The Modern Ku Klux Klan Part 13

FINAL OBLIGATION

"I ---- of my own free will and accord, and in the presence of Almighty G.o.d, do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will never reveal to any one, not even a member of the Order of the * * * by any intimation, sign, symbol, word or act, or in any (_Nemo tenetur seipsum accura_) other manner whatever, any of the secrets, signs, grip, pa.s.s words, or mysteries of the Order of the * * *, or that I am a member of the same, or that I know any one who _is_ a member; and that I will abide by the Prescript and Edicts of the Order of the * * * So help me G.o.d.

"The initiating officer will then proceed to explain to the new member the character and objects of the Order, and introduce him to the mysteries and secrets of the same and shall read to him this Prescript and the Edicts thereof, or present the same to him for personal perusal.

ARTICLE VIII

AMENDMENTS

"This Prescript or any part of the Edicts thereof shall never be changed, except by a two-thirds vote of the Grand Dragons of the Realms, in convention a.s.sembled, and at which convention the Grand Wizard shall preside and be ent.i.tled to a vote. And upon the application of a majority of the Grand Dragons for that purpose, the Grand Wizard shall call and appoint the time and place for said convention, which, when a.s.sembled, shall proceed to make such modifications and amendments as it may think will promote the interest, enlarge the utility, and more thoroughly effectuate the purposes of the Order.

ARTICLE IX

INTERDICTION

"The origin, mysteries and Ritual of this Order shall never be written, but the same shall be communicated orally."

(_Deo adjuvante, non timendum_)

ARTICLE X

"EDICTS"

"1. No one shall become a member of a distant Den where there is a Den established and in operation in his own immediate vicinity; nor shall any one become a member of any Den, or of this Order in any way, after he shall have been once rejected upon application.

"2. No Den, or officer, or member, or members thereof, shall operate beyond their prescribed limits, unless invited or ordered by the proper authority to do so.

"3. No member shall be allowed to take any intoxicating spirits to any meeting of the Den; nor shall any member be allowed to attend a meeting while intoxicated; and for every appearance at a meeting in such condition he shall be fined the sum of not less than one nor more than five dollars to go into the revenue of the Order.

"4. Any member may be expelled from the Order by a majority vote of the officers and Ghouls of the Den to which he belongs; and if after such expulsion, such member shall a.s.sume any of the duties, regalia, or insignia of the Order, or in any way claim to be a member of the same, he shall be punished. His obligation of secrecy shall be as binding upon him after his expulsion as before, and for any revelation made by him thereafter he shall be held accountable in the same manner as if he were a member.

"5. Upon the expulsion of any member from the Order, the Grand Cyclops, or any officer acting in (_Spectemus agendo_) his stead, shall immediately report the same to the Grand Giant of the Province, who shall cause the fact to be made known and read in each Den of his Province, and shall transmit the same, through the proper channels, to the Grand Dragon of the Realm who shall cause it to be published to every Den in the Realm, and shall notify the Grand Dragons of contiguous Realms of the same.

"6. Every Grand Cyclops shall read, or cause to be read, this Prescript and these Edicts to his Den, at least once in every month; and shall read them to each new member when he is initiated, or present the same to him for his personal perusal.

"7. The initiation fee of this Order shall be one dollar, to be paid when the candidate is initiated and received into the Order.

"8. Dens may make such additional Edicts for their control and government as they may deem requisite and necessary, _Provided_, no Edict shall be made to conflict with any of the provisions or Edicts of this Prescript.

"9. The most profound and rigid secrecy concerning any and everything that relates to the Order shall at all times be maintained.

"10. Any member who shall reveal or betray the secrets of this Order shall suffer the supreme penalty.

ADMONITION

"Hush! thou art not to utter what I am; bethink thee, it was our covenant!

(_Nemo nos impune lacessit_)

REGISTER

I

1. Dismal 2. Mystic 3. Stormy 4. Peculiar 5. Blooming 6. Brilliant 7. Painful 8. Portentious 9. Fading 10. Melancholy 11. Glorious 12. Gloomy

II

I White, II Green, III Yellow, IV Amber, V Purple, VI Crimson, VII Emerald.

III

1. Fearful 2. Startling 3. Wonderful 4. Alarming 5. Mournful 6. Appalling 7. Hideous 8. Frightful 9. Awful 10. Horrible 11. Dreadful 12. Last

IV

c.u.mBERLAND

_Ad unum omnes_

L'ENVOI

"To the lovers of law and order, peace and justice, we send greeting; and to the shades of the venerated dead we affectionately dedicate the Order of the * * *

RESURGAMUS

(Author's note: The "register" above given, was used by the original Ku Klux Klan as a code to indicate the day and hour for meeting. The first section indicated half of the hours in the day, the second section the days of the week, and the third section the remaining twelve hours. The word "c.u.mberland" seems to have been a general code expression.)

CHAPTER XII

COMPARISON OF OLD AND NEW KLANS

Having briefly sketched the causes which led up to the organization of the original Ku Klux Klan, and to some extent the actual work accomplished by that Order, and having shown in detail the rules and regulations governing it in the form of its "Revised and Amended Prescript," we can easily see by a comparison of the old and new organizations that the claim of the latter that it is "the genuine and original Klan" is a historical fraud.

The modern system, while appropriating to itself the name, regalia, and some of the nomenclature of the original Klan, is different in conception, organization and purpose.

In certain respects the character of the two organizations is about the same. General Forrest when called before a Congressional investigating committee in 1872, stated that the Ku Klux Klan was a political-military organization with branches in every voting place in the South, and that, in addition to its work as a regulator of the peace, it was also engaged in the task of fighting the Republican Party at the polls. The modern organization states in its secret const.i.tution that it is a military organization, and a study of its oath and its literature as herein presented proves conclusively that it is also a political organization, which intends, when it develops the necessary strength, to drive from public office in the United States every Jew, Catholic, and foreign-born citizen.

The original Klan presents in its defense that it policed and enforced law in a badly demoralized country, brought order out of chaos, and protected the widow and the orphan. The new Klan has at times given out a few charities, largely for advertising purposes, and whenever this has been done has sought as much publicity as possible from its work. It has announced that it intends to protect the womanhood of the country, and one Klan in Texas has issued a warning that "husbands must spend more time with their own wives," without, however, consulting the wishes of either of the parties to ascertain if the same was agreeable. As far as has been printed in the newspapers, however, the Klan in its eagerness to protect womanhood has not discovered and punished the masked and white-robed people who stripped Mrs. Beulah Brown of her clothing at Tenasha, Tex., whipped her and covered her body with tar and feathers.