These statements are fairly good examples of the misinformation and erratic statements the “Emperor” gave the committee. He probably did not know that Ralph Pulitzer is a communicant of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and that the exposure of his political-financial scheme was no more Jewish in origin than Simmons is himself. That the circulation of the World increased 100,000 copies a day is the truth, but it was due to the fact that the American people wanted to find out the facts about Ku Kluxism, and it is significant that, in New York City, from which all this gain in circulation came, Ku Kluxism has been unable to make any progress since the exposure was made.
Among the exhibits, presented by Simmons to the Rules Committee was his secret constitution, which up to that time had been a private document. This revealed the fact that Simmons has created for himself a life-time position at a good salary. The Constitution, Article 8, Section 2, reads:
“The Imperial Wizard shall hold office for life or during good behavior. He may be removed for just cause by an unanimous vote of the Imperial Kloncilium, or after charges have been preferred and a trial upon three-fourths vote of said body in session assembled.”
This unusual section did not appear to the “Emperor” to be anything extraordinary, his comment being: “As long as the old horse is pulling well, it is no use to take him out of the harness when you have him harnessed up. He cannot do you any harm.”
Simmons modestly stated to the committee that he had no vision of turning the United States into an Empire. He stated, among other things:
“If tomorrow morning our great President Harding should resign, and all the functioning faculties of our great American Government would become instantly paralytic and if the American people should rise up and proclaim me the monarch of America, I would die before I would accept it.”
While modestly laying aside the Imperial crown, Simmons, however, placed himself in the distinguished company of Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ and George Washington, as he gave utterance to the following choice outburst:
“Julius Cæsar had his Brutus, Jesus Christ had his Judas, and our great and illustrious Washington had his Benedict Arnold. Sir, I can state to you that I can enter the fellowship of all three of those because I have suffered in my soul as a result of the treasonous and treacherous conduct of traitors. I refer to one in the beginning of my statement this morning. Right recently, those who have furnished material to the outside world and whose names have been put across the page, are one man by the name of Craven, of North Carolina; another man by the name of Fry, who hails from Tennessee; another man by the name of Wright, who hails, so far as I know, from New York. Mr. Craven was a disgruntled office seeker who tried to have me appoint him as State head of the State of North Carolina. When I had not made any appointments along that line, and had not gotten to that, I understood he was trying to get the appointment to use it for political purposes. The appointment was not made at the time he wanted it, and he sent threatening letters, and because he did not get it, or because he could not get that appointment, he became a disgruntled office seeker in this Order and proved a traitor to his sacred trust. Mr. Fry, or Captain Fry, as he is called, was in our field force. He also proved a traitor, and violated as solemn an oath as a man can take.”
Simmons admitted, in discussing his ritual that he had appropriated without any credit the immortal poem of Josiah G. Holland entitled “God Give Us Men,” but made no effort to defend himself against the charge of plagiarism, frankly stating that he had taken the poem and but slightly paraphrased it.
The climax of Simmons testimony was a highly theatrical and emotional “break down,” which some observers have declared to have been deliberately staged for the effect it produced, although Simmons claims that it was caused by an illness from which he was suffering at the time. After concluding his long-winded statements and verbose testimony he turned to the committee and cried: