Fiery Cross, Volume 2, Number 11, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 February 1923 — Page 1

. -,v ,1 ;.1 : . 4' .4 ,1 4 i r"v- V v- ... - - jk i-ii i - COUNTRY In Her intercourse with foreign zctice' an" unselhh eisd exalizd c - nations, mag she always be rightbut right or wrong, our country stull" Stephen Decatur. ircountrg t$ a pleusare. SO "Breathes there a man with soul so dead M ho never to himself has said This is mg own, mg native land!" I ' i ' :t-:..t:.7 W nspect nil honest men in their 4,d$ered . conviction 'Whether tame art -1 , fpfteble bA our requirements or not"

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YOLTJME II NUMBER 11

INDIANAPOLIS, IND., IDAYFBTOABY 16, 1923.

PLAN 10

n i i po s

SCHOOLS CONCLUSIVELY Si

Light Thrown On Movement to Oust Majority Faction of Members

of the Board.

The

Situation Is Charged With Dynamite arid May Explode at Any Time A Quick Way, Out Is for Mr. Chas. L. Barry to Resign.

GOVERNOR DECLARES

WAR ON LAW BREAKERS

OREGON KLAN FULLY ORGANIZED

SETS MACHINERY IN MOTION FOR EFFICIENT WORK.

THE PALLADItl

HIRESiATTOBCEY

PLETENOCKJOTjf,. i

Movement Is to Place Control of Schools Under Catholic Influence Chamber of Com

merce In a Pickle.

(By Eyewitness.)-

That the C!liHmber of Commerca of Iudlanapolla is playing with dynantite

in an me oussrui ignorance of an I in

nocent child playing with a ip-i

is not doubted by investigators th( school board situation.

Jbb ially pres of the chinflry

would tave the public believe tlifet t

orfraniiiltion for which The iFler,

s is! spokesman, has had not littl e

rjejkco in the handling or dtna,-

fn"

i'AIr. Zorcher has branded himself as

7the responsible and 'negligent father of the "makeshift school children" of Indianapolis. jt-'ts pointed out ftiat there is unusttal. significance in fb fact that this whWe "problem is . btwgtit lip' while

fafohn Welch is actlilf fMident of the

amuer or commerce in the absence

Felix McWhirter, who, with

usiiml foresieht wenf. to, Rurone.

It ' Of pointed out th,Bi lt'is si'gfllS-. cant that Governor IJray, aftfet.seturing thousands up,onihous$Bi)kJ of

ptes, on nis pieage to.jrwjffOTirfttKJj iercher from the taxTtoarifoand '&

he face of this reDeated Wedfee after

feipCtion has had sufficKt Influence

oroifgnt to Dear upon tfa,-iQ cause hlni to retain Mr. Zoerchn thje tax board. -What powerful, qfted InHua fcsw caused the goVenot 46' do thisthe aide of Chas.-L. Barry, .fatrsJv H r.t'.;. Kf iirbt or.o'nmbus . ami their paid agent in Indiana, is

Whisky and Dope Ring Infesting Pacific Coast to be Cleaned Up.

seen Philip Zoercher, Hilton IJ. Brown

utfieace In dealint With the in

L A -. 1

trj TZZ. 9 T.T Ti. 1 of e Indianapolis News, Jack Atherst thr inembers of the Indnnap- j t'r,.,

school Hoard. i t, t av..nn.mittan

There are plenty of people, it oj0m i m

eems. In Indianapolis "who are entire- tril Kh 'M . tnr,nv tn flr1rn;,iv ner-

y familiar with the school .situation ! .,'..,,,,.. ,, f :,.;.

iti i iuLiii'1 malt jn rotiu t.v-i.o, uiuio

school situation I

knd realize Just what the influence

inay be that would demand the rt-

noval of the majority faction of the

ndianapolis school board, even though i

hey have now, and always have had.

definite program for the betterment i f our city school system if they could !

Let th money to carry it out. !

In discussing the matter with one i

ho Is in close touch with the situa- i

n, yel whose name is withheld pm publication for obvious reasons, ! develops that a subtle, carefully

lannnd policy, worthy of the inllu- i

nee behind it has been at the throat ;

the school system for years.

frangllng It, holding it back, even de-

troylng It, If the information con I

Pontained in the report of the Cham- i

er of commerce sub-committee on i ducation is true, which it is in part. I

nd represents the facts in so far as i

he school and housing conditions are ;

oncerned.

