and peril, buttbat ifhe surrenders thoseadvantages to the peopleswho could not 5l1are the stress, he will soon be driven below theJe,el at which he can exist by their low standards, low living andfu t breeding. And they saw that the lo10 standard aliens ofEAStern and Southem Europe were doing just that thing to us.

They learned, though more slowly, that alien ideas are justas dangerous to us as the aliens them.wlves, no matter how plausible such ideas may sound. With most of the plain people thisconclusion i based simply on the fact that the alien ideas donot work well lor them. Others went deeper and came to understand that the differences in racinl background, io breeding,instinct, chnracter and emotional point of ''icw are more im-portant t.ban logic. So ideas which may be perfectly healthylor an alien may also be poisonous for Americans.

Finally they learned the great secret of the propagandists;that suooeas in corrupting public opinion depenrls on putting outthe suhvershe ideas without revealing their sour(:e. They t'Ameto suspect that "prejudice . against foreign ideas is really aprotective de,ice of nature against mental food that may beindigestible. They saw, finally, that the alien leaders in Americaaet on this theory, and that there is a steady Oood of alien idea.being sp""'d over the rountry, always carefully cli.lf!uised asAmerican.

Aa they learned all this the Nordic Americans have been grad-ually arousing t b c m s e l v e ; ~ to defend thei.r homes and their ownkind of civilization. 1'hey have not known just bow to go aboutit; the idealist philanthropy and good-natured generosity whichJed to the philosophy of the melting pot have died hard. Re-sistance to the peaceful invasion of the immigrant is no suchsimple matter as snatching up weapons and defending frontiers,nor baa it much spectacular emotionalism to draw men to thecolors.

The old .. ock Americans are learning, however. They havebegun to arm themselves for this new type of 'OI'arfate. M ostimportant. they have broken away from the fetters of the falseideals and philanthropy which put aliens ahead of their own ebil-dren and their own race.To do this they have bad to reject completely- and perhaps


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10 TRF. 1\0RTH AMERICAN REVIEWlor the moment the r e j ~ - . ; t i o n is hit loo w mplete--the wholebody of " L ilo< luc:cr for thinking he is better tha.n you." Notthat .UI Lit.eralism goes so far, but it all seems to be on tbatn)llol. The "'"mge LiiJCral idea is apparently that tho.


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERICANISM 11thing. I t bas undermined their Constitution and their nationalcustoms and imtitutions, it has corrupt.od the morals of theirclildren, it has ' 'itiat.od their thought, it bas degenerat.od andpervert.od their edu


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1 ~ THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEWminority witloin fifty years. and will within two hundred havebeen choked to death, like grain among ,..eedJ. Unless tomemeans is fouml of making the Nordic feel safe in having children,we are al. .,.dy doomed.

t\n equal danger is from disonity, so strikingly shown duringthe war and from a mongreliation of thonght and purpose. I t isnot merely foreign policy that is involved; it is all our thought athome, our morals, edut"alion, social conduct-everything. Weare aJrel\dy confused and disuniwd in every way; the alien groupst,hemselveA, nnd the skilful alien propagandn, are both tearingt.eadily nl. nil that mnkes lor uni ty in nationhood, or lor thesoul of Am (rieuuism. l l Ute word u integrity" cnn still be usedin ito originol meoning of singleness of purpose or thought, then"e n ~ n nut ion have lost all integrity. Yet our old Americanmotlo irlOinl about the present attitude of the old stockt\muicnn: he hM r e ~ e d and increased his long-standing distrustof the lloonan ('alholic Chureh. I t is for this that the nativeAmericans, nod the Klan as their leader, are most often de-nounced as intolenlnt and prejudiced. This is not because weoppooe tloe Catholic more than we do the alien, but because ourenemi


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THE KLAN'S F I GHT FOil. AMERI CANISM 18Neither the present day P1otataot nor the Klan wishes to changethis in any degree.

