The call of the North. [volume], September 21, 1923, Image 1

About The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
VOLUME I. NUMBER 9.
AUSTIN IN KLANLGHT
Okla. Governor
“Jack” Walton is as Reckless as
Bull in China Shop.
Oil State Executive Faces Impeachment and Prosecution.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—Gov
ernor “Jack” Walton is getting into
the mire of his own foolishness deep
er and deeper. That he regrets many
of his official acts during the past
month is becoming more obvious each
day, but he simply can’t find a way
out of the mess into which he has
placed himself by hasty and ill-ad
vised actions.
There is no doubt but that the
Governor is feeling himself slipping
—and slipping fast. Every day sees
the ranks of Klan supporters getting
larger. Law abiding citizens ini ever
increasing numbers are questioning
Walton’s action in calling out the Na
tional Guard units in order to en
force his recent proclamation of mar
tial law.
Governor Walton’s Wife a Catholic
It is recalled that while the gover
nor himself is not a Roman Catholic
his wife is of that faith, and it is
understood that the Walton chldren
are kept very much under the in
fluence of the church. Many see in
the prosecution a state-wide plot to
harass and oppress the Klansmen to
such an extent that the organization
will disintegrate as the result of the
governor’s policies.
“It’s a duplicate of the Mer Rouge
fiasco over in Lousiana last winter,”
is the way a leading Klansman of the
state sized up the situation. “Gov.
Parker in our neighbor state is a
Protestant with a Catholic wife. Gov.
Walton is also a Protestant and mar
ried to a Catholic woman. The two
cases have so much in common that
Protestants are becoming exceedingly
restive. The Louisiana governor did
not get anywhere with the United
States government when he attempt
ed to enlist its power and influence
against the Klan, and the people of
this state are confidently expecting
their own governor to fare likewise.”
Klan Officials See Into Propaganda
Klan officials are of the opinion
that the alleged offers of their or
ganization to strike a bargain with
the governor by disbanding in the
state if he will withdraw the troops
is just a little more Roman Catholic
propaganda hatched up for the double
purpose of allowing the governor to
withdraw from a position which is
becoming more untenable every day
and at the same time to discredit the
Klan. But if the present temper of
the people is maintained Gov. Wal
ton’s activities will also pass in judg
ment along with the Klan and the
floggers, who the governor would
convict as Klansmen rather than as
floggers.
Hot Poker Burns Governor
Newspapers in Oklahoma that
have dared to tell the truth have been
threatened by the governor, who in
sists he will institute military censor
ship. Gov. Walton tries to justify
his ultimatum to the press of his
state in a characteristically auto-
“The Call of The North’’
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THE CALL 1 me NORTH
Running Wild
cratic manner by damning the truth
as tending to “incite riot” and “cause
trouble.” The Tulsa “Tribune” had
courage enough to defy the governor
in publishing facts that the people
were entitled to know. At once the
governor jumped on the “Tribune”
and placed a military censor in its of
fice. Evidently Gov. Walton found
Czarist methods so repulsive to the
people of his state that he thought
better of hi 3 tyrannical order and
lifted the censorship with the quick
ness that a man drops a hot poker.
The Tulsa “Tribune” denies emphati
cally Governor Walton’s charges that
the newspaper has “agitated against
the state’s military investigation) of
masked activities n Tusla county.”
Any man that has stood ini the
way of a free hand program of anti-
Klan activity has been denounced and
threatened by the governor. That the
Oklahoma governor is using his posi
tion to aid in his personal fight of
antipathy toward the K. K. K. stands
out conpicuously. The governor’s
method of madness is a combination
of wild-cat, jack-ass, steam-roller and
bull-dog. Like a jungle chief of the
African wilds he seeks to crush all
that insist on justice and fair play.
Governor Jack Walton of Okla
homa will not deceive anybody by
his recent outburst of anti-Klan zeal.
It takes a bigger man than he ap
pears to be to put up a good front,
and no amount of grandstand playing
will patch the gaps in his political
fences. Behind Mr. Walton’s mar
tial law crusade the people of Okla
homa discern various ulterior mo
tives.
Many interpret his activity as just
so much cheap political flubdubbery.
