The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1919-09-13
Bill Introduced by
Senator Madden
Opposed by
Southerners
BY The Readers News Service

If the bill, introduced into Congress
and fathered by Representative Mad
den of Illinois, to amend IAN Act to
Regulate Commerce" approved FEB.
1887. is passed, the long cursed Jim
Crow" car, the blight of the Negroes
travelling experience, will find its way
to the scrap heap of discarded insti-
tutions of racial discrimination.
This bill provides that ut shall be
unlawful - to deny or to refuse
to furnish equal and identical rights
and accommodations and privileges to
any person on account of race, color
or previous condition of servitude,"
this to be applied to transportation
syste.us soliciting interstate COM
merce."
On Friday last this bill was intro
iuced before the Interstate Commerce
committee for hearing. The Colored
-A4.~n~ss. Council an organization
purposing to study national legislation
as it affects colored people, was rep
resented at this hearing by number
of its members, several of whom ar
gued in behalf of the bill.
Representative Madden presented
the bill. Mr.. George II. Murray, coun-
sol for the Colored American Council,
presented an argument for the eonstl-
tutionaljtv of the bill and the neces-
sitv of congressional legislation. In
Producing his argument, Mr.. Murray
said I'VE gave the best blood and
treasure of our nation, black and
white. to confer upon the peoples of
Europe freedom from ruthless crush
ing. soul -deadening blight of Culture
I take it that it will require no great
sacrifice for US to lay down our preJu-
diees in order that the peoples of oui
NUN country shall be made politically
free. We have vanquished the enemy
in the field of force; we have yet to
vano,isb him in the field of govern
hAatA 49,
ment."
In proof of the statement that Jim
Grow" accommodations are seldom, II
ever. equal, Mr.. Murray pointed out
that coaches for Negroes were usually
placed just behind the engine to eaten
the most heat and dirt and the greatest
danger in case of accident or at the
end of the train, where danger in
accidents was equally great.
Other speakers from the council
were Lieut.. T. NJ. Gregory, who, in
1915 made a special study of railroad
determinations in the South, and who
was prepared to lay bare the most
convincing facts against the "Jim
