Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-26
ORGANIZE FOR
EQUAL RIGHTS
The Colored Race Fights Jim
Crowism and Lynching
Without Trial

Colored people are organizing to
secure the rights of citizenship
Which are at present denied them,
according to the annual report just
published of the National Associa-
tlon Tor the Advancement of Colored
Feopie. Throughout the country
eighty-hve new branches and 34,712
mem oers, largely colored, were add
ed TO the organization, or an in
crease of 375 per cent. in member
snip and over 100 per cent. in the
number of branches.
In making public the report, John
X. Shlllady, secretary of the associa-
tlon' said the membership had been
increased since January 1 by forty
branches and 5000 additional mem
bers. This increase, he said, was
more than the total membership d
year ago.
Lieutenant Jailed
The report states that the War
department in several instances
failed to provide redress for colored
ofhcers subjected to indignity in the
South. despite the efforts of the as
soclation. Several such cases. in
Guiding that of Lieutenant C. A.
Tribetts, are recited as follows in
the report:
In March, the case of Lieutenant
c. A. Tribetts. a graduate of Yale
and of the Sheffield Scientific School,
VINO had been forced out of Pull
man coach at Chickasha, Oklahoma
lodged in Jail and fined, was pre-
sented to the department. In June,
the case of Private S. P. Jones, in
private life a dentist of good stand
ing in st. Louis, Mo-, was similarly
laid before the War Department.
private Of
Pullman at Texarkana, on the bor-
der between Arkansas and Texas. In
neither case, despite the fact that
both soldiers were travelling on gov
ernment order, and had been fur
nished Pullman transportation, did
the War Department afford a rem
edy. or make any attempt to do so,
other than to inform the association
that the matter was thought by a
high subordinate of the Secretary of
War to have to do with the execu-
ton of State law and that it had
been referred to the Adjutant Gen.
era1 for an opinion. Despite the
further efforts of the association. in
Guiding widespread publicity of it's
protests. no redress was afforded"
1t is further charged by the asso-
citation that President Wilson took
no action of which it was informed
to insure that colored soldiers in
camps might vote.
Discrimination by Government
Employment discrimination against
negroes in government departments
in Washington is reported by the
association.
1T is the belief of the District of
Columbia branch" says the report,
based upon experience and upon
proof. that it is the settled policy
at present of many of the heads of
federal departments to discriminate
against colored people wherever
possible. The policy of the civil
service commission in requiring
photographs of applicants permits
of colored discrimination in an easy
way and is so used bv many of the
departments"
Nine Lynched i'm 1918
The associations report of its
fight against lynching shows that
sixty-seven persons were lynched in
1918, of whom four were white men
and five were colored women.
Among the offenses charged against
the victims of lynching were Great
ing disturbance" three cases of
stealing hogs" one case of aid
ing mob victim in attempt to es-
CAPE" and six persons lynched for
conspiracy to avenge killing of rel
ative." Fourteen lynchings occurred
following charges of the murder of
civilian" and four on charges of
Shooting and wounding."
Victims Admitted Innocent
I'm three cases of which we have
record" says the report, the press
has spoken of the innocence of vic
Tins; one of these involved three
persons, another the ten victims of
Brooks and Lowndes counties mobs
(aside from the one person who
shot the white farmer which was
the incentive to the lynchings.) In
another case it is the common belief
in the community in which a negro
was lynched for killing a white
woman that the husband of the
woman was himself the murderer.
No charge has been brought against
him, however, bv the authorities.
In an additional case a bank CASH
ier declared in an interview in an
Alabama paper, that certain
lynching victim had committed no
offense, that there had been a mis-
take made in the man the mob was
aftern