In his entire scheme of organization and management, he has so constructed his proposition that he is master of the situation with practically unlimited power. In this particular a good illustration can be found in the contract he made with Clarke whereby the latter became the Chief Sales Manager of the membership peddlers for the whole country. This contract, while it gives Clarke the opportunity of making a vast sum of money, at the same time makes Simmons the absolute dictator of Clarke’s movements. The probabilities are that Simmons, realizing that he himself was ignorant of real organization methods, so framed this contract that he could let Clarke out at any time, and take over to himself the functions of the propagation department after he had learned the system.
The contract which brought Clarke and Mrs. Tyler into the organization reads as follows:
“State of Georgia, County of Fulton,
“This agreement, made and entered into on this the seventh day of June, A.D. 1920, by and between the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a corporation of said county, acting by its Imperial Wizard (President), W. J. Simmons, party of the first part, and Edward Young Clarke, of said county, party of the second part.
“Witnesseth, that the said party of the second part hereto having, by virtue of this agreement, been appointed Imperial Kleagle (General Superintendent of the organization department) of said first party, and it being desirable that the details of his rights, privileges, powers, duties, responsibilities, and compensation, etc., in addition to that laid down in the constitution and laws of the said corporation be definitely fixed:
“Therefore, it is agreed by the said parties hereto that this contract shall continue so long as it is mutually agreeable; that it shall remain of force and may be canceled by either party hereto without previous notice of any intention to do so.
“It is agreed that said second party may employ, subject to the approval and appointment of the said Imperial Wizard (President) of the corporation aforesaid, and subject to the right and power of said Imperial Wizard (President) to revoke all such appointments, such assistant organizers as he (the said second party) may deem necessary to properly carry out the plans for the propagation and extension of said corporation; provided, that such persons so appointed or employed be members of the said corporation in good and regular standing prior to their appointment, and that they maintain their good standing therein as an essential condition on which their appointment is made.
“It is agreed that in all things the second party shall be subordinate to the said Imperial Wizard (President), and shall attempt no plans or methods of work without the consent or approval of the said Imperial Wizard.
“It is agreed that the said second party shall receive as in full compensation and expenses of himself and his duly appointed and commissioned subordinate organizers the sum of $8.00 for each and every new member brought into the said corporation by himself and his assistant subordinate organizers, and in addition to the $8.00 he shall receive $2.00 for each new member added to all Klans organized by himself or his subordinate organizers within a period of six months after the date of the charter of all such Klans organized by himself and his subordinate organizers.
“It is agreed that no expense or debts shall be made or incurred by the said Edward Young Clarke or his subordinate organizers, and no obligation entered into with any firm, company, corporation, or person for which the said first party hereto or the said Imperial Wizard (President) shall be bound to make any outlay of or expenditure of money, unless there be a specific approval of the particular item or items of all such expenditures, prior to the incurring of same by the said Imperial Wizard (President) of the said corporation.