“Line after line the candidates marched in, led by a gigantic masker who bore high overhead the Fiery Cross. The candidates marched before the scrutinizing ranks of silent Klansmen. Then every man—veteran Klansmen and new-made members—bowed before the American flag and through the night boomed out the watchword of the order:
“‘All men in America must honor that flag—if we must make them honor it on their knees!’
“Then, in a blaze of sudden light, the Grand Goblin of the Realm, a towering form in white and scarlet uniform, appeared at the north end of the glade. Cheers received him. His speech was brief.
“‘America for real Americans!’ he cried. ‘Guardianship against the alien, the anarchist and all who would subvert that banner, be they white, or black or yellow!’ the voice thundered through the ranks. ‘The Ku Klux are misrepresented and vilified. Americans do not realize that they sleep on a red volcano’s edge. They sleep; they let petty politicians hold the helm; they make no preparations for the perils yet to come. The enemies of true American principles are myriad. They are organized; they plot; they scheme—they go unchallenged and unhindered.
“‘It is the place of the Ku Klux Klan to rouse the spirit of the real American and to stand guard against the evil forces that seek to stifle this mightiest of nations. Be the foes white, black or yellow; be they native traitors or alien invaders, the Klan shall form a ring of steel to throttle their every devil’s scheme. We, the Ku Klux Klan; we, the Invisible Empire, rally to aid the faltering hands of our law—and to protect our homes, our lives, our people and our nation’s future against a wave of living hell!’”
CHAPTER V
Propagation News-Letters
In order to keep the various units in touch with each other, the Propagation Department sends out each week a “News-letter” filled with extracts from reports of different workers. These letters are supposed to be read at the meetings of the Klans, and I found that they were listened to with great attention. It is quite likely that many hundreds of reports are received each week from all over the United States, and the fact that the Propagation Department selects for distribution these special extracts must indicate what the leaders wish Klansmen as a whole to believe about the movement, and what should be the objects they are to work for. It is also to be noted how well the letters reflect the extent to which the Klans have absorbed the moral and political poison of Ku Kluxism under the sugar coating of “social purity,” “one hundred per cent Americanism,” “motherhood,” and all the other et ceteras. This sugar coating is especially evident in the following extract of June 18, 1921: