George Alfred Brown

“ What a difference a half hour may make in one's spirits! How quickly the sunshine can vanish and darkness envelope us! Harold wondered whether or not Ruth really cared a great deal for Golter. He couldn't understand how a girl with the ideals and good sense that Ruth possessed could care very much for a snob like Golter. ”

“ The following morning at the breakfast table in the Babcock home Mr. Babcock remarked, "You know that the more I see of that Mr. King the more favorably I am impressed with him. He strikes me as a man who has good stuff in him."
"Looks to me like he's kind of run-down at the heel—as mother used to say," said Aunt Clara. "He sure isn't prosperous looking like that Mr. Golter. In this day and age it's mighty essential that a man have money or a good income when he gets married or his wife can't have a place of any consequence in society."
Ruth blushed but made no reply. ”

“ Ruth, you know that hatred and prejudice will cause people to make bitter accusations which they cannot prove and which have no basis in fact. Enrolled as members of the Klan are ministers, lawyers, judges, congressmen, governors. Do you believe that officers who have taken an oath to support the government and enforce its laws and who have always been law-abiding citizens would become and remain members of an outlaw organization? I tell you, Ruth, the Klan is composed of many of the best citizens and its purpose is to uphold and enforce law—not to violate it. ”

“ McBryan, I have no objections to your believing in the infallibility of the popes if you want to. The Klan does not object to any religious belief. It stands for the worship of God according to the dictates of conscience, and will protect Catholics as well as Protestants in such worship. What the Klan does oppose, and what every American should oppose, is the exercise of civil power by the Church. Whenever any church, Catholic or Protestant, attempts to gain control of the affairs of state they will find solid opposition from the Klan. ”

“ You talk about men hiding behind masks and you hide behind iron bars when your opponent stands before you unmasked. You dirty cur, how can you have the face to talk about cowards and at the same time try to whip me over the shoulders of a defenseless girl?"
"I'll not talk to you any longer; my time is valuable." He turned away from the window as Harold said, "Stover, I warn you from now on to keep your dirty tongue off Ruth Babcock." Without replying, Stover went into his private office and closed and bolted the door after him. ”

“ It must be a strange religious conscience that will permit one to hypocritically take the obligations of a patriotic and benevolent organization for the purpose of assisting the church of his choice. The information you furnished was of value only to law violators and designing politicians, and could not possibly be of any value to a church that has no other motives than to spread the religion of Jesus Christ. ”

“ I feel confident that no one who has taken the sacred and binding obligation of a Klansman took part in that affair, yet it is going to hurt the organization. Let me remind each of you that the mask is only to be worn in regular Klan ceremonies, when in peaceful parades and when doing charitable deeds. It may be that occasionally some misinformed, or misguided Klansman may think it his duty to check some unlawful act by the commission of some other unlawful act. We cannot expect three million men all to keep implicitly the rules of the organization. ”

“ I want you men to see just how reasonable or unreasonable this argument of our friend Springer is. He says that the Klan should be disorganized because it stirs up bitter opposition. If this argument is good then the Christian Church should have been disorganized in the first centuries, as it was bitterly opposed by the pagans and the Roman government. Christians were burned at the stake and made to fight with wild beasts in the arena. The Masonic order should have been abolished in the days of its youth if Springer's argument is good, for certainly the Masonic order stirred up opposition. ”

“ He didn't blame her for accepting the attentions of someone who had an income sufficient to take her out in public and properly entertain her, one who had a right to entertain thoughts of love and matrimony—but he didn't like this man Golter and wished that she would not keep company with him. Golter was a snob and in no sense a man that appealed to men, but deep down in his heart Harold knew that he would be unhappy to see Ruth escorted by any man. If he wasn't so poverty stricken he wouldn't stand back for anyone. ”

“ Harold whirled around and faced the Jew, his face flushed and an angry light flashed from his eyes. He felt a strong desire to knock him down, but he controlled himself, and looking the little Jew straight in the eye, said, "Goldberg, I know this girl, and there isn't any man or group of men who could bribe her to make an affidavit to an untruth, and I warn you that you better not make a statement of that kind in my presence again or where it reaches me." ”

“ Harold King's heart was singing a joyful melody as he went to the home of his friend, Ruth Babcock. He was happy because he had a chance at a big job. He felt more efficient because he was wearing a neat suit of clothes. There is a psychological value in clothes. A man who is poorly and shabbily clad may be ever so brilliant and honorable a man, but the shabby clothes detract from his confidence and power.
When Harold reached the Babcock home he was met at the door by Aunt Clara who informed him that Miss Ruth had gone to Zala with Mr. Golter. ”

“ A man came to me and told me that he thought that if the Klan would give his uncle a right good whipping it might improve his conduct. It isn't strange that so many people have this mistaken idea of the mission of the Klan. The newspapers have printed so much of alleged threats and punishments by Klans that many have believed them. The Klan is not a punitive organization except as it assists officers in the enforcement of the law by furnishing evidence and giving the officers its moral support. If this young man positively refuses to marry you, of course, you have recourse in the courts. ”

“ The Klan does not fight any church nor does it persecute anyone for their religious opinions. Quite the contrary. Members of the Klan are obligated to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not part of the Constitution, but every article and clause. As you know, one of the fundamental principles of Americanism is religious toleration. The first amendment to the Constitution provides that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. ”

“ Aunt Clara had made up her mind that the Klan was an undesirable organization, and when she had once made up her mind to anything, like many other folk, she was hard to change. "Members of the Klan wouldn't vote for Catholics for office, would they?" she asked.
"It's the privilege of every American citizen to cast his ballot as he sees fit, and he should always vote for what he believes to be the best interests of the public. ”

“ I feel that I do not deserve all that, Harold. My father deserves a great deal of credit for whatever views of life I have that enable me to appraise people by a better standard than bank accounts, automobiles, clothes, painted faces, and dance steps. He has always laid great stress on the value of character. ”

“ When you get a job, no matter how little it is, do your best and some day the big jobs will be running after you." Harold was inclined to question this philosophy, but nevertheless it encouraged him somewhat.
Ruth Babcock had had a large place in his thoughts since he had met her two years before. He admired her and was sure if he would allow himself to he would love her—but what right did he have to allow himself to fall in love with a girl when he couldn't properly provide for his own needs!
He had felt bitter pangs of jealousy when he had seen Ruth with Golter. ”

“ Here's Thompson, who has a big personal following, and Hennesy, who has a lot of good patrons whom he can control, Springer furnishes the publicity and shapes the opinions of the general public and McBryan represents the Catholic vote. We have a real lineup. They can't beat it," remarked Stover, rubbing his skinny hands together and smiling one of those hungry smiles of the avaricious before devouring a meal.
"We need a good lineup," said Springer, "the insurgents are going to make a desperate effort to control the election and have put up a strong man for mayor." ”

“ Pope Pius IX said, 'Education outside the Catholic Church is damnable heresy.' Cardinal Gibbons refers to our system of public schools as 'A vicious system of education that undermines the religion of youth.' Cardinal McCrosky says, 'We must take part in the elections, move in solid masses in every state, against the party pledged to sustain the integrity of the public schools.' I do not think it's necessary to quote more of the statements of your leaders. Do you wonder that some of us believe that the public schools would not fare well in the hands of Catholics? ”

“ These leaders went to work at once to elect their candidates. Rastus Jones was the colored janitor of the Wilford Springs Central State Bank. He was a good janitor and prided himself on the fact that he was the janitor of the "biggest bank in Wilford Springs." Like most members of his race, he was superstitious and possessed an imagination that became very active under the stimulus of fear.
"Rastus," said Stover as the janitor was straightening things in his office, "what do you think of the race for mayor?"
"Law, Mistah Stover, I don't know much about elections. I ain't no politician." ”

