Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 13 October 1922 — Page 1

THE ONLY DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPER IN DELAWARE COUNTY

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THE MUNCIE POST-DEMOCRA

VOL. 2, NUMBER 37

MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1922

SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE

Congressman Chandler flays Bigots in Speech Before Congress

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In Powerful Address New York Republication Representative, Himself a Protestant, Denounces Ku-Klux-Klan and Upholds American Catholics

Washington, D. C.—In one of the most complete exposures of the virulence, ignorance, and malice of the anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish political and publicity campaigns now being waged in the United States ever delivered in Congress. Walter M. Chandler, of New York, himself a Protestant, in a speech before the house of representatives on September 21. singled out Gilbert 0. Nations, editor of “The Protestant” for special castigation, declaring him to be a liar, a hypocrite, and a foe to true American principles of justice and tolerance. Mr. Chandler began by quoting from President Harding’s speech delivered befox-e the Calvary Baptist Church of Washington a few months ago, in which the President said: “There is no relationship here between church and state. Religious liberty has its unalterable place, along with civil and human liberty, in the very foundation! of the Erepublifx. Therein is shown the far-seeing vision of the immortal founders, and we are a better people and a better Republic because there is that freedom. “I fear it is forgotten sometimes. In the experiences 'of a year in the Presidency there has come to me no other such unwelcome impression as the manifest religious intolerance which exists among many of our citizens. I hold it to be a menace to the very liberties we boast and cherish.” President’s Fears Justified That President Harding’s fears and anxieties are entertained by many members of Congress, and that at no period since the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence has the menace to religious freedom been so great as it is today, were facts that should be known by all, Mr. Chandler went on to say. He continued, in paid as follows: “The propaganda of prejudice and persecution now in progress in the United States is sometimes open and sometimes insidious, but is always aggressive and perpetually malignant. At times we hear its utterances from the pulpit or from the political rostrum, at times we get it through the press or read it in books and pamphlets, and again it conceals itself in Ku Klux garb of mask and gown and does its dirty and destructive work in mob action under the cover of night. “The leaders and champions of this un-American propaganda are almost without exception designing and unscrupulous men whose motives are mean and mercenary and whose bank accounts appeal more powerfully to them than do the guaranties of religious freedom in the Constitution of their country. Its votaries and victim are generally the most ignorant, narrowminded, and lawless of our countrymen.”

At this point, Mr. Chandler denounced a vicious Texas organ, now defunct, misnamed “Pure Democracy,” edited by Donald B. Allen, who is still carrying on his bigoted promotion work, and then turned his attention to Gilbert O. Nations and the “Protestant.” After saying that hitherto he had treated the flood of anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish propaganda now pouring in upon Congressmen and Senators with silent contempt; Mr. Chandler continued: “Rome In Congress. “But x’ecently I received a pamphlet, sent by whom I do not know, that mentions me personally, makes charges against me, and threatens me with political punishment. The impudent and belligerent character of the booklet challenges my serious consideration, all the more so since *t contains a charge and a thi’eat. “This pamphlet is entitled, “Rome in Congress,” and was prepared by one Gilbert Nations, who describes himself as a ‘Ph.D.” This gentleman seems to be the editor and publisher of a monthly magazine entitled “The Protestant,’’with, offices at 639 I’ Street, N.' W. Washington, D. C. This magazine is a violent anti-Ro-man Catholic publiratloo, and is' about a year and a half old. “In order to acquaint myself thoroughly with the views of Mr. Nations, and to determine how much consideration he and his magazine deserved, I sent to the Congressional Literary and secured all back numbers of the Protestant. I have spent nearly a week, at odd moments, examining them. I find that they contain an amazing amount of literary trash and rubbish, and that their pages are filled with ludicrous citations from canon and other laws and with grotesque references to literary rVorks that have not the remotest connection with the Subject discussed or the thesis proposed. A perusal of the magazine convinces the reader that the editor of the Protestant is a literary paranoiac with a strong propensity to mendacity and a distinct predilection for hypocrisy. “Nearly every issue of this ixia°*azine from the first to the last publication devotes considerable space to an appeal for subscribers and a cry for financial h°lp. In more issues than one the alarm , is given that the ship is about to sink and that the lifo_ boats, are being .made ready to be lowered. Throughout the publication are strong suggestions of strained financial circumstances as well as mental and moral bankruptcy, and from the whole enterprise we feel justified in concluding that the author of the Protestant has prostituted his meager talents not for love of Prdtentant%sm or solicitude for the Republic and its free institutions, but rather from a sordid desire for mercenary gain.