It teems that there is no doubt that

that part of the report which refers to "Makeshift school children, portable schoolhouscs. outside toilets, old stoves, stench and filth and revolting conditions" (the adjectives are from the report, not ours), is not exaggerated; that they are the results of a policy of strangulation positively be yond belief, and dating from the time of Joseph Keller on througli the ad ministration of Chas. Herry. It Is known and pointed out that Chas. Harry and Philip jftiercher of the state tax board, to whom the school board must go for funds to carry out

any kind of school

(Special to The Fiery Cross.)

Portland, Ore., Feb. 10. Backed to a finish by the Ku Klux Klan, the Freemasons, the Orangemen and all other Protestant fraternities in Ore gon, Governor Walter M. Pierce declared war Tuesday on the drug and liquor evils a war without quarter, without compromise, without letup, until complete victory is acknowledged in every part of the state: Governor Pierce will use all means at h"s command to enforce the liquor laws and to stamp out the traffic ifl habit-

Richmoirf; laan Feb. 15;-, That the artfcW, "Set of the Sp6m f ul" In the FieQv Cross f last Ksreel completely paralysed the1 -prGlifei pen finger of Ed. Hatris,Qf-tbe. Palladium is evidenced by the iact -that he, feas now retained Henry tt. .Jonnsott- to write his articles lor iira. . - ? 1 "

In a long preamble printed la the

Palladium of Fee. 9, written by John

son, this tact W brought cut, 4U any

one at all acquirtatea ia . Klchmond knows that Henry J!. Johnson .does

not write any arttole tor. anybody ui

less he is paid ter'jUand leAat flf all for Rudolph Leeds's auek W -

Mr. Johnson would Save the'l Klaa

print its oath in order that he might be informed as io Y.hat it contains, and he wouW! conslnu tcf Jtry tfie Richards and Daniels Louisiana case

in the newspapers, -an be.is, aserer

t worried about the- stllfnessf of the

judicial spine of .Wayne oQntyJ -

With the disordered mind qf Kesry U. anything is possible, and when he says that the cowmunity .-wants to

know who belongs tjf the- JKtt Klux Klaii-he is merely jBpealtlng. for .himself, as e majorft'ofvtfee coianiuitf

ty know vevweiioui uiey are stem

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I out conditions beyond belief and points to conditions existing and for ' which it holds the present majority j faction responsible, that can only be , changed by changing the legal pro- ' cedure. It points out conditions that

undoubtedly exist but can not be cor- ! rected except by adequate finances. ! The report itself isa scathing indici1 nient. and a definite proof, of the ini visible hand" at the throat of our ' school system yet it does not charge ; the majority faction with the crime? ; for which they are on trial, for trial

it is, sort of "open hearing.?' The influence behind this movement has a penchant for "open haarings" and " trials by newspaper." The present majority faction by the report itself is not responsible for the present conditions of the schools. The report is entirely beside the real issue. It is simply the same old system of a "smoke screen" to conceal real facts. The dynamite in the situation, and

what those feel who are in a position!

to know, is that the present, majority taction with amazing courage, has been so derelict in tlteir duty to the people of Indianapolis as to tell Mr. ( has. L. Harry, fourth degree Knight of Columbus, and their paid agent, that he can not now, and never will hi' president of the Indianapolis school board, aud that no more of his ! friends, relatives or adherents will be . placed on the pay-roll of the public i school system. Not because Mr.

program, have; Iiarry is !l anolic- ,)ut because the

fought consistently side bv side in , rrotesuuu, tuu tying the hands of the public school j r,a'n Qualifications are required by koarrj law of anyone who becomes a teacher Phlilp Zoercher. professional politi-: in ,he schools and these qualifician and appointive officeholder extra- ca',(,n9 a one will hereafter prevail, ordinary, with the defeat of his wife i , 11 18 PJilnted out that there is no evifor membership on the Indianapolis ,l,'"' e of P"''t'."ua f actlotnhf school board rankling in bis heart. th' PrfBont ma-orit.y faction, either has said In effect. "That he will never ! 'l"-' tively or individually, and there authorize the appropriation of another ? n" maor ';aue ,for the demand for cent to the present school board." their rrmoval. It is an effort to make It is pointed out that this attitude I war . "'. & ma3.rlty f' nn ihA nrt of Mr 7or,.hor ia arhi-1 tlon thut unqualifiedly are using both

trsry assumption of power and position by an Individual over the will of the poople an expressed at the polls,

is entirely unethical, and is made with

the idea of coercing radical changes both in our school city and school board personnel. By this very act

political and religious influence to at

tain their purposes. A direct bid for political preferment is plainly obvious. Those who are in a position to know the workings behind the scenes in In

forming drugs

Acting for the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Grand Dragon Fred L. Gifford, commanding the Klan forces in the Realm of Oresnn. nnnootf'f eri Tiv

