The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1910-03-11

the guidance of an experienced white
lawyer would be more profitable to
it, and that he could render it mere
satisfactory service" is a reflection on
the Negro lawyers in this city. And
then, how does The Union know what
the members Of the committee
thought? Did they consult the edi-
tor of the Union? He says he was
not member of the committee. We
would not believe him to be eligible,
as the board of which he is secretary
was part of the property to be in
vestigated We will not, however, go
into details on that point, but will as
sumo that being the official organ,
the committee felt duty bound to ask
The Union to assist them in whatever
way possible. Coming back to the
point. If the committee felt that there
was not Negro lawyer in Nashville
who had sense enough to advise them
how to go to the secretaries of these
boards and tell them that they had
come in obedience to their supreme
body to see what the convention had
here, why then, they do hold the legal
profession in this city very cheaply,
and the Negro lawyers had better wake
up.
We believe we all can agree that
comparisons are odious Then why
compare the court and the church?
But granting that the ministers who
constituted that committee, after they
had been informed of the ability and
standing of the many Negro lawyers
here, decided that they were all
mum skulls" then suppose we put
that shoe on the other foot, how
would they feel if, after all the years
they have spent in preparation to
preach the gospel they should be told
by their congregations that white
men would have to be called to take
charge of their affairs in church
meeting; we imagine that they would
cry out race pride" But there are
Negro lawyers in this city who have
been practicing before all the courts,
some of them, for over twenty-five
years. They stand high in their pro.
fession, and are respected by the
courts, and can it be true that they
have not learned yet how to advise
committee who are simply sent to
investigate and report their findings?
Again, if the members of the COM
mittee were so well informed in legal |
matters that the Negro lawyers could
not aid them, it seems that they might !
have proceeded without lawyer.
The Union states that "The atten-
ton of the committee was then called
to fifth Negro lawyer, whose name
is R. L. Mayfeld. The committee
did not see fit to employ Lawyer May
field" But still Mr.. Mayfeld has
brought suit to collect fee So he
must have thought that he had been
employed, but the committee broke
away from their chief adviser, who
ever that party was, for be it remem-
bered their attention was called"
This case reminds us of boys first
impression of an elephant The little
fellow is puzzled to know heads from
tails. This explanation given by
the official organ of the National
Baptist Convention, who was not
a member of the committee, reads
very authoratively, and the commit
tees decision puts the whole Negro
race in bad plight. If, after forty
seven years of freedom, we are no
further removed from a state of help
lessness than they would have us be-
lieve we are it is time to give up the
fight for recognition as men.
But the members of the committee
are having something to say them
selves. True, the statements all
sound like the voice of Jacob" but
we accept them as genuine.
We do not believe the great Ma
tional Convention will approve of the
action Of its committee in this law