The only possible exception to this statement is worth mentioning only because some people give it far too much importance.This has been in the publication of vicious and ignorant antiCatholic papers, with small circulation and minute inBuence.These publications, by the way. the Klan has denounced andhelped suppress. Ir the Catholic Church would do as much byTokranu aod some of the equnlly vicious and ignorant sheetspublished under its ~ . it could come into court against theAmerican people with cleaner hands.

The real indictment against the Roman Church is that it is,fundamentally and irredmably. in its leadership, in politics,in tllougbt, and largely in membership, aetunlly and activelyalien, on-American and usually anti-American. The old stockAmericans, with the exeeption of the few such of Catholic fai thwho are in a cla.ss by themselves, standing tragically tom betweentheir faith nnd U11rir racial and national patriolism-aee in theRoman Church today the chief leader of alienism, and the mostdangeroua alien power with a foothold inaide our boundaries.I t is this and nothing else that has revived hostility to Catholicism. By no stretch of the imagination can it fairly be cnlledreligious prejudiee, though, now that the hostility has becomeactive, it does derive some trengtb from the religious schism.We Americans oee trulny evidences of Catholic alienism. Webelieve that it.s officil'l )>Osition and its dogma, its theocraticautocracy uod its cluim to full Mthority in temporal as well asspiritual mnUers, tll Olllkc it impo8Sible for it as a church, or fori ts members if they obey it, to coiSpemte in a free democracyin which Church nod State have been separated. I t is true thati.n this country tl!e Roman Church speaks very softly on thesepoints, so tbat many Catholics do not know them. I t is alsotrue that the Roman priests preach Americanism, subject totheir own conception of Amerie&nism, of course. But theRoman Church itself trulkes a point of the divine and unalterablecharacter of its dgJOA. it hu never seen fit to abandon officiallyany of these un-American attitudes, and it still teaches them inother count.ries. Until it dot4 renounce them, we caDDot believe


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14 THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEWanything except that they aU lemain in force, ffildy to be calledinto action whenever feasible, and temporarily hushed u,p onlyfor expediency.

The hierarchical government of the Ro -n Clmreh is equallyat odds with Americanism. The Pope and the whole bierarehyhave been lor centuries almost wholly Italian. It is nonsenseto suppose that a man, by entering a chureb, loses his race ornational loyalties. The Roman Church today, therc!orc, isjust what its name says-Roman; and it is im,>OSSiblc !or itshicrnrehy or the policies Utey dictate to be in real sympathywith Americ1tnism. Wot"Se, the Italians lutve J>rovcn w be oneof the leas t n8Similnble of people. The autocratic nntute of theCntholic Church organization. and its SUJ>pression or free conscience or free decision, need not be discussed; they nre unquestioned. Thus it is 11lndamentalw the Uomrtn Church to demanda supreme loyalty, o,ersbadowing national or r ~ W C loyalty, to apower that is inevitably alien, and whkh nt the best must inevitably inculcateidesls un-American ifnotacthely anti-American.We find, too, that e,en in America, the - jor i ty of the leadersand of the priest. of the lloman Chureb are either foreign born,or of foreign parentage and training. They, like other aliens,are unable to teach Americanism if they wish, because boUt raceand education prevent their understanding wh at it is. Theservice they give it, even if sincere, can at. best produce onlyconfusion of thought. W h o would ask an American, for instance,to try to teach Italians their own language, history, nnd patriotism, even without the complication of religion?An other difficulty is that the Cntholic Church here constantlyrepresents, speaks for l],nd cares for the interests o( 0. large bodyof alien peoples. !11ost immigration of recent Y""'" so uoassimilable and fundamentally un-Americnn, has been Catholic.'fbe Catholics of American stock have been submerged and almost lost; the aliens and their interesta dictate aU policies of theR o ~ Cbureh which are not dictated from Rome itself.Also, the Roman Chureh seems to lake pains to prevent theassimilation of these people- I ts parochial ac!tools, its foreignbom priests, the obstacles it places in the way ol marriage withProtestanta unless the children are bound in advance to Roman-


