Greensboro News
Rev. H. R. Williams of Kannapolis, listed as the grand titan of the Ku Klux Klan, speaking at Asheboro, is reported as denying that “any acts of violence have been committed by the klan.” Newspaper reports of such incidents he pronounced false. But he admitted tht it is customary to “give words of warning or advice to undesirable citizens.” Without stopping to ask who makes the klan a judge or ruler competent to decide, without a hearing, on its own initiative, who is desirable and who is undesirable; or whether all members of the klan are so desirable that they are competent to sit in judgment and issue secret decrees, giving the accused no opportunity to face his accusers—leaving these mattes out of the discussion for the present, liberty is taken to make a suggestion to the grand titan.
A few days ago a report dates at Troy, Montgomery county, published in some of the newspapers, set out that a number of men, garbed in the manner of klansmen, appeared in Troy and later went into the country, called a man from his bed, took him out and beat him to their satisfaction. A man and a woman in another house were warned to leave, which they did. One warning with sufficient force to make it effective, another without force. This published report set out considerable detail of the proceedings and left the impression that the disguised party was composed of Troy people, or residents of the vicinity. It was not asserted that they were Ku Klux Klan but that they wore the klan regalia.
The identity of the writer of that report can no doubt be easily ascertained. The grand titan asserts that the klan does not engage in acts of violence. If he knows what he is talking about, and he seems to have made the assertion with reservation, the incident in the vicinity of Troy was put on by person masquerading in the garb of the klan. If that be true, it is reasonable that those of the true faith are discrediting the righteous. The Troy incident offers an opportunity. That the objects of correction in the Troy case may have deserved what they received is beside the question. The regulators were acting with the law, judging without a hearing and executing judgment. It is denied that the klan does that. A show-down in the case mentioned might close the debate on that point.
From the editorial page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Monday, Sept. 6, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-09-06/ed-1/seq-4/
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