Poniaati Kian,i"!d. irand by the cjnet

officers of every Klan in fthe stateJ

promptly endorsed Governor" Piefce'a declaration and started the machinery for united team work in making Oregon too hot to holi the bootlegger and "dope rat." Every Klansman everywhere, is

commanded to "Stand by the governor" and to support all law enforcement officers, by every means possible, in stamping out these terrible evils and bringing the guilty to jus

tice. Under the "Eye of Scrutiny" The war will go on with increasing vigor and relentless prosecution in every county, and every person who in any way hinders the law-enforcing authorities will be under the "eye of scrutiny" and liable at any moment to arrest aB a dangerous and suspicious character. No mercy will be given to law-; breakers by those 'who are heading this fight. The rich malefactor will get the same treatment as the retail peddler. Hotels and rooming houses,

drug stores and "soft" drink "parlors" will do well to heed the warning contained in this announcement. The system of espionage and detection now being perfected, and of swift

and effective prosecution, is expected

to get substantial results in the next few weeks. The whisky ring and dope ring "on the river" and especially in Portland and Astoria, already have been identified, and the "prominent" citizens connected therewith will find themselves in stripes, if they do not leave the state or join the investigators for the purpose of law enforce ment. These criminals are expected

to aery tne proclamation, and it is hoped that they will do so, because the people demand their punishment to the limit of the law. The Klan now has a complete state organization to co-operate with the law-enforcing agencies. The Scottish Rite Masons will help actively.

extending their efforts to other west

ern states.

The aim is to enforce the drastic laws against the narcotic evil, to care for unfortunate addicts, and to make unforgetable examples of the atrocious criminals who until now have defied these laws and scorned the

moral sentiment of the people. "Every Klansman is expected to do his duty."

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WMclEysonWidowinNeed

Caldwell, O., Feb. 10. The eye of the Ku Klux Klan. in Caldwell, ever watchful, having found that Mrs. Carl Augenstlen was badly in need of help, recently presented

Franklin, Ind., FeBlfi. bellefe thera is, a wonderfully brig future just ahead for Franklin College,; ad I think that now is the tlme otgan-: fee for the upbuilding of the Instftn tion," said Grafton JohnBony president of the. Franklin College board efrjug-; teep, responding to ap; address Of wefc come at "-the dinner giea14y4fc FTaBfelfh Rotary Club torcthefielfi;: bers, of the college boaj&ere'lat nighL. ' 'Li -"' " . in a called meeting just preceding thd-hanquet the college .board autlmr

Iped the appointment of s' commiitee'

assist President GoodelJ m waging

.building fund campaign.

.uthonzed the addition of -'.one

present committee au

wounds, ompftBci --of

Wipiiirahds One Hundred Per

itaMirSticans Gather Some-

ch Klansmen Were; Eeceived - t

s i;Bv the-ilQiASits and Townspeople Was I

(JUnp3iralI?fei and Gratifying.

K1:

once an intensive sxauy oi campaa

plans and style of architecture for the "greater Franklin" movement,-and to make recommendations to the board regarding the proposed new buildings. With this committee working on building plans while the finance com mittee is launching its campaign, the vision of President Goodell for a

-s,ji9X: .jlaff Correspondent ''South Bena,c"Feb112.--Laet (Sunday passed :-witheEE the promised BUbBQa-

4 tion &t -samgr by the Tribnni Sooth

pe" rs self-strwa Knti-Kian atly ; '

, ;1 u -ennsajr to its kropagasftS9o,

with Tolerance and JEe " 2frbie&&

Unity League.

inanition, a failure to deliver the

her with an envelope containing

$58.75, to assist in keeping her Uttle j greater Franklin college is assuming family together. definite form.

SOUTH BEND KLAN IN ACTION; DEMANDS LAW ENFORCEMENT

First Concerted Step in Their Plan to Do It

Decently and in Order.

South Bend, Feb. 10.

half an eye and it closed can see the

complete breakdown of law enforcement here. The officers of the law

are either powerless or hopeless. Chief of Police Lane and Prosecutor Coughlin, both known Catholics, are

(By Eyewitness.) Anyone with I tied "in bond,

' as Pebbleford, of government

as well revenue

as a supply stamps.

Ask at any of the forty odd smaller

joints for quarts and you will be re

ferred to "Van's Place." Ask for a

case of real beer and you will be re

forceful and capable men, but some j ferred to "Van's Place." Van himself

(Continued ou Page 4.)

