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Show BLACK ADMITS PAST KKK LINK Justice Asks for Religious Tolerance, Liberty WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UP) Acknowledging former membership mem-bership in the Ku Klux Klin, Hugo L. Black prepared today to don the black robet of a high justice and to alt Monday for -the first timt as an associate Justice of the United States supreme court. Speaking to an estimated 81,000,-000 81,000,-000 parsons evar tha natlon'a corn-blind corn-blind radio natworka laat night. Justice Black set forth his former connection with tha klan, denounced, indiractly, Its creed and objactlvas, and pleaded for religious tolaranca and liberal principles. His speech ended all reporta that ha might resign or that ha would accept any suggestion that ha should resign. It was believed that he had endeavored ta close finally the public controversy growing out of a newspaper expose of his former klan affiliation. First reaction from public figures waa favorable to Black, and many expressed the opinion that the matter mat-ter now was closed. But in Phoenix, Aril., Senator Henry F. Ashurst D, Aria.), chairman chair-man of the senate Judiciary committee, com-mittee, aald he could not discuss the speech because "I may be called upon to sit at an Impeachment trial against him. and I could not risk disqualification by forming an opinion." President Roosevelt was In Washington Wash-ington state preparing to begin his return Journey te the east when Black apoke. Members of hie ataff said that he had not listened to the speech, and, therefore, could not oommant on It. He waa one of only a comparative few Americans who did not have their radloa tuned last night ta the modeat suburban home here where Black, surrounded by a small group of Intimates, made a statement to the people. Entire Nation Listens In cities and towns throughout the country. Black's voice went Into living rooms, Into moving automobiles, automo-biles, boomed through stores, sa-loona sa-loona and theaters. Dance programs wsre baited in night clubs so that patrons could hear bis aide ef a controversy almost unprecedented in American history. "I did Join the klan," Black said, apeaking each word slowly. "I later resigned. I never rejoined." re-joined." He paused an Instant, than continued: con-tinued: "What appeared then, or what appeara now on the records of ths orgsnisatlon, I do not know. "I have never considered and I I do not now consider the unsolicited , card given to ma shortly after my i nomination to the aenata aa a membership mem-bership of any kind In the Ku Klux Klan. I have never used It I did not even keep. it. Abandoned Klan "Before becoming a senator I , drapped the klan. I have had nothing noth-ing whatever to do with it alnce , that time. I abandoned It ... I nave never resumed It and never SXKCl IU UU Black said ha had Joined the klan "about 18 yeara ago." Ha resigned re-signed after ha entered the aenata for the first time, 11 yeara ago. Aa proof thst hs haa no sympathy with the klan prejudicea against Catholics, Cath-olics, Jews and negroes, hs cited his record of liberalism In the aen-ate. aen-ate. He had started his brief speech with sn attack indirectly put against persons he deemed responsible' respon-sible' for the expose of his klan affiliation. ' During his European vacation from which he returned Wednesday, Justirs Black aaid there had been "a planned and concerted campaign" cam-paign" which "ia calculated to create cre-ate racial and religious hatred." If continued, he said, it would cause Incalculable harm to national life. Would Avert Catastrophe He continued: 'To contribute my part In averting avert-ing auch a catastrophe In this land (CwifUKieif on Pane Two) (Column Four, BLACK ADMITS PASTKKK LINK ',itiniir1 Irom Plgf OnM dedirated to tolerance and freedom, free-dom, I break with precedents of the past to talk with you tonight." That waa the spirit of his speech. It was not an explanation and much less an apology. HI apparent desire de-sire waa to make a statement of fact from a man who was and would remain a Justice of th supreme su-preme court. At the end, he said: "When this statement is ended my discussion of the question is closed." Constitutional authorities agreed that there was no possibility of successful Impeachment proceedings proceed-ings against Black. They aaid that past affiliation with Ku Klux Klan waa not ground for impeachment. Borah Weuld Drop Issue In Boise, Idaho, Senator William E. Borah said that he hoped the entire matter would be dropped. "Justice Black stated the matter of his relationship with the klan aa I understood it to be when I spoke on the subject in the senate. I understood then he had beeii a member, but had dropped hia affiliation af-filiation about 11 year ago." Borah aaid he had voted againat Black's confirmation not because he knew of the past klan affiliation, affilia-tion, but because he believed no vacancy on the court existed. Reaction from the senator who led th fight against President Ropsevelt's supreme court enlargement enlarge-ment program, was varied. Senator Edward R. Burke (D.. Neb.) who, aa a member of the Judiciary committee, com-mittee, raised the question of a klan affiliation while the senate waa considering Black's appointment, said that It would "have been better bet-ter had he not given any speech at all. There was a time when he should have answered questions (before the appointment waa confirmed), con-firmed), but that waa long past." Call Speech Satisfactory Joseph C. O'Mahoney ID., Wyo.), another leader In the court bill fight, aaid In Loa Angeles that he considered Black's speech "a frank and aatiafactory statement which ought to be and which I think will be accepted by the country." At hi home in Weston, W. Va, Senator Rush D. Holt ID, W, Va.) aaid: "What can be said? He pleada guilty." Representative Sol Bloom (D., N. T.) predicted that the controversy would continue. "An associate Justice of the supreme su-preme court, testified aa a witnesa and then closed the discussion," Bloom aaid. "I looked up In the dictionary the word discussion and it moans a two-party debate. After hearing Black'a speech, I am Just as much in a fog aa ever. It aeema to me that the higher the position the more the holder ahould come out In the open. W hav not heard th last of It" Justices Listen In Presumably, all of Black's eight colleagues on ths high bench listened to his speech. Arriving from Europe In New York yesterday. yester-day. Justice James C. McReynolda intimated that he intended to listen. A United Press reporter called at the home of Chief Justice Charles Evsns Hughes last night. The chief Justice wouldn't see him, but from the reception hall he heard Black'a voice coming from the family fam-ily radio. Black took only 11 minute of th half hour th radio chaina had allotted al-lotted him, He sat in th living room of the horn of his friend. Claud E. Hamilton Jr., general counsel for the Reconstruction Finance Fi-nance corporation. Th Hamilton war with him. aa war Mr. Black and a few close friends. |