His
father had been a member of the original Klan. When the revival
began in 1915, the Klan was primarily a fraternal, Caucasian-
supremacy organization without the violence normally associated
with it. But when Simmons later decided to develop it into a
larger organization, he found it necessary to adopt more
aggressive tactics.
At one meeting, Simmons dramatically portrayed the dynamic,
hostile note that helped the organization to spread and appeal
to the fears and the hatreds of people throughout the country.
In the middle of a speech, he first drew a gun from one pocket
and laid it on the table before him. Then, he pulled a second gun
from another pocket and placed it beside the first one. Opening
his jacket, he unfastened a cartridge belt and draped it
ostentatiously across the table. Finally, he reached into still
another pocket, pulled out a knife and plunged it into the wood
between the two guns. With this flamboyant gesture, he issued
a challenge to all "niggers," Catholics, Jews, and all others. He
warned them that his organization and its supporters were ready
to meet them and would protect themselves and the American way
of life from any kind of corruption.
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