NORTH tlUDSON EDITOR PRINTS MIS-STATEMENT

BEIP MAKE CONDITIONS BETTER

"Why can't a public officeholder be as honest and decent serving the state S3 he is in his dealings with his neighbors? I have found that a government employe who 'Plays the game square is usually a political and financial bankrupt when he leaves office. To be honest and decent with the government and the public is a constant warfare. It has been a thankless fight, and most men who undertook it either abandoned the struggle or were thrust out to make room for those who would play the game. There are honest and able men in public lite. There must be more. There will be when we make conditions decent for them." (B. R. Newton in Colliers' Weekly.)

Knox, Ind., Feb. 15. The North Judson News recently printed the following: "The Chicago city council has given

orders that no one a member of the

Ku Klux Klan can draw pay from that city. All city employes known to be

affiliated with the Klan have been dis

charged from the service." For his information, a represents

live of the Klan, while in Knox this

week, made the statement that while Chicago dispatches carried the news

as outlined, that Fireman Green has never been discharged and every Klan member in the employ of the city of

invisible force is tying their hands,

or they, themselves are a part and parcel of an organized ring to forestall law enforcement. W. O. Davies of the board of safety, a hich-standing and well thought-of

business man, knows the conditions but cither is powerless or incapable of cleaning up a situation he knows exists The South Bend Tribune, while anti-Klan, stands for law enforcement and the News-Times (Catholic) is neutral toward the Klan, and stands for law enforcement. Yet out of this

unusual situation shines a condition Without parallel in Indiana. Glaring

in its rottenness, sappiag the me oi the community, Lpuis Curl's place on Mishawaka Ave. runs wide open, selling whisky, port wine, muscatel wine,

gin and real 9 heer. It even operates a rooming house upstairs where men and women may meet and asso

ciate. Old men and young girls may

be seen coming and going all night long. Out on Division St., at No. 1224, a place called "The Bank," operates the retail and wholesale placed Leo Van Fleet, unmolested. 11 Liquor, gin, and wine are sold by the drink or quart. It Is. commonly known that Van Fleet Is interested in the 500-gallon still, recently secured in, a raid "by Chief Barrows of Mishawaka, and where moonshine whisky chemically aged, was secured "bot-

mingles around the joints, like the

old-time beer salesman and "drums

up trade.'

Out in the country, under the

watchful eyes of the sheriff, operates the "Lincoln Way Inn," east of

Mishawaka, the "Bungalow," south of

town, the "Casino;" west of town

Rex Smith's "Lantern Inn" on the road to Knox, and many others, all selling

the same line furnished by Van Fleet,

the "King of Bootleggers," and all ex

cept Rex Smith's place catering to

men and women,

South Bend has a big foreign popu

lation, largely Catholic. Their votes

control the St. Joseph county and

city elections. Is this disgrace to Notre Dame going to be allowed to exist? It has existed so long it is established. Do the citizens of South

Bend intend that it shall any longer? There are 2,000 Klanamen in South Bend who intend that Smoger's in

fluence on the board of safety shall

cease, that the sheriff of 8t, Joseph county enforces the law. The grand jury is now tn session, and its duty is to return indictments. Lists have been furnished the board of safety by the South Bend Klan. They await action. With its leading papers condemning the Klan, with its smug Kiwanis, Elk, Lions and other clubs passing resolutions demanding their extinction; the Klan proceeds to its task in this cesspool of vice, In this town, a Bable of tongues.

Or. H, , W. Evans, , Imperial :

isnru, uenvers impressive Address What eKK. Stands For. Somewhere" in Howardunty, Feb. 10. 18. tttt boundWa enthusiasm, with the -fc0urage of their- convtctldns and-unfailir1 .certainty of' purpose,KJan&iea o Indiana; held their Flrst Awual RPncIave. Bomewhere in Hcward rWnty I toda. ' 1

Fv From' the nVaJ -0 the BTniotor 5 . earavan vf piC -b a1teost4r' abla -

as, -on sptfv, inter-

4iair: -f jaeyr

goods." is shown in the omission of

what was promised its misguided readers over a period of two or three weeks. Sunday was heralded as the date of publication.

Instead, comes what is believed to

be among its last if not the last

maniacal efforts to throw discredit upon the Klan. Now on the de, fensive, the sheet attempts a reply to a recent issue of The Fiery Cross

wherein mention was made of iniqui

ties existing in St. Joseph county and

progress was being made toward

cleaning up "moonshiners," . "rum

peddlers" and operators of vice. The grand jury promised investigation.