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HE’S A POET, TOO London—S P. Vivian, who, as Reg-istrar-General has. shattered many a romance by his mai’riage rules, is a poet of considerable distinction. London — Coroners’ statistics show suicides are steadily increasing.

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The motto, watchword, or slogan of the great patriotic, one hundred percent American society which has set itself ❖ up to be the national watchdog of the public school system, * is “Non Silba Sed Anthar ” $ This, we will say, is a rather imposing assortment of incomprehensible names. All of the literature of the Ku Klux klan is adorned with this inscription. No parade is regarded as being complete unless some sheeted comedian carries aloft a banner on which are blazoned forth these mystic words. The “Fiery Cross,” speaking for the God-given men who v/ear masks, and prowl around at night, carries at its masthead this inspiring combination of foreign looking words. ^ Below the phrase it carries the interpretation (save the ❖ mark) of the word puzzle. f Translated, according to the “Fiery Cross”, “Non Silba % Sed Anthar” means, in United Staes, “Not for Self, but for J Others.” * We have made a careful analysis of this high soundingjumble of words and have come to the conclusion that its author, the mighty Emperor Joe Simmons, and his subjects, the citizens of the invisible empire, would be more impressive in their public pronouncements if they had spent a few week in the public schools to which they are so passionately devoted. The words “non” and “sed” are good old Latin, all right, but where in the name of all that is imperial or invisible *do “silba” and “anthar” come in? There are no such words in the Latin tongue or in the tongue of any other language, dead or alive, yet the imperial palace and the Fiery Cross cheerfully translated “silba” into “self” and “anthar” into “others” and trust to the ignorance of the klucker dumbbells to overlook the grotesque lingual fake. In order to stir the metal processes of a society which revels in hog Latin and high sounding, meaningless phrases; the Post-Democrat will offer a ten case note to any Klucker in America, from Harry Hoffman to the Atlanta emperor, who will translate “Non Silba Sed Anthar” into English and submit proof of the derivation of the phrase from any known language in existence. Here is a chance for the godly men who fear that the education of the nation is in jeopardy to get at the root of a little of he bunk that is being fed to them by an ignorant old grafter who sits supreme in the imperial palace in Ata little of the bunk that is being fed to them by an ignorant gymnastics which put to shame the very ablest performances of Brother Gardner and his justly celebrated Lime Kiln

Club.

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MAYOR QUICK SURRENDERS TO THE KU KLUX The abject and pitiful surrender of Mayor Quick to the Ku Klux klan by his act of removing E. E. Rosenthal and John Collins from the board of safety and restoring Van Benbow to the position of chief of police after the board of safety had fired him and the advice of the mayor, has convinced the people of Muncie that the mayor is a weak brother, a joke of the first water, wholly unfit to sit as chief executive of a town the

size of Shideler, much less a live, wide-awake city like-Muneie.

The safety board met early last week and over the protest of Charles Fisher, secretary of the board, Collins and Rosenthal officially removed Van Benbow as chief of police. Mayor Quick backed up the board by making a personal request for the immediate resignation of Benbow. The mayor then packed his grip and went to South Bend

to attend a meeting of city officials from various cities in Indiana.

Then the republican members of the council who recently ordered the mayor to fire certain police officials on pain of impeachment, got busy. The Ku Klux also got busy and as a result of their joint activities a committee called on Mayor Quick at South Bend just after he bad finished making a speech to Indiana city officials telling them how he runs Muncie, and he was given his orders to come home, fire Rosenthal and Collins and keep

Benbow on the job.

The mayor came home Friday night and that evening a great meeting of Ku Klux was held in Campbell’s auditorium where the kluckers agreed that they would bring impeachment proceedings at once against the mayor, through the klucker republican council-

men.

Late Friday night many automobiles, all driven by klansmen who had been in attendance at the Campbell auditorium secret meeting, were employed to scatter handbills all over the city calling for an indignation meeting to be held in the court yard Saturday night. Petitions were also put in circulation Saturday morning calling on the council to begin impeachment proceedings against Mayo ”, Quick. The petitions were circulated by klansmen,' who were intent upon bluffing th ' mayor into rescinding his act of removing Chief Benbow, the klucker’s friend. In the meantime the “committee of three” of the council, Frank Budd, F. L. Botkin and Ed Elliott had planted the seeds of feaT in the tremulous heart of the feeble “executive” by the presentation of their celebrat ed manifesto, in which they gave the mayor twenty four hours to accede to their demand'', which were identically the same demands which were made previously by the Ku Klu * klan. To the infantile and confused mind of t^ e man who still has the temerity to call himself the mayor of Muncie, this idiotic t gm pest ki a teapot sounded louder than the guns of the battle of the Marne. He fell at the first fusillade of blank cartridges and agreed to do anything in the world that the Ku Klux or anybody else wot 'T tell him to do, provided they told him quickly in order that he might obey orders without the slightest delay. He was told to get rid of Rosenthal and Collins at once and he did so. Then, in childish contrition over this monstrous act of treachery to two men who had stood by him through thick and thin, he voluntarily signed a statement declaring that their act of tiring Benbow was in accord with his wishe i and that Benbow was unfit to be chief of police and could not be true to his oath of oTce because of his friendship toward a “certain class of citizens,” meaning the Ku Klux klan. In his signed and published statement this childish m;stit offuial declared that he, himself, had demanded the resignation of Benbow for the reason mentioned. His next move was to appoint three meu on the board of safety who had already been selected to take the places of Rosenthak Collins and Fisher, the latter having been unexpectedly double crossed by his own con N derates and sent to the discard along with Rosenthal and Collins. This story would be complete, and would lack its most important chapter, without a disclosure ol the plot engineered two week ; ago to impeach the mayor after he had tailed to give the “committee of three” an answer” inside of twenty four hours.” Eight republican members of the city co nicil were all set for the impeachment. It required nine, or two thirds of the fetal- successfully impeach. The plotters were one shy and they moved heaven and earth to secure the ninth member. tT* 16 f° ur democratic members and one republican councilman held a secret meeting in the country and made a solemn and binding agreement that they would stick together and frustrate the plans of the plotters. This information was conveyed to Mayor Quick and he was given the assurance that he had nothing to fear from the committee of three and the other councilmen they represented. Imagine the chagrin and disgust of thse five men, who had formed an ironclad alliance for the purpose of protecting the mayjr from his enemies, when they learned that he had deserted them and gone over to the enemy, preferring dishonor and the stigma of disloyalty and untrustworthiness to the wrath of the klan and of the councilmen who had threatened to take his job away from them. And that is only part of the story. The four democratic councilmen, upon learning of the dismissal of John Collins, the demozratic member of the board of safety, waited on the mayor in a body and suggested to him that in the light of their devotion to him at a time when eight of the nine republican members of the council were seeking to oust him, it would only be right if he would permit them to recommend a democrat to take the place of Mr. Collins. The mayor at once agreed to their proposal and when they recommended the name of A1 Bingham he stated that he would appoint him at once. The next day they were astounded to read in the Star that another man had be-an given the minority appoint-

ment.

The democratic councilmen again ■ visited Mayor Quick with the demand that he explain himself, which he did, fully, his explanation being one which should bring the blush of shame to every citizen of any political belief, as he realizes it was made by the man who was elected, by a great majority, to administer the affairs of Muncie as the chief executive of the city. Confronted by his indefensible treachery and failure to keep his word, as honorable men are supposed to do, he answered that “they” would not stand for it. Pressed concerning “they” the mayor admitted that the very republican councilmen who had sought to impeach him, the same men from whose vindictive wrath the four democrats had saved him, were the “they” that had refused to allow him to name the man the four democrats had proposed! Then, in a burst of garrulous confidence, the mayor, having confessed that his actions were being absolutely controlled and ordered by others, and that he had completely surrendered his last vestige of self respect under pressure of threats, coercion and bullyragging bluffs on the part of the Ku Klux and inferior city officials, made an astounding statement, which ought to be good news to the three new members of the board of safe-

ty.

The mayor told them, without batting a n eye, that an arrangement had been made whereby the new board of safety was to l 0 ok to the “committee of three,” Councilmen Budd, Botkin and Elliott, for their orders. H e stated that if the board of safety obeyed the orders of this mighty trio everything Would run smoothly in the city administration. This ought to be an interesting bit of news to Messrs. J. L. Kimbrough, Will White and E. W. Barrett, the newly appointed members of the board of safety. It is presumed that the mayor, who acted as the rubber stamp in notifying these gentlemen of their appointment, failed to m mention to them at the time that the “Committee of Three” (sounds like the Paris commune, doesn’t it) is to have the final voice in matters pertaining to the police department. Probably the mayor thought it would be better to slip it to them a little later. At any rate, they ought to know where they stand and what will happen to them if they refuse to obey the orgers of the secret tribunal. Of course the new board will balk on taking orders from such a grotesque source, and then the mayor will promptly fire them, for at the very first refusal to obey the committee of three will put the squeeze on the mayor again and threaten him with another gob of impeachment. Taking it all around, the new safety board have launched upon a pleasant voyage with a captain who is afraid of the cars, and who is liable at any time to take a crazy notion and sink the ship with all hands on board. Of course the committee of three, who are to rule Muncie hereafter in the absence of a mayor with guts, have got things sewed up about right, and the Ku Klux ought to have everything their own way. And in the meantime, we hesitate, after all to say some of the harsh things that come in our mind to say about a mayor who would sink so low as to cower obediently before the lash of a lawless organization. There must be some other explanation other than that of pure cowardice, inefficiency and disloyalty to friends. What is wrong with mayor? The mayor is the only man who knows, absolutely, what is wrong. Others suspect; but whatever it is, the lives and liberties of the citizens of Muncie are too precious for the vagaries of an irresponsible executive to menace them much longer.

Parley on Sacred Rite of Baptism Takes Prominent Part m Initiation of Candidates in Kn Klux Klan

The Post-Democrat promised last week that it would this week make public and expose the initiatory work of the Ku Klux klan, that mysterious order which is supposed to keep from the outside world its carefully guarded secrets. To use the words of the Dayton News, in its expose of the vicious organization, “It remains only to reveal the full moral and spiritual outlook of the man (Wizard Simmons) by showing how, in the secret lodge work of Ku Kluxism, Inc., he has not hesitated to parody that ceremony of baptism, which, to every Christian, of whatever sect or creed, is a sacred and holy rite, and a sacrament of Divine ordination.” When a candidate for passage through the “portals of the Invisible Umpire” bias “satisfactorily” declared that he is native born, white, Gentile and Protestant, and therefore able to join heartily in the Klan’s hymn of hate against nil aliens, naturalized citizems, colored people, Japanese, Chinese, Jews and Roman Catholics, he is ready for “naturalization,” and by the Kladd, or “Conductor” of the klan,after taking- the first two sections of the quadruple oath of the order, is led into the presence of the white-hooded and white-robed Klansmen. “What if one of your party should prove a traitor?” asks the outer guard as the Kladd enters with his candidates. “He would be immediately banished in disgrace from the Invisible Empire without fear or favor, conscience would tcnacio (fiy torment him, remorse would repeatedly revile him, and direful things would befall him.” “Does he know all this,” asks the masked guard. “AH this he now knows,” answers the masked Kladd. “He has heard and he must heed.” After this the countersign is given, and the candidates are led into the place of assemblage, where the masked Klansmen are massed, with the “siacred altar” prepared with flag, Bible opened at the Twelf **. chapter of Romans, dagger and bottle of water iholy klan liquid from the Chattahoochie river, ten dollars a quart,) and the “fiery cross” furnishing the only ligffit. Then, in the “long form of the ceremony, follows a protracted perambulation of the group of candidates around the altar and between double ranks of masked and silent Klansmen, with several stops at designated points to be H rangued by various “Terrors” or station officers in completest Simmonsese, including the recitation of Josiah Gilbert Holland’s poem, “Wantfied” plagiarized by Simmons and incorporated in his book, the “Kloran,” and passed off on his suckers as his own poem, a cir-

