Continued Power Gains in 1923

Spring of 1923 saw Spokane coming up on another election—a city election for open commissioner positions. Having drawn criticism for attempting to exert influence over the Spokane elections the previous Fall, the Klan opted for a new approach. Through the Spokane Civic League, an organization claiming devotion to selecting the most qualified candidates for office from a non-partisan perspective, the Klan sought to exert its influence. While the organization claimed no connection to the Klan, it received financial and structural support from the Spokane chapter and often took into account the guidance of Rexroad himself.

Running for city commissioner was schoolteacher and former Klansman R. J. Fry. Fry had formerly served as secretary Spokane Civic league and had made the recommendations of the Klan during the race for prosecuting attorney. After Fry submitted his bid to run for city commissioner April of 1923, the Civic League reached out for him requesting he remove his name from the running. Fry very publicly resisted this request, attempting to out the Civic league for what he, as a former member, and former Klansman, knew it to be—a political front for the Spokane chapter of the KKK. While some in the Spokane community believed Fry’s claims, he was not successful in securing the commissioner seat. Fry returned to work as a schoolteacher, instructing English and Drama at Lewis and Clark High school until 1925. It would not be until 1926 that Fry’s claims would be publicly confirmed by former Grand Dragon of Washington O. H. Carpenter.

With Major Luther Ivan Powell acting as King Kleagle of the Pacific Northwest Domain, Klan recruitment began to take the form of large extravagant events dubbed ‘Konventions’ these large gatherings attracted thousands, Klansmen and non-affiliated members of the community alike. Often times these events would include parades, speeches, and naturalization (initiation) ceremonies. The Spokane Chapter of the Klan had a notable presence at the Walla Walla Konvention of 1923. Organized April 2rd-5th by King Kleagle Powell, the event served as a meeting of the Exalted Cyclops’ of the state. Attended by Spokane’s Exalted Cyclops C. A. Rexroad and other members of the Spokane Klan such as Kleagle Orrin Smith, the event caused a stir when Mayor Ben F. Hill of Walla Walla refused the Klan a parade permit citing the recently passed law banning masked public demonstrations. While he stated he have no problem with the Klansmen paraded unmasked, his enforcement of a state law to the detriment of the “law loving” Klan sparked outcry from the Walla Walla and state Klan. In reaction, the Klan attempted to influence the coming mayoral election to replace Hill however they were unsuccessful at ousting the popular mayor despite having the highest membership per capita in the state. The following year, the Klan agreed to unmask and was granted a parade permit by Mayor Hill

Statewide Konventions such as the one held in Walla Walla were intended to create a strong public image of the Klan. Many times, in smaller towns and rural areas such as Walla Walla, Yakima, and Wenatchee, they brought huge crowds well beyond the norm. Konventions are cited by papers to have caused massive traffic jams on otherwise near deserted streets. The speeches given at these events by prominent Klansmen, sometimes travelling from as far as the national headquarters in Atlanta, were heavily publicized and served as a means for the Klan to shape a narrative of the organization by appealing to already existing political currents of nationalism and xenophobia. “It was a way of hiding the Klan’s distinctive form of intolerance in plain view, making it unremarkable or even normal.”