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Autograph letter signed, 1928 January 18
A reproduced from typewriting letter with Klan letterhead signed by the Imperial Wizard addressed to "Faithful and esteemed Klansman", alerting the membership to a coming call for action. "The hour has come when the legions of the Klan must go forth to battle for the preservation of that Americanism so dear to every loyal son of the Republic... There has arisen within our borders a mighty power which challenges the very fundamentals of Americanism. Both cannot live... There is definite work for you to do. Shortly you will receive a Fiery Summons from the Exalted Cyclops of your Klan to attend a meeting on the stated night, and on that night you will learn more of the duty and service to which you, as a Klansman, are now to be called. Your Imperial Wizard is depending on you to answer that call." The crisis to which the Klan leader alludes was the presidential campaign of New York Democratic governor Al Smith, a Catholic. The Klan held cross burnings across the country to oppose his candidacy.
H.W. Evans (1881-1966) was the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1922 to 1939. Evans joined the Klan in 1920 and was part of the group to oust the previous Imperial Wizard, William Joseph Simmons. Evans succeeded him and sought to transform the group into a political power.