The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Nov. 8, 1923
ONE EDITOR’S VIEW: The observations of editor Dallam of the Warsaw Bulletin on matters concerning the public welfare are usually marked by the evidence of clear vision and cool dispassionate judgment. The views expressed in the following editorial which appeared in a recent issue of the Bulletin are worthy of being given thoughtful consideration by every person who has at heart a real interest in matters pertaining to public weal: Warsaw, Ill- “Rev. H. E. Oldacre, Ypsilanti, Mich., a Ku Klux Klan field worker, addressed an audience of about two hundred in the park Thursday night of last week and despite the rawness of the atmosphere he held the close attention of those who were out to hear him. The writer was not present but those who were and whose judgment is competent, pronounced the speaker exceptionally able, fluent and forceful. Moreover there was so much with which any well disposed person could agree, be he protestant, Catholic, Jew or Negro, his ingeniousness was calculated to lead the less thoughtful among his hearers along with him to the conclusion at which he was aiming. That was the attitude of the Klan toward the Roman church, the Hebrew and the colored race. After his address he circulated membership cards which were freely taken and which are to be turned in later to a stated address at Macomb by those who desire to become klansmen.
Mr. Oldacre made a number of extravagant statements, one of which was that 60% of the government appointees at Washington were Catholic. He might as well have said 80%, for the person who would accept as accurate the one without authoritative supporting evidence would accept the other. The credulity of the listener and not the per centage was the determining factor.
But why inject an element of discord into the community? Does anyone fancy that the Catholic contingency, which is not large is about to annihilate the Protestant? Is it possible that some one imagines he hears a faint refrain of “to our tents, O Israel?” Is Negro supremacy a huge threatening evil? Come, gentlemen, think it over carefully before lending your self or your influence to a movement that arrays one portion of the community against another, for surely if there is one thing which Warsaw needs it is perfect harmony, and any discord can only tend to make more difficult any progress in our civic life.
Oh, that we had the breadth of vision, the warmth of heart, the nobility of purpose to accept as the guide of our lives the immortal words of the martyred president (Lincoln): “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the fight as God gives us to see the right.” Then there would be no sheeted regulators, for the manly man would scorn to hide his identity behind a mask, leaving that to the highway man and the train robber.”
Stronghurst Graphic, Nov. 15, 1923 (Here is the contrast of what was said and what the paper believed)
OPINION OF THE EDITOR: Elsewhere in the issue will be found an article in defense of the Ku Klux Klan which recently appeared in the Burlington Hawkeye. This article was handed to us by a friend with a request that we republish it, the request coming, we were told from a Stronghurst Klansman who was inclined to view our publication of the Warsaw Bulletin’s editorial on the Klan last week as evidence that we were antagonistic to the organization.
Just why such an interpretation should be put upon our publication of the Bulletin’s editorial we cannot imagine unless it was that we stated that the views expressed therein were worthy of thoughtful consideration. .
We hardy believe, however, that any fair minded person who read the quoted editorial will find any reason for taking exception to our comment thereon. The Warsaw Bulletin editor is, as we intimated, a man whose reputation for keen analysis and cool judgment in matters pertaining to the country’s welfare, entitles his public utterances to careful consideration and we have no apologies to make for quoting them. We are also perfectly willing to public the views of those who wish to commend the Klan and its methods and are therefore giving space to the article which appeared in the Hawkeye, although it is much lengthier than our last week’s article and bears the evidence of having been written in a much more vitriolic spirit. (The responding article can be found of the last page of the Nov.15th issue; it is rambling and bias at best. The author believed “the Klan to be inspired by Almighty God, came into existence thru the will of God and only thru the will of the Almighty God will it pass out of existence” and definitely was against the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.)
CORN SHOW COMING: The Gregory Garage of Stronghurst is making arrangements to hold a corn show at their place of business with ten prizes consisting of auto casings, chains and other accessories for the first ten best exhibits of corn in lots of ten ears each. The contest is open to any and all Henderson County corn growers and the prizes to be offered are such as to warrant a fine display of corn.
FOUND COAL: Galesburg people are much elated over the prospect of an abundant supply of coal within five miles of the city. It has been discovered by recent boring operations that a vein of fine soft coal, four feet in thickness is to be had at a depth of 180 feet. 1,200 acres of coal land east of the city has been leased and early in the spring a coal shaft will be sunk one mile north of the Santa Fe R.R. at East Galesburg.