It is no secret that he wants to be
United States Senator from Eastern
Oklahoma. He has admitted as
much. Using the same general meth
ods by which he was elected governor
of the state, he is now making a
political bet against the Knights of
the Ku Klux Klan. Apparently he
believes he can crush the order, lay
down a barrage of spurious issues,
create dissension among the decent
people, and unite the undesirable min
orities of the state in sufficient num
bers to win the senatorial toga. How
ever, without doubt he will fail.
Again, there are those who believe
that revenge may be one motive in
volved. It is a matter of definite
record that Jack Walton did not al
ways frown upon the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan. Indeed, there was a
time when he desired to become a
member of the order. Through ab
solutely irregular procedure, because
out of his jurisdiction and without
the required investigaton, a member
of the order—who, by the way, is no
longer a member—gave Walton the
obligation. When his petition and
check, the latter bearing a special
Rejected By Klan
“Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty”
annotation to the effect that he could
“not be active,” were sent to the Klan
of which he wished to be a member,
recognition was not granted to him.
The Klansmen in that community
knew his record as a public official as
they also knew his political affilia
tions, and they did not deem him a
desirable man for membership in the
order. That Walton should not think
altogether kindly towards the organ
ization which rejected him in this
manner is not entirely contrary to hu
man nature.
Is Camouflagng Failure
But there is an increasing num
ber of citizens in Oklahoma who sus
pect that Governor Walton’s anti-
Klan activity is but a smoke screen
behind which he hopes to obscure his
grotesque failure as the chief execu
tive of that state. Rather than de
ceiving the people, however, it is
serving to refresh their memory.
They have more or less forgotten his
jazz band election campaign and his
swashbuckling barbecued inaugura
tion, but they are thinking more ser
iously than ever of more important
matters. For example, they recall
the manner in which he threw the
state institutions of higher educa
tion into politics, and how, in the
chaos that followed, the state lflst its
outstanding educators and a “pink”
radical was appointed president of
the A. and M. College at Stillwater,
Oklahoma. It is true that when pub
lic opinion was aroused and political
pressure became somewhat acute, so
that Jack Walton found it necessary
to “get from under,” the radical ap
pointee was recalled. More recently
it has been discovered that he is
plunging the state into debt at such a
rate that it has been rumored the
legislature will refuse to O. K. his
illegal expenditures.
Pardons Criminals
By his wholesale policy of issuing
pardons and paroles to criminals Gov
ernor Walton has not only broken all
records, but he has also deeply of
fended the people’s sense of justice
and decency. But a few week ago he
paroled one Ira Williams, who had
been convicted of rape, a crime which
put his victim in her grave. On the
list of others pardoned or paroled
are a number of murderers, so that
when Mr. Walton recommends the
shooting of Klansmen he is simply
true to form. He has appeared to
believe in murder for some time.
Tulsa Situation
Mr. Walton will deceive nobody by
declaring martial law in Tulsa. The
press and the public unite in condemn
ing the action as unnecessary. There
was no rioting in Tulsa. No dis
order existed which led the civil au
thorities to ask assistance. There
was nothing to justify the method em
ployed. Mr. Walton was gunning for
the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, an
order which he knows will give no
political support to him or to any
m&n of his kind. To say that is to
say about all there is to be said.
It is interesting to note that Mr.
Walton went gunning for the Klan
ju"t as the order was sponsering a
drastic anti-flogging bill, which bill
it hopes to introduce at a special ses
sion of the Oklahoma legislature.
Attitude of the Klan
In the meantime, the position' of
the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
remains unchanged, as be seen
from the text of the following tele
gram, sent by Imperial Wizard Dr.
H. W. Evans to. an Oklahoma City
newspaper on Monday, September 10:
“Answering your telegram of even
date, the Knights of the Ku Klut
Klan are not going to nnnumk not to-
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1923
RESIDENTS COMPLAIN TO SHER
IFF OF NOISE MADE BY
ROCKETS.