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR MffiRICANISM 16ism, ita peniotent use of the foreign languages in church andschool, ita habit of grouping :iliens together and thua creatinginsoluble alien ma,...,_..ll these lhings strongly impede Ameri-caniu.tion. Ofcourse they alsostrengthenand solidify the a t h ~lie Church, and truike its work easier, and so are very natural,but the fact remains that they are hostile to Ameriranism.Finally, there is the undeniable (act that the Roman Churchtakes an active part in American politics. I t bas not been content to accept in good Caith the separation of Church and State,and coMta.ntly tries through political means to win advantagestor itself and its people-in other words, to be a. political powerin Am erica, as well as a spiritual power. DeniaiJJ of Catholicactivity in politics are too absurd to need discussion. The"Catholic vote" is as well recognized a ,factor M the "dry vote".All polit.icialU take it for grant.ed.The fn.cts are lbnt almost evex:ywberc, and especially in thegreat industrial centers where t.be Catholics are strongest, theyvole almost as a. unit, under oontrol of leaders of their own faith,always in support of the interests-of the Catholic Church and ofCatholic candidates without regard to other intereata, and alwaysalso in support or :ilienism wbene,er there is an issue raised.They vote, in short, not as American citit.ens, but as aliens andCatholics I They form the biggest, strongest, m06t cohesiveof all the alien W o e ~ . On many occasions they form allianceswith other alien I>IOC8 against Americnn interests, as with theJews in New York today, and with others in t.be case of the NCCDtopposition to immigration restriction. Incidentally they ha.vebeen responsible for some of the worst ahuses in American politics,and today aro the chief support of sueh machines o.s that of Brennan in Chicago, Curley in Boston and Tammany in New York.All this migl1t occur without direct sanction from tho RomanChurch, though that would not make it Jess a "Catholic" menace.But the evid.ence is that the Church acta directly and often oontrols these activities. The appearance of Roman clergy in" i!Uide" politic:al councils, the occasional nec


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16 TJIE NORTH AllfER.ICAN REVIEW Garden were suddenly block with priests, all -m to prove thatthe Catholic Church nct.o in politico a a church, and that i tmust bear responsibility for theoc evils.This is the indictment of the old-st.o


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THE KLAN'S F'lGHT FQR AMERICANISM 17The Ku Klux Klan. in short, is an organization which givesexpression, direction and purpose to the most vital instincts,

hopes and resentments of the old stock American., , providesthem with leadenhip, and is enlisting and preparing them formilitant, eonstruethe action toward fulfilling their racial andnational destiny. Madison Grant summed up in a single sentenoe the grievances, purpose and type of membership of theKlan: "Our farmen and artisans .. . of American blood, torecog:nire and meet this danger." The Klan literally is oncemore the embattled American farmer and artisan, coGrdinatedinto a disciplined and growing anny, and launched upon a deJinitecrusade for Americanism!This Providential history of the Klan, and tbe P r o , ~ d e n t i a lplace it bas come to hold, give it certain definite characteristics.The disadvantages tbat go with them, as well as the advantages,may as well be admitted at once.We are a mo,ement of the plain people, \cry weak in thematter of culture, intellectual support, and trained leadership.We are demanding, a.nd we expect to win, a return of power intothe hands of the everyday, not highly cultured, not overlyintellectualized, but entirely unspoiled and not de-.Americanized,average citizen of the old stock. Our members and leaders areall of this class-the opposition of the intellectuals and liberalswho held the leadership, betrayed Americanism, and from whomwe expect to wrest control, is almost automatic.This is undoubtedly a. weakness. It lays us open to the cbsrgeof being " hicks" and "rubes" and "drivers of second handFords". We admit it. Far "one, it makes it hnrd for us tostate our case and advocate our crusade in the most effectiveway, for moot of us lack skill in language. Worst of aU, the needof tmined leaders constantly bampers our progress and leads toserious blunders and i,ntemaltroubles. l l the Klan ever shouldfail it would be from t hia cause. All this we on the inside knowfar better than our critics, and regret more. Our leadership isimproving, but for many years the Klsn will be seeking betterleaders, and the leaders praying for greater wisdom.