cumstance which we will go into more fully at a later date. Following this, the candidates are warned again, this time by the presiding officer of the assemblage, who may be the Exalted Cyclops, or Klan president; a Kleagle, or some more exalted official. “This,” they are told, while the silent Klansmen peer at them through the slits in their hoods, “is a serious undertaking. We are not here to make sport of you nor indulge in the silly frivolity of circus clowns Be you well assured that he that ptttteth his hands to the plough and looketh back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven’ or worthy of the high honor of citizenship in the Invisible Empire or the fervent fellowship of Klansmen. Don’t deceive yourselves; you cannot deceive us and we will not be mocked. Do you wish to retire?” Next the third and fourth sections of the oath are administered by Klaliff and Kludd, or vice president and chaplain, and the stage is set for the parody on the sacrament of baptism. But first a death threat is uttered. “Sirs,” says the masked presiding officer to the candidate “have you assumed without mental reservation your oath of allegiance to the Invisible Empire? Mortal man cannot assume a more binding oath; character and courage alone will enable you to keep it. Always remember that to keep this oath means to you honor, happiness and life: but t 0 violate it means disgrace, efsI;V-nor and death. May honor, happiivss and life be yours.” Then the ollieer picks up the water bottle from the altar and says to the candidates: “With this transparent, life-giv-powerful, God-given fluid, more precious and far imoja significant than> all the sacred oils of the ancients, I set you apart from the men of your daily association to the great and honorable task you have voluntarily allotted yourselves as citizens of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. * * * You will kneel upon your right knee.” ' Jr.'st -here, accoffdi'ng to the interpolated stage directions, the following stanza must be sung in a low, soft, but distinct voice, preferably by a quartet: (Time—“Just; as I am Without One Pica.”) io Thee, oh, God! I call to Thee—• True to my oath, oh, help me be! I’ve pledged my love, my blood, my all; Oh. give me grace that I not fall. “Sirs,” says the dedicating officer, “’Neath the uplifted fiery cross which by its holy light looks down upon you to bless with its sacred traditions of the past— (Continued on Page 2)

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Ku Klux Character Assassins At Work The watchful critics of the Post-Democrat last week circulated a double barreled bit of slander concerning; the editor of the paper which has been a sweet morsel in the mouths of the liars who distributed it. One story was to the effect that the publisher of the Post-Democrat had been arrested for public intoxication; the other pleasant little fabrication had us mixed up in the ownership and management of an alleged blind tiger. A Hartford City newspaper whose publisher was once shown up by the editor of this newspaper to be a crook and a grafter, and who has never since felt exactly right about it, carried a story to the effect that Dale was in a blind tiger that was pinched by the Muncie police and let it go at that, hoping that the cowardly aspersion would discredit us in the sight of old friends and neighbors. We are not in the habit of explaining away charges made against us, knowing that the public understands the motives of those who use the mask, the assassin’s bullet and the whispered word of venom to discredit a newspaper which fears them not, but here’s once we are going to tell just how it happened. The editor of the Post-Democrat and Mr. Walter Reed, lately employed as collector and circulation man, were in the south part of the city Friday afternoon. When John Cox’s pool room was raided, our circulation man was just in the act of writing him a receipt for a year’s subscription. It was the first and only time we had ever been in Mr. Cox’s place of business and we were compelled to its location. The officers who raided the place were “Billy” Ray, federal man, Detective Fred Puckett and Officers Brown, Hellis and Flaherty. The police car being too crowded with the prisoner and the five officers we volunteered the use of our car for as many as desired to ride and Officers Ray and Puckett and their prisoner, Mr. Cox entered the car and were driven to the police station, where we were thanked by the officers for giving them the lift. This incident was picked up by some vicious enemy and the foul slander was started on its way, finally appearing in one of Bill Daniel’s horrible “poems” which portrayed us as having absorbed inordinate quantities of “Coxey’s mule,” which were surreptitiously scattered about town by agents of the Ku Klux klan. The editor of this newspaper does not drink intoxicating liquor, and we are especially opposed to the homemade brand of skat that is being sold in over two hundred blind tigers in Muncie and that is being hauled in by at least twenty five different booze runners and high jackers, all under the clean up administration of Doc Quick and his chief of police, who was reinstated in office, after being fired, in order that Muncie might be saved.

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