Citizens in the vicinity of Little
Lake Owasso complained Monday
night of the noise rockets fired by
members of the Ku Klux Klan, stag
ing a meeting on the hills above the
lake. r i-
About 500 attended the meeting,
most of them from St. Paul as indi
cated by the route taken by the au
tomobiles leaving the scene following
adjournment, after 11 P. M. The
fiery cross was not lighted, but small
crosses around the speakers’ stand
were burning and searchlights played
over the lake and the surrounding re
gion.
When complaint came of the noise
Deputy Sheriff Conley went to the
scene and watched the proceedings
from a boat but after his arrival the
gathering was orderly and the noise
subsided.
Three weeks ago a meeting was
held at which deputies of Sheriff
Wagener’s office estimated 1,500
were present. All wore robes but
were unmasked at Monday’s meeting.
FIERY CROSS AT WASECA
COUNTY FAIR
Owatonna, Minn.—On Friday night,
September 14, a large fiery cross add
ed to the Waseca county fair attrac
tions. The appearance of the beau
tiful Klan symbol was unannounced
and unexpected. The men who put
on the special feature had no con
nection with the fair but evidently
outsiders slipped into the grounds
unnoticed and quietly arranged the
details without being seen. No one
seems to be able to gain the identity
of the “perpetrators of the terrible
outrage.” Some few seem to think
that the men who contributed so
splendidly to the fair program
“should be hung from a willow tree
by their ears.”
Just before the cross was given to
the flames a circle of Red Fire lit
the sky. A flash startled the people
who shortly saw the long fingers of
fire spread along the upright and
arms of the cross. “What does it
mean?—what does it mean?” came
from all sides. The questions stand
with answers.
THE KLAN’S ATTITUDE
TOWARD WHIPPINGS
“The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan,
as has been stated many times before,
stands unalterably opposed to law vio
lation in every way, shape or form,”
says Imperial Wizard Dr. H. W.
Evans. If Klansmen, acting as in
dividuals and in violation of the
solemn oath of their order, are found
to have participated in law violations,
so much the worse for them.
“A Klansman who volates the law
or tries to put himself above the law
by committing an act of violence is
doubly guilty. He has broken the
laws both of his state and of the
Invisible Empire and he will be doubly
punished.
“Floggers need not attempt to
shield themselves behind the power of
the Klan. The Klan has no room for
such men. It has offered substantial
rewards for arrests and convictions
in various whipping cases. They will
be paid all the more gladly if oath
volating Klansmen are proved to be
involved.”
veal the identity of their member
ship. They are going to comply with
all the laws of the state and nation.
Such is itheir sworn, duty as Klans
men; and over and above that, such
is their absolute duty as American
citizens. There will be no clash or
conflict between law and Klan, for
the Klan is always supporting, aiding
and assisting in every way possible
the enforcement of the law through
and by the regularly constituted of
ficials of the law.”
Meanwhile all fair-minded Ameri
can citizens are urged to withhold
their judgment in the matter until
the Tulsa situation is finally worked
out and made public.
Klan Stirs
Owasso
(St. Paul Dispatch.)
K-K-K
K-K-K
Klansmen Stage Big Ceremonial
In View of Thousands Assembled
to Witness Naturalization Rites
Mower County Fair Board Would Not Grant Use of Fair Grounds but
AUSTIN, Minn., Sept. 15.—Mower
County Klan with assistance of out
side Klansmen presented the beauti
ful naturalization ceremony of the
Invisible Empire, in full view of
thousands, here tonight.
When the Mower County Fair
Board denied the use of the Fair
Grounds to the Klan the K. K. K. of
ficials scouted around for a satisfac
tory place and found it about a mile
from town on the so-called Albert
Lea road at the point where a con
crete bridge spans Turtle creek. A
better place could not have been
chosen. A hollow opening at the
creek’s edge and extending as a flat
to a bluff several hundred feet be
yond the stream made a very satis
factory amphitheatre. Here the nat
uralization ceremony was given. On
the opposite shore of Turtle Creek
the people vjewed the exercises with
out getting close» enough to learn
the identity of any Klansmen.
After a forty-five minute address
by “Twilight” Orn, editor of the Call
of the North, the initiation began
promptly and moved splendidly to the
conclusion. The Hayward band pro
vided the music.
The farmer who owns the land on
which the Mower County Klan held
its meeting is to be
for his kindness and unbiased mind.