Serious as this is. and strange though our attitude may seemto the intellectuals, it does not worry us greatly. E very popular


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18 THE l\OHTH A.\fERICAX REVTEWmo,cmcnl has sufTcrc


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TilE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERICANISM 19ica, the whole world today, and the greater world yet unborn.We belie,e the band of God was in the creation of the Americanstock and nation. We believe, roo, in the right and duty ofevery man to fight for himself, his own children, his own nationand race. We believe in the parable of the talents, and meanto keep and use those entrusted to us--the race, spiritand nationhood of America!Finally we believe in the vitality and driving po.,..er of ourrace: a faith based on the record of the Nordics tb.rougbout allhistory, and esjl


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20 THE NORTH Al\1EIUCAN REVmWT b1111 the Kllln goes back to the American rocinl instincts,

and to the common Knse wbicb is their first product, as the basisof ita beliefs and methods. The fundamentals of our thoughtare convictions, not mere opinions. " re are pleased that modemresearch i finding ~ J C i e n t i f i c backing !or these convictions. Wedo not nted them Unoelves; we know that we are right in thesame Knse that a good Christian knows tbnt he has been savedand that Christ lh- thing wbieh the inlellec:tual can neverundent.and. These con.-ictions are no more to be argued aboutthan is our love for our children; we are merely willing to statethem lor the enlightenment and conversion of others.There are three of the'"' great raOr American, unless he h.uracial understanding of Americanism, and instinctive loyalty toiL I t is in no way a reOection on any man to say that be is unAmer;can; i t is merely a statement that be is not one of us. I tis often not even wise to try to make an American of the best ofaliens. Wltat be is muy be SJ>Oilecl without his b


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR Al\IERICANISM 21can. The races and stocks of men are as distinct as br, independence,self-reliance,counge,endurance, acceptance of individual l'


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21! THE NORTH M fEIU ('.\1'\ REVIEWt-ontinuf'11 supremncy of U.e white m


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THE KLAN'S J.'IGJIT ~ ' O R AllfEJtiCANJSM 23sciences and limit our activities ond suppre!.!! our thoughts at theeom.mnnd of any man. much less of a IIU\n sitting upon SevenHills thousands of toiles away. This we wiU not permit. Romeshall not rule us. J>rotestanlisrn must be supreme.

le t it be clear whnl is meant hy "supremacy" . I t is nothingmore thnn power of control, under just !awl. I t is not imperialism, far less is it auloct1\cy or even aristoet1\C)' of a raceor stock ofmen. What it does mean is thnt we insist on our inl1etited rightto insure our own sn.fety, individually and ns n race, to securethe future of our children, to maintain and de,elop our racialhetil#ge in our o"n. white, Protestant, American way, withoutinterference.Just bow we of the Klan will accomplish this we do not yetknow. Our first task has been to organize and this is not yetquite nccomplished. But already we are beginning our secondstage, wbieh is to meet, stop and remo\'e the in,ader and lea,eourselves free once more. In theslriet sense wehnvenoprogramme.We nro not ready for one and have not put our i n e ! ~ to it. Nosuch popular movement ever springs full-pnlloplied from thehead o f any man or group. For some lime we mml he opportunisls, meeting the enemy wbere,er he attacks and attackingwhere we can. This course, so far , bas accomplished much morethan could have been done by a hard and last programme. Weexpect to continue it.

There are, bowe,er, certAin general principles and purposeswhich are always kept in view. Enough has been said aboutpioneer Americanism. Another constant aim is better citizenship. The Klan holds that no man can be either a. good Klansman or a good Amcricnn without being a good citizen. A largepart of our work is to preach this, and no man can be a Klansmanlong without feeling it.Another constant objective is good government, locally andnationally. The Klansman is pledged to support law &nd order,and it is also a port of his duly to see that both law and offioeraare as good as po6Sible. We believe that e'-ery man and wotnanshould keep well-informed on aU public m a t t e r > ~ , and take anactive and direct part in all public aJrair11.. There is nothingspectacular about this; it is merely good citizenship on the job.