Under the caption, "Kluck Weekly

Gives Glories to Mask Body," the

Tribune informs that the credit for the raid on St. Joseph county's biggest distillery on Jan. 20, south of

Mishawaka, was due to the investigation conducted by Rev. George V. Titus, "a prominent Mishawaka clergy

man," and not, it would have its read

ers believe, because of the reported

activities of the Ku Klux Klan.

The article is on the defensive

throughout. It expresses wonder

why the Mishawaka police officers, operating on Rev. Titus's direction, did not make any arrests.

It hurls a criticism against those po

lice officers who failed in their con

duct of the raid and goes on in con

clusion:

"The raid referred to by the Ku

Klux Klan paper and in which the

paper takes credit to the Ku Klux

(Continued on Page 5.) SUPPOSED FRIENDS DESERT THE DEAD

EFFORTS WADE TO CAPITALIZE WIDOW'S SORROW.

Received Late But Here It Is World -War Veterans will hold a dance at Tomlinson Hall Feb. 20. Funds lor pedy veterans and families..

Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 5th St 3 o'clock p. m., Michael Shenk, Klansman was buried at Crown Hill.

No- greater tribute could be paid to

Mr. Shenk than the fact that oh his grave today rested a beautiful floral

cross, emblematic of his membership

in the Klan.

The funeral was conducted by friendly neighbors, after supposed

friends had taken charge of the

funeral and after those appointed as pall-bearers had deserted the widow in her hour of sorrow, upon the ar

rival of the floral cross, and the usual contribution of $50:00. ' The unusual and unheard-of spectacle of deserting a man in this hour is unbelievable, but with every effort

made to. destroy the cross, and when this was .refused, to call at the hour of midnight and Indulge in disorderly conduct, is one of ' the most reprehensible occurrences known. -

Mr. Shenk has thousands of friends

in Indianapolis, and was for years em

fployed as ait Inspector tor the hoard

UJiaaa, fcl,. r5'iMi"n..

11 from IUtcpia, - v " The meeting was unusual in ti.e' a ;-- I nals of Indiana' gatherings.' IV ,waa ? rtypical, yet unusuaL" It was typical of Indiana in that it was held in God's M big out doors under a tent, in a typl-" cal Indiana dell with its winding brook, with blazing bonfires, and sur- -rounded by Indiana hills and virgin forests. It was usual, to the rotten winter roads, hot-dog sandwiches and bad coffee. It was unusual in that there was no blare of announcement, no assessment of merchants, no decorations, no reception committee, no address of welcome, no turning over of keys, none of the needless and useless hokum of Indiana gatherings. It was unusual in that if a Klansman had forgotten his previous instructions, or was on foot and needed a lift, he simply stepped up to the silent, robed figures who paraded the streets here, and received courteous directions to the meeting place. It was unusual to "Eyewitness" for another reason. He never saw or heard a Klansman of the Realm of

this county make a speech or utter a sound unless spoken to or requested for information, Ind theu he was only a Klansman in robe. He may have been the mayor, a leading citizen, a public official, or the driver of an ice wagon. At any rate he was a nativeborn, 100 per cent., white, Protestant, Gentile, American and a Hoosier. The modesty of these men, as well as the courteous, fair treatment ac

corded the visitors by the merchants and townspeople was unparalleled

and gratifying. There was a complete absence of the usual great out-door sport of "Klan baiting." Everyone was accorded every courtesy here.

The first evidence of the gathering

of this vast assembly was the presence of local knights on the streets

in robes, and the incoming hordes of others. One inquisitive reporter

claims that he. had a tip of the "big doings" a few 'days before when he secured information that orders for

2,000 lbs. of meat. 1.500 loaves of bread, 15,000 buns and several thousand pounds of cakes, pies and other supplies bad been placed with local concerns. It was unusual and significant that for the first time in the history of Indiana 16,000 native-born 100 per cent.. white. Protestant. Gentile Americans were gathered together in this, the dead of winter, under a tent to discuss their problems, and make their plans, from 10 a. m. until 10 p. m., with onlytwo intermissions of 30 minutes each, for luncheon and dinner.. . The business of ttie Konclave was carried forth with dispatch and regu

larity, entirely free from committee bickering and the usual Jockeying of delegates for preferment. There was

no foreign, racial, financial or political influence brought to bear; there was none of the usual "cutting the BUit to fit the cloth;" )here was no clash of opinions. It was a gathering of one mind, one thought behind a definite principle - and definite program. "Eyewitness? has; attended many county, stats and national gath. firings, cat never, la his; experience

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