Evidently he didn’t give a snap of
his finger for the possible hatred that
might work as an organized unit
against him. Let that obvious
minority start any of its “rough stuff”
and quickly will law function effec
tively. A farmer has a most delight
ful independence which will make a
boycott §n impossibility. The Klan
haters of Austin must regret that
they can’t teach the farmer one of
their lessons a la Perth Amboy
without serious handicaps.
The foreign-minded gangsters of
Austin were conspicuous by their
quietness although showing them
selves throughout the day and eve
ning. Klansmen in regalia who
walked down the main part of town
were frequently called “gutter-rats”
by the brave “Robin Red-Breasts,”
but to the credit of the white-robed
Americans they ignored the insults.
Many Klansmen gathered in a cafe
for refreshments. Shortly a large
crowd formed in front of the cafe.
The crowd seemed to take particular
delight in “smart” remarks centered
at passing Klansmen. When Mr. Orn
came out of the cafe some comedian
sang “Twinkle, twinkle, little Twi
light. How I wonder what you Orn.”
A little scene in a cafe here reveal
ed how highly Minnesota Klansmen
regard Clark Gross, the head of the
Klan in this state. When Mr. Gross
entered the cafe with his party, a
Klansman jumped from a table and
called for cheers and with a vim all
the Klansman in the cafe—and the
place was packed with them—let go
giving fifteen big ones for “Pop.”
The following reports we take from
“outside” newspapers:
(Minneapolis Journal.)
1,000 in Robes and Hoods Gather Un
der Crosses’ Glare in Public Cere
mony Launching Minnesota Mem-
bership* Drive.
Austin, Minn., Sept. 15.—Under the
glare of blazing crosses and the eerie
light of red fire, 1,000 Ku Klux Klans
men in robes and hoods, but without
masks, gathered in a natural ampi
theater a mile west of Austin tonight
and with 20,000 spectators massed
across a little creek, initiated 400 new
members into the “Invisible Empire.”
The gathering here, which clogged
every road into Austin with automo
biles and brought robed delegations
from a score of towns and cities, was
announced by Clark F. Gross of Min
neapolis, grand dragon and King
Kleagle of the Klan in Minnesota, as
the begining of a movement to organ
ize Klans in every county of the state.
Columns of Klansmen came in late
today from Minneapolis, St. Paul,
an Ideal Place Near Austin was
Fairmont, Preston, Rushford, Roches
ter, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Zum
brota, Faribault, Pipestone, Owaton
na, Mankato, Spring Lake, Canby,
Montevideo, St. James and other
towns scattered over the state. Many
Klansmen, without robes, mingled
with the crowd that massed on one
side of the ampitheater to watch the
spectacle tonight.
Ghostly figures in white from peak
ed cap to the dragging hems of flow
ing gowns patrolled the roads about
Austin tonight in the role of traffic
police.
Thousands View Night Scene
The ceremonies started with thou
sands of spectators banked on one
hillside while the Klansmen in their
white robes were ranged on the other.
The two masses were separated bj
the creek which cuts through the lit
tle valley.
Peter J. Orn, St. Paul, editor of the
“Call of the North,” the Minnesota
Klan publication, first delivered an
address on Klan policies. At the
conclusion of this address the great
crowd of spectators, visible in the
semidarkness only in the glow of red
fire, were startled by the sudden il
lumination of the sky by three 10,000
candlepower bombs, throwing a white
light over the entire scene.
As the light was fading, massed
hundreds, Klansmen came over the
hill, their ghostly white robes relieved
by the flaming red cross on 'their
breasts. Slowly they advanced on
the platform, where Kleagle Gross
and the state ritual team stood re
splendent in silken robes of white
purple and burnt orange.
As the Klansmen reached the foot
of the incline and stood before the
platform, red fire was lighted in all
parts of the grounds, throwing a
fiery glow over the scene. A band
played the “Star Spangled Banner,”
while the Klansmen stood rigidly at
attention^
At the conclusion of the anthem
ritualistic fireworks called “Princesses
Feathers” were shot off, covering the
sky in a fan shaped figure. As this
spectacle faded, three more white
light bombs were set off, and with
this as the signal 400 or more men
appeared through a lane of Klans
men.