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~ 4 TJH: SOIITII .\)IEIIW.\1\ BEYI F.W11w Kl nn. lowC\'t.'r. tlt'\'Cr nltcmpts tn .Jic:tale lite vo tes of i tsmem lJ('n., hut .-loc.a furnh.t. infornmt ifln nhout men :uul measuresJn the :\Ktim.:tl G4wcnmtenl uur iuh'"-'Sl j.,. a l o n ~ theume line:t.with :!>fl('f'inl t p .\w n i4'1Wi "'m. nnd t iCl uol. hclong ino r with :m,\ party or f:u-liun. \ \'e I -.urpnrl n t_-crtnin Americantyre nf mrm. :uul ~ i l l "'"lli)Ofl :wy ~ r o u p \\'hich tlrns the rightkin tJ of :m j .... .. -. If 1u-r. ; . nn :-mh i:,..tu-. nnd un dwice hctween('.Ontlidl\h ':oi fr.un 111t' .\uwriml tuint nr \'icw. we kNp uut.. I t i strue tlml sou-. mtn u l \ - - t n nhlt lo nmke usc cJf the 1\lan on ce ,but it tm!4 u1way . fl 'IH' Itl n ~ a i n lhtm,It ine\; tult1e lltnt must of t l ~ t acli\e work of the Klan .ouU:ilc: our u\\n mn"' ..huuM he in puhlie affairs. Ry no othermeanc rnn most uf uur d c m a n Itt: nccomplishcct. And i l isagain8l t l a i ~ pAtriulit n < " l i v i t ~ lhut t.he most. Yiolent c riticism shu\'C ht'tll IIUUIC, \ \' t t if t. ' 'ICCIUittl Of iujt..-cl ing old prejudices.halrttl , flU'e nnrl l i ) l i t l l l into JHJiitit'8, of crt'.atiug AU un -AmericanclaM dh;ann. u( I y i u ~ to 1ro6t t.y nu::c and ~ l i g i o u ! e.nmilies.o( \'ioll\tinJ.t 1 h ~ l'rim iph of ecluB1ity. nncl of n1ining the Demo.c ratif purty.Mnlilt ..r l u ~ l u r ~ , ~ ure unt. wu1 th nnswrrin.a;c. So long &Ifpolilidnnl'i euler lu uliNI rneiul urul religious groups. it is t bemcre!lt ~ l c f e n " " ' : tu IHt\'(' ~ a Prott!tt:mt onl an American.. \'ole" anti to 1nnkc- it ,.. ..rx..Ct.ed. ~ n , ~ l u t r ~ d :uul prejudice are,aJ I ha lx-en ~ v i d c u t t o e\ery candid person. llisplnyed by oureuemic snd nol. by u",As to the charge Uutt the Alan hrought tfu::c and re ligion intopolitical. that simply j , u.ot tru4:'. 1'h:tt was done ly the verypeople who :trc now :wcusing us. lx."'C.1lu.se: .-e. an.:


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TH:t: KLAN'S FIGHT FOil Al\n:lliCANISMthe aliw u polilical plalloruu. Tbe !\lao is ill no -y espollSible lor this condition. We merely """'f!Di&ed i t when otbendared not, and we fighl it in the open. Our belief is that anyaur.n who runs lor oOice or asks political lavon, or advocatapolicies or carrie on lli\Y other political activity, either a~ M m b e r of any racial or rdigioUJ group. or in the illt.eslJ of orUDder o r d e r ~ from w eb a group or ol any non-American i l l t e r e ~ twhate\-er, abould be p ~ lor that ' ' f f f _..,.,. Tbe Klao'aambition is to get """'and ~ l i g i o n out of polities, and that caDnot be done so loaf! u there is any profit in .xploiting thHD. I ttherelore fights every attem1>t to ,..., th. .n.

