"ARE YE FANTASTICAL?"

Sensationalism, no doubt, has magnified the facts, but the visit of Louisiana's governor to the Federal authorities at Washington shows at least that officialdom is taking a serious attitude toward the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. The government of Louisiana is probably not in immediate danger; but the future holds cause for concern.

The marching of White-sheeted Unknowns through the streets at midnight, bearing lighted torches and holding secret conclave in some secluded meadow, savors too much of the mysterious to pass without curiosity. Banquos's attitude has been prevalent: "Are ye fantastical, or that indeed Which outwardly ye show?" The glamour of romance, more alluring because not fully known, hangs over the whole organization. But when neighbors disappear, when courts of justice are invaded; or, on the other hand, when the village poor family is supplied with food and money by a disguised visitor, then the Klan must be thought of as something more than a secret brotherhood with mystic rites and nothing more serious.

It is possible that the organization's strength is overestimated. Its secrecy and the bravado of its officials make accurate facts inaccessible; and the unusual circumstances of its acts encourage publicity out of all proportion to their real importance. Its professed policy, of upholding law and order and Anglo-Saxon supremacy in-the face of duly appointed officials, frightens the public into exaggerated alarm, as does all questioning of established authority.

But even if this exaggeration is discounted, the strength of the Invisible Empire still appears a threat which must not be scoffed at. Its avowed acts of self-styled "justice" show the direction toward anarchy which its influence takes. Its activities in the South and in the West are keenly felt.

No one of intelligence needs to be convinced of its essential evil. The parting advice of Washington is impartial and conclusive: "All combinations and associations under whatever plausible character with the real design to direct, control, counteract or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities are of fatal tendencies."