They were the candidates. Then
followed the ceremonial. The three
oaths required of candidates were
given by the Klokard, the Klaliff, and
the Kludd. These oaths pledge al
legiance to the Klan. As the cere
monial concluded, the candidates
knelt on the right knee and the band
played “Nearer My God to Thee,” the
three great crosses wrapped in oil
soaked gunny sacks were then light
ed, throwing a blue and white light
that could be seen for miles. Dr. W.
S. Harper, Minneapolis, national lec
turer, closed the ceremony with pray
er.
20,000 Spectators Allowed Near
Scene Where Three Crosses
Burned.
Austin, Minn., Sept. 15.—Nearly
20,000 persons assembled in a field
half a mile south of here tonight to
witness ah initiation ceremony of the
Ku Klux Klan.
Four hundred candidates were ini
tiated.. One thousand robed but not
masked Klansmeni took part in the
ceremony, headed by six state officials
of the Klan, including the King
Kleagle of St. Paul.
The Klan gathering was held on
one side of Turtle creek, near here,
and spectators were kept on the other
side of the small stream.. The pledge
of the ordef and most of the ceremon
ies were in plain view and hearing
of the vast gathering.
, -Three large crosses, each 25 fee*
h|gh, were burned and there was a
program of fire works.
P. J. “Twilight” Orn of St. Paul
of the Klan, gave a talk preceding
Red Fire Illumination
(Minneapolis Tribune)
$2.00 A YEAR. 5c A COPY
Secured.
rthe ceremony, on the organization
and its purposes and plans.
After the ceremony a collection
was taken up from the spectators for
relief of Japanese earthquake suffer
ers.
The visitors included several hun
dred klansmen from the Twin Cities
Who motored here.
K-K-K
(LAN LECTURE
IN STILLWATER
Report Current That Attempts Will be
Made to “Get” Any Klan Lec
turer Who Appears in Stillwater
—K-K-K
Stillwater, Minn. Heralds adver
tising a Klan lecture appear on the
streets here. The bills state that
“Twilight” Om will speak on the Ku
Klux Klan and that “there will be no
disappointment this time.” Some
time back the Mayor of Stillwater
stopped a Klan lecture for unknown
reasons. It is rumored that several
men of known church membership
had promised “some real stuff” if
the Klan lecturer attempted to speak
in Stillwater, which it is alleged led
to the mayor’s action.
Private property has been rented
by an official of the Klan and court
action will follow any attempt to
stop the meeting. Klansmen will be
present in numbers to fully protect
the lecturer from any possible
harm.
The Call of the North goes to press
too early to give a report of the
meeting in this issue.
—K-K-K
MARTIN COUNTY
KLAN GROWS
Large Class of Candidates Initiated
Into the Mysteries of the
Invisible Empire.
—K-K-K
Fairmont, Minn.—Men from Gra
nada, Sherbum, Ceylon, Truman and
Fairmont joined tne Ku Klux Klan
here last Monday night. An usual
large number reported for naturali
zation and greatly increased the
strength of the Martin county Klan.
Dr. W. S. Harper and “Twilight”
Orn have been very active in this
section of the state of late preaching
the gospel of Klankraft to thousands
Their appeals for a united Protestan
tism have not been made in vain.
K-K-K
FIERY GROSS AT GRANITE
—K-K-K—
--FLAMING CROSS DENOTES
KU KLUX KLAN HERE
—K-K-K—
--(Granite Falls Tribune.)
A flaming cross on the side of the
hill across the river from the north
end of Prentice street at nine-thirty
o’clock, Wednesday, denoted the or
ganization of the Ku Klux Klan in
Granite Falls according to local peo
ple in touch with Klan affairs.
The cross, about twelve feet high
and half as wide, was first noticed on
the dark hillside shortly after nine
o’clock and continued to burn until
after ten. Mystery surrounds the af
fair as no one knows who erected
the flaming symbol. However, ac
cording to those interested, the Klan
speaker who was here two weeks ago,
told his audience that when they saw
the flaming cross, it would mean that
a local organization of at least twen
ty-five members had been perfected
and that then “the wrongdoers would
fall to their knees.”
K-K-K
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