Thio icious kind of pulities h r u ~ mostly lx.-en more or le&Jaecret. We of the Klan wish ,. could dnion credit for bringingthe oc:andal into the open, but e c.nnot e ~ n do lhAL Tbeope11 istue ...-as r a ~ for liM' first time on a national scale at lbe

~ m o o a t i c l\alional Con-enlion ol IOU. This was the doin1ol lbe Catholic politicians. who aeized upun Catholicism as acement for holding the anli-?lfcAdoo lurcet lngelber. Thebitter cleavage lhut followed ..... inevit.nlolc, and it was theythe Catholic leaden- who 110 nearly wrecked the party and werequilt ready to wreck il completely if tbal ould have helped theirlocal Catholic a c h i n e ~ ~ .One ollbe Klan' chid intcrcJts ia in education. We believethat it is the duty of government to insure to every child opporlunily to develop ill naturnl abilitieo to their utmost. We willhto go to tbe ery limit in the improvement of the public liChool;ao far U1nt there will oo '"' cxcu."" CXC'I:J>l uobhcry lor the privAteecboot..'

Furtber, tbe Kltm wiJheslo restore the Ullolt to the school, notonly because it is part or the world' J!I'OAl h ~ r i l a g e in literatureand philosophy and b.. vroloundly i n f t u c o ~ < . - e d all white civilisation, but because it is the loaoio on wh ich all Cbriotian religionsare built, and to which they must look for their authority. TheKlan believ"" In the right of each child to I'""" lor itself on theultimate authority behind the creed he i ked to adopt; it bel ie-u in preoerving to all children their right to religio\UI volition,lo fuU freedom of ehoiee. This is impcmible i f tbey are b&rftdbom lbe Bible. Weow- any . , _ , . by wbic:b any priesthood


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'lO 'l 'll t: ~ O I I T I I .UI F:H IC".\'\ l l t:\"1 1: \\k ~ : v s it .. l1ohl un J1"1.Jtr hy ~ U i P I " C ' l i i n ~ t . lti,Jin;.: ur a,tarl,lin'( t ltefuudametttMI ( hristU.n ~ ' - d a t i o n .

..rnb '"one uf the ft"&.-.ns r.,, the io\.b.n',. .tot.jn-tioo tn J.:&nx'hinl,.,., hooi.J or auy t"hurth . TI1ey ,,.ry n . : . , m ~ 1"-"("(Jnw nwn nJ:('ntiesuf rMJNIICitlltlA . Auotlter ' " i> thal iu mnny the r u r h i n ~ t ~ inthr hanI" uf aiM!nt . htt t:annot J l l ( < s s i h l ~ &mtk"taml .\mcricanimor t rain .t\m.-rinn" tQ Mti1.en!thia. In m a n ~ , (' \'tn.thc < ~ t b o o k slul\'c l ~ o t e n ~ ' pen erk"< l Ut.-l Auh. ricnui .m j , fnbiflt.'d . lislort ecland )l(lrnYttl. '111C! h:lnn would like to ~ - - nil s!uh :!CIInols,dn ... If t1u-y c:annot 1..,... aholiiJk'41, thr h.ll\u :.im'l tu l ;ring thcnt111ukr (vmt"''' ..r the ~ t h h " ' . so tt" lh elimhuht t h t " ~ t v i l ~ iuftlH'CrtliJ,tillllli' \'olitinn. nru l tu(nn."t! t lu: e m h tC t rue ,\u wricM,i!llm .fn ... U l( ' l l , i-. u .. uwntul ntlilutlt. tlu.. p u r l ~ o ~ J " ' ( ' an I tlw phut oftht " Inn h)tiAy. nullt n ; . . ' 3 i n ~ c tht" p u ~ i i H f l u( " ' " aul bt-.,.ins lu u l l 1 i n ~ < ' I M ~ . IhAt chal)tt'"' tf J J i J r , : ~ ry. a r r ' f ~ t i t ' ' " iutultranN.' n ntlJlh'ju lk-e f'U II fltirly 1,... llt lnt,i:hl. ( 'h:lr t;t'"" runeI-. on ut r JtNUtulsttN'41 uut Lt I . , . ' U . s . . ~ l . hut u( l ~ Klan an- 1Jr'f1JIItl'1'41 lo adtniltltal ...,.,,.. uf 11......, < ' ~ ~ areal k-asLJ.-rlly j u . t i f ~ l

