The colored American., 1899-11-25

Anti lyncbing petitions which will be
presented to Congress in December. l
Mr.. Brown is president of the most
influential Negro organizations in
Massachusetts,: The Wendell Phillips
Club, the Crispus Attucks Club; he is
also Fist Vice President of the Ma
tiOnal League of the city of Boston
In politics he is a repub lican, but one
who is OutspOken when be thinks the
party is not acting right toward its
members
Mr.. Brown is married and has
beautiful home in Boston Highl ands
presided over by his charming wife
Many social functions occur at his
hOspitable home which is the center of
attraction among strangers when they
visit Boston. He is the brother of
Madame Nellie Brown Mitchell and
Miss Edna E. Brown, the we'll know n
vocalists.
Mr.. Brown maintains his position
with strong argument why National
AntLLynching Bill should be enacted
by Congress. He said in his speech at
Chicago:
alt is no longer a Negro or sectional
question, for the lynchIng mania is
spreading like cancer over the whole
country, sapping the life blood of the
Republic, undermining American IN
stituliOns, and degrading the manhood
and wOmanhOOd OF the land. Il teaches
our youth to disregerdlng the law
and order, aud look upon our courts of
justice with contempt and will breed
a race anarchists and nihiliss; for tb5
same element that would lynch q Ne
gro without the form of a trial for
some fancied grievance against their
neighbOr would burn down his house,
his store or his factory"
He argues we are all National citi-
zens before we are citizens of any
state. Our first allegiance is to the
United States Government, secord to
the state in which we live; This propo-
sitiOn being true, the first duty of the
General Government, which is supreme
upon every inch of American soil, is
to protect its humbIest citizen IN any
state whether black or white, rich or
poor.
Article IA, Section OF the Constitu
| ton OF the United States reads that.
"No State shall deprive a citizen Of
life, liberty or property without due
process of law"
Mr.. Browns contention is founded
upon a we'll established legal princI-
pal that where the duly elected and
accredited officials of a state sworn to
uphold and administer the law show
no disposition or make 10 honest eff
fort 10 enforce their own police regula-
| tOns, allowing prisoners who have been
detained for trial to be taken from
their jsIls by bands OF Iawless men,
and murdered in their midst, many
times participating in the commission
OF the horrible crime of lynching them
| selves. He claims that treason has
| b5en committed against the Govern
ment itself because the Constitution is
being violated with impunity and an
American citizen deprived of his life
without due process of law by the
state because OF the acts Ofstste officials.
Therefore, the general Government in
its great organic entity should rise in
its majestic power and interfere III any
state tC protect the life of an American
citizen as it did in 1861 when Sumpter
was fired upon and the greatest war
OF modern times was fought to over
throw the doctrine of state rights, and
establish the supremacy of the United
States as greater than any one state.
Bible Day Exercises.