Another important and interesting comparison is that of the personalities
of the two heads of the organizations. When the convention was held at
Nashville, Tenn., in 1867, for the purpose of choosing a Grand Wizard, it
selected Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the most distinguished and
capable officers in the late Confederate army, and recognized today among
military students as one of the foremost cavalry leaders of all times.
General Forrest was selected for his ability, his integrity, his
unselfish devotion to the Southern people, and his desire to aid them in a
great crisis. A careful search of every available record fails to reveal
that he ever received one penny as compensation for his labors, or that
his office as Grand Wizard ever brought him any gifts, perquisites, or
emoluments. His military title was unimpeached, his last commission being
that of lieutenant-general. He never called himself "Emperor," never
signed any of his official orders as "His Majesty," and never assumed any
of the titles or styles of royalty. He was a plain, unassuming soldier and
gentleman, who, having a great task to perform, did his work gratuitously
and from motives of patriotism only, and then, the work having been
completed, disbanded his organization and retired.
What a marked contrast to the gallant Forrest is "Colonel" (?) William
Joseph Simmons, Imperial Wizard, "Emperor" of the "Invisible Empire,"
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. I can find no record of any military
service that gives him privilege to use the honorable title of "Colonel,"
a title that has been won by American soldiers by virtue of hard service
in the army and by desperate deeds of valor on the field of battle. Where
then did "His Majesty" get the right to use this military title? According
to the _Literary Digest_, "his friends bestowed it upon him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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