'l1i . t k ~ " uut uw:an ltlt'f't'Jy thut tlwre are ' ' lif(Oh a net fRmatic:-8 n.M.mg UJ. '11tcrt: r t a i n l y :u-e: " e l"t!' n . i.ng l l ~ m out. but --eb.a\e " ( H I ~ k-fl. aud oUK"r"' .;u jC ...... argue with e)tilbelttonly. ~ tben,l,y 11


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THE h.'L.\1\'S FIGHT FOR MfBRICANISMintolerance is so ..,..ious nsthat of our n e m i ~ . I t s not an intolcrant-e that tries t.o prevent free speech or free assc.mbly. ThoKJan has never broken up n nti!'Cting, nor tried to clrive a speakerto cover, nor started n riot, nor attnckccl n procession or pornde,nor murdered men lor belonging to Ihe Knights of Columbus orthe B'nni B'rith.

And we deny that either bigotry or prejudice ente,.. into ourintolerance or our narrowness. lY


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~ T i l t: :'\OHTH AMEil iC.\...'\ tU: \ "l EW11oe ~ e ~ r u , thr Klan mnsidc.,. a "JJ(! a " " ' ~ tunll>lex P " ~ ....m. II i< ahi!itit; ~ great.bt- eont riiMJIO' tnUC"b to auy C"OUnlr)t - ~ h e lhH . 11tia is partir1olrlytno


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THE KLAN'S FIGHT FOR AMERICANISM itthe kind necessary for national unity. He then suggests that,iostesd, there shall be a o o n ~ r i e s of divene peoples, living to-~ t h e r in sweet harmony, and all working lor thegood of aU and ofthe nation! This solution is on a par with the optimism . .bichfoisted the melting pol on us. Di,erse rac:es never have livedtogether in such harmony; race antipathies arc too deep andstrong. U ouch a state were possible, the nation would be toodisunited lor progres.. One raee always ruled, one always must,and there will be struggle and repri. . s till the mastery i estsblished-nncl bitterness afterwards. And, speaking for us Americans, we have come to realize that il all litis could possibly bedone, still within a lew Yt"'rs we should be supplunted !Jy the"mere Ioree ol breeding" of the low stan,lard peoplt'J! . We in tend to see that the American stock remains supreme.

This is a problem which must shortly engage the hcst Americanmjnds. \Ve can neither expel. e.xterminale nor enslave theselow-standard aliens, yet their continued presence on the presentb&sis means our doom. Those 11ho know the American characterknow that if the problem is not soon solved by "isdom. it -..ill besolved by one of those attsclysmic outbursts which have so oftendisgraeed-nd saved!-the race. Our aUempt to find a sanesolution is one of the best justifications


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SO Til E XORTH A ~ l E I ! C . \ ~ llf:\' IF: \\"11tc: 1\lon t o o L . ~ . heeau!!C of the position it hn come to fill. is

ly far the l ' f o n ~ l mo,cmcnl rtoCOniQI for the ,feren ot nod (u_.fillmcnl of .\muicaniotm. IL has a memht-rship of m i l l i o n ! ~ ~ . lhesuppor1 of millitJt\S rnorc. U U1ere be :\ny truth in the l n t c r n c o lt hot tlte \'niec uf the I>


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TILE KLAN'S l 'IGIIT FOH Ai\IF.HI CAN I$ )1 :nfrom the """I of toc01bers who wish to work Ot>enly. whereby theKlan"' '" be l!Cen emerging as :U.ISOnry c.lid a ~ ' t ! n t u r y :ago.

One more charge ~ o r . l i n s t the Klan worth noting: U1nt we arel l ) ~ n g to cure prejudice by using new and stronger prejudice, toend disunity by setting up new barriers. to s p t . ~ ,\rnericanization by t.liseriminalions and issues which nre un-Amcricam. Thisis n plausible charge, if the facts alleged were true, fo r it is ~ " r t a i nthat prejudice is no cure (or prejudice, nor e to pro-mote Amcricttnism by violating its principl's.

Uut the Klnn doc not stimulate prejudice, nor lw it raisedra

evans hiram wesley - the klan's fight for americanism

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