Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1909-11-05
IOWA STATE NEGRO BAR AS
ISOLATION MEETS IN sTH, ANNUAL
SESSION.


SESSION.
LEGISLATIvE COMMlTTE MAKES
IMPORTANT REPORT.
To the President and Members Of
the Iowa State Negro Rar Asso-
ciation, In annual Session ut Des-
Moines, Iowa, October %, 1909.
Greeung:-
Your Legislative Committee ap-
pointed at the last meeting to keep
watch of the action of the 33rd. Gener.
al Assembly so as to oppose measures
hostile to the general welfare of the
people of Iowa and especially offen-
sive to the Negro Race, and to foster
and aid in having measures passed for
the best interest Of the General Public,
and especially helpful to the members
af the Negro Race, who are striving
against great injustice growing out
of a adversed sentiment, amounting
in many instances to brutal, unchrist-
ian and cruel oppression, beg to sub
NIT this report for your careful con-
sideration.
1st. We wish to state that, while
the general public sentiment concern
Ing our race In the State of Iowa Is
not altogether bad yet 1t Is not favor
able as it has been and not as good as
the present status of our people merits.
End. In plain violation OF the ex-
press provisions constitution and
statutes, equal public accommodation
and almost every public accommodation
is still openly and defiantly denied all
Of our people, the cultured, indust-
rious and religious along the vulgar,
slothful and depraved criminal class,
and that is the hard unreasonable
part OF the discrimination which our
people are made to suffer all over
Iowa and the country. 1t will not take
any student of Sociology long to un-
derstand why this harsh general dis
elimination Is placing premium on
racial voice and discount on racial
virtue. There can be no public In
fiuence as a reward and an incentive
to virtue If the same influence gives
the reward to worthlessness and vice.
This pernicious doctrine in Iowa has
been carried to the point of denying
the respectable people of our race
equal accommodation, first:-in the
matter of Pure Food; second:-in the
matter of equal educational acCam-
modations outside of the state schools;
third: in the matter of the denial of
the right and privilege so long en-
joyed by our people to belong to their
own secret societies and to establish
and maintain the same
y The protest of the Race against the
treatment of the Pure Food" people.
was entered by, Mrs. Susie Brown In
the case entitled Sfsie Rrown.
Plaintiff, vs.. The j.. H. Bell Co., De-
fendant." This case or cause of act
ion has been before the courts in
some form or other for Two years. II
has been maintained by Mrs. Brown In
behalf of and for the good of her race
at her own costs. She has asked
nothing but the moral support and
sympathy of fairminded, patriotic
people of her own and other races in
Iowa, for a just termination Of this
cause The case is now awaiting
decision from the Supreme Tribunal
of our State and, as the highest court
is soon to pass upon the right OF the
negro to fair treatment in pure food
show and to have pure food in Iowa,
this committee will not say more up
on that part of the subject at this time.
To meet the educational discrimi-
nation, we caused bill to be intro
duced in the senate to amend Section
500S so as to prohibit incorporated
schools and colleges from refusing
admission to students of our race and
color. This bill failed to pass and
was defeated by the majority Of the
race friends IN in the Legislature.
They saw the opponents of the meas
ure speak and vote against the bill
and the best of majority of our friends
could do to meet this opposition was
to quietly sit in their seats (some of
them did go to the cloak room and
gleefully fail and refuse to answer or
vote when the bill was up for action
and their names were reached on the
roll and called by the senate clerk.
And thus was the measure killed In the
house and company Of it's friends But
your committee is not discharged and
If the race in Iowa demands it, we are
willing and ready to try again.
The bill introduced in our last Gen.
eral Assembly for the purpose Of des-
troying our secret orders, was not an
Iowa measure In fact, it was such a
sneaking, underhanded low-down
proposition that very few Iowa people
knew, or even now realize the aim
and purpose of the measure. The
most watchful guardians Of our liberty
were taken by surprise and we unpre-
pared to meet such bill. After the
Chairman of your committee had re-
received and read the bill, he found 1t
hard to get our President to believe that
such measure. had found its way
into the Legislative Halls of its own
native state. But when s. Joe Brown
did realize that the bill was here and
about to pass he closed his Office and
moved to the Capitol. With Mr..
Brown on watch, your committee
notified the head officials of every sec.
ret order in the state and received
prompt and fitting response from all.
Be it also said to their credit, that the
majority of the respectable white fra
ternity men were opposed to the
measure when they were made to un-
derstand the nature of the provision.
In the mesure, Mr. Rrown had sue
ceeded in having the bill withdrawn
and far this he has your committees
everlasting thanks. No further EFFORTS
were necessary in this particular mat
ter. but this bill discl0ses an alarming
state of affairs for the Negro Race In
the United States. 1t is this: The
enemies Of civil and religious liberty