Speaking Out With Public Letters
Simultaneous to his talk given at Carpenter’s Hall on November 5th, 1922, Clark published his first letter in the Spokesman-Review in which he denounced the Klan. The letter gives a small glimpse into what Clark’s speech that night would entail. Clark railed on the Klan as a shadowy organization subversive to the democratic process. Furthermore, Clark sought to highlight the hypocrisy of the Klan by accusing them of practicing mob law, something the Klan claimed to oppose. Once more, Clark’s criticism was based almost entirely on the extralegal activities of the Klan done in the name of law and order such as a Klan mob in Englewood earlier that year. Additionally, their attempts to undermine the democratic process of local elections by ensuring the candidates elected would be either in favor of or allowing of their agenda proved a major point in Clark’s rhetoric.
In what can be read as somewhat a gauge of public concern, Clark returned to the Forum section of the Spokesman Review after almost two weeks making a pleading appeal to the people of Spokane that he states are apathetic at best to the Klan problem. Clark denounces the apathetic community and warns of complete Klan control following the upcoming May, 1923 city election. The Klan Clark warns of is one that seeks to hijack the electoral process in order to make the law that the Klan preaches an “absolute love” of synonymous with Klan doctrine.
A. L. Clark’s second response drew criticism from one Henry Brooks who under a fallacy of neutrality claimed Clark to be overzealous. The only thing the two seem to agree upon is that the local community has responded to Clark’s outcry with apathy. As the years went on however, it would appear Clark was correct about the intentions of the Klan in Spokane and Washington state.