“At eight o’clock one hundred Klansmen in robes marched down the main street to the park. They carried banners, the first about the head of the procession, bearing the inscription, ‘The Invisible Empire, here yesterday, here today, here forever.’ The second banner about the middle of the procession stated, ‘Rockmart Must Be Clean for Our Mothers, for Our Wives, for Our Daughters—The Guilty Must Pay.’ Then came the third and last banner reading, ‘White Supremacy,’ and on the reverse side, ‘Grafters, Gamblers and Thieves Must Go.’ There were about twelve hundred gathered around the speakers’ stand and the old citizens say it was about the biggest gathering ever held in Rockmart.
“The meeting was opened with singing ‘My Country, ’Tis of Thee,’ by the entire gathering. This was followed by prayer led by Rev. F. J. Mashburn. Then the Reverend Mashburn made the introductory speech, in which he paid his respect to those who tried to dissuade him from having anything to do with the meeting. Doctor Mashburn paid eloquent tribute to the men in robes. He said that his father was one of the members of the original Ku Klux Klan and that he felt he had been singularly honored when requested to introduce the chief speaker of the evening, Col. J. Q. Nolan of Atlanta. Colonel Nolan followed Doctor Mashburn with an eloquent address, in which he clearly and forcefully explained the aims and purposes of the order. His hold on the audience was absolute and he was frequently interrupted with applause. His tribute to motherhood was one of the sublimest word paintings ever uttered. On the platform with the speakers were Hon. J. A. Fambro, mayor of Rockmart, members of the City Council and two members of the Klan.”
In another letter from an Exalted Cyclops the sugar coating has largely disappeared. The author has lost sight of the small town “purity” reflected in the above letter, but feels that he will soon be called upon to march as a crusader against the foe. He writes:
“Long live the Klan and those noble spirits who are inculcating its creed into the hearts of slumbering America! This organization happened just at the right psychological time; a little later perhaps would have been too late; it stepped into the breach at the proper moment and no other kind of organization on earth could have possibly met the issue. You know and I know and every other thinking man realizes and will admit the perils that menace this republic of ours. The trouble is, too few people are given to thinking—people nowadays are educated to every damn thing under the sun except think. It is up to us to fill the void and I believe we can put the world to thinking. It is not only the thinking man’s duty to think, but to have the moral courage to teach. In due course of time I feel no doubt but that the influence of this Invisible Empire of thinkers will be reflected in the destiny of this nation. I am a Mason, a Rotarian and several other things, all of which I am proud, but first of all I am proudest of the fact that I am a native-born, white Gentile Klansman. What kind of country would this be with no lines drawn between the Caucasian blood and the African race? It is too awful to contemplate. I solemnly believe that we are facing another crisis in our history; it is slowly, gradually, inevitably and surely approaching. The foreign political and labor class fanatic; the negro; the Jap and Romanism are threatening, if I can read the signs of the times. The new, the reincarnated Ku Klux Klan is, as I understand it, dedicated to the proposition of saving our flag and forever maintaining this government as a white man’s government. No nobler or grander cause was ever espoused by the brain and heart of man.”
“Emperor” Simmons claims that the “Invisible Empire” is increasing at the rate of five thousand a week, and several extracts from the “News-letters” might seem to prove his point; if not that they might serve the purpose of the leaders of inspiring members to believe that they have the honor of belonging to the great national movement of the century.
In the weekly “News-letter,” dated May 13, 1921, the Exalted Cyclops, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, writes:
“You gentlemen at headquarters will probably be pleased to know what rapid strides the K. K. K. is making in this State. It is sweeping Mississippi like wildfire. We are in hopes of having five hundred members in our Klan by September 1, 1921. When we get our Klan up to one thousand members we have perfected a scheme whereby, while we will retain only one Klan here in Warren County, we will have all the members from each separate district meet once a week and then have a general meeting for the whole Klan each month, as it will be too unwieldy to have such a large body meet frequently. You can readily appreciate this when at our first meeting, when we had one hundred and twenty-five charter members, we had thirty-five automobiles in the grounds of our meeting place in the country.
“The reason why everybody here has taken so keenly to the Klan is due to the fact that years ago the Jews and Roman Catholics formed a liaison with the liquor interests and have had politics in this city throttled, and it is our intention to whip and rout them at the polls when the next election comes around in 1922. We intend to put these un-American elements out of office precisely as other communities have done.”
The following letter from Grand Goblin Crippen, of St. Louis is of interest:
“I am glad to report that word comes from the Realm of Kansas that a Ku Klux flying squadron has been formed in that State, and I would also advise that several Klansmen are getting together a large group of musicians who, they claim, will constitute one of the largest and best brass bands in America, to be known as the Ku Klux Band.”