"Good citizens expressed themselves freely today concerning the occurrence of last night and were unanimous in the opinion that in a community where the courts are open and where the law is enforced by officers chosen by the people, there is not the slightest justification or excuse for any oath-bound secret organization, setting itself up above the law and usurping the functions of the duly constituted officers of the Government, meeting in out-of-the-way places, acting in secret, and moving in disguise, setting up its own standards of right and wrong, acting as accuser, witness, judge and executioner, and that the activities of such an organization will not be tolerated in this community even if it should become necessary to appeal to Federal authorities and invoke the aid of the Government secret service men to arrest its activities. "The opinion was freely expressed that if one body of men acting in secret can command a resident to leave the city under a veiled threat of personal injury, because the organization conceives the idea that the man is violating the prohibition law, another secret organization of men has an equal right to invite a young woman to leave town because perchance she might go in bathing in a bath costume not in accordance with the views of that organization; and another secret organization of men might call an employer to his door at midnight and give him a warning that he must raise the wages of his employees or grant them shorter working hours, or suffer personal violence. "The activities of last night have been reported to United States, State, and county officials, who are considering what steps to take in the matter. It is made a criminal offense by city ordinance for any persons to appear in public in disguise, and police officers have been instructed to arrest any person appearing in public in disguise. It is made a crime against the United States for two or more persons to conspire against another to deprive him of his civil rights, and it is made a criminal offense by the laws of the State for two or more persons to conspire or confederate to commit a breach of peace, and the State laws prohibit a rout, which is defined to be the assembling of three or more persons for any unlawful purpose. It is believed that the laws of the United States, the State and the city are ample to arrest the activities of any secret organization of the character mentioned."