“ No Catholic, on the contrary, claims that the pope is inspired or endowed with Divine revelation properly so called.' Now if they are not inspired I would like to know just how they are infallible in judgment. The experience of humanity goes to show that the human mind is fallible and prone to error and that the election to an office, be it political or ecclesiastical, does not change the nature of his judgments."
"I can't explain it but I believe it." McBryan spoke with positiveness.
"All Roman Catholics believe that the pope is infallible, don't they, McBryan?" asked Wilson. ”

“ On the way home Harold said, "Now, Ruth, I can tell you the wishes; the other one has come true. I wished that I might be able to help your father secure the money that had been stolen from him, and I think you can guess what the other was."
"It must have been that you would get to Zala without having any engine trouble or puncturing a tire," she said, laughing.
"You are very dense, my darling, my wife," he said, as he put his arm around her and kissed her.
"Now be careful. You can't drive with one hand. You will run the car into the ditch," she cautioned. ”

“ The Constitution says that no religious test shall be required for office holding. That certainly does not mean that one may not vote against a man because of a religious opinion if he so desires. If Congress were to pass a law requiring all office holders to be Baptists, that would be a religious test for office holding."
Wilson, who was a Baptist, reached over and slapped the minister on the leg and laughingly said, "That would be fine."
"Why do you not permit Catholics to join the Klan?"
"I might ask you why the Knights of Columbus do not permit Protestants to join that organization." ”

“ Father Vaughn says: 'The tide of immigration is a Catholic one. And it is more: it is from these Catholic immigrants settling in the states, that teeming generations are to come condemning by their overwhelming numbers the sterility of the old American settlers.' Patrick, I am satisfied that if this organization is not put down we will never be able to repeal the eighteenth amendment. In the cities where the Klan has become strong our men have been voted out of city offices and our teachers have been removed from the teaching forces of city schools. ”

“ Governor Slydell, smarting under the defeat of his candidate for governor, was only too glad to act on the suggestion of Stover and McMichael. An ouster suit was filed in the Supreme Court and an inquisition, the first of a series, was arranged to be held in Wilford Springs the following week.
When the day for the inquisition at Wilford Springs came, a large crowd packed the court room. The interest was like to that of the old Roman populace when they assembled at the arena to witness the throwing of some Christian or enemy of Caesar to the wild beasts. ”

“ Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. ”

“ I do not doubt that you do believe in the value of the public schools, and undoubtedly there are many other Catholics who think as you do, but what system of education does your church as a church encourage? ”

“ There are some Protestant ministers who are guilty of immorality, but when it is discovered that a Protestant minister has gone wrong he is expelled from the ministry. A big difference between the relation of a Protestant minister and his congregation and the pope and the Catholic church is that Protestants do not hold their ministers or any ecclesiastic to be infallible, while the Catholics do hold the pope to be infallible. ”

“ Miss Babcock, do you know that in all probability Uncle Jim is the wealthiest man in Wilford Springs?"
"I know that Mr. Stover is very wealthy and I have lots of confidence in both his honesty and ability. Speaking of what he said about educated people lacking practical knowledge, I have often heard my father refer to their inability to make money. He said that one reason so many educated men were poor was due to the fact that many of them spent the best years of their lives in lines of work where there were no opportunities to make money. ”

“ Do you suppose the citizens of these Catholic countries, with their high per cent of illiteracy, are more kind, honest, industrious, and law-abiding than the people of the Protestant nations, where there is a lower per cent of illiteracy? ”

“ The Ku Klux Klan was not only for the purpose of preserving order, but to control the political situation as well and keep ignorant negroes from office. It was claimed that while it seemed necessary to establish law and order at that time through an organization outside of the officers, since these were mostly carpet-baggers and negroes during the reconstruction period, there were many cases of abuses, such as whippings for minor offenses and occasionally someone even punished who was not guilty of any offense."
"It's dangerous for people to take the law into their own hands," said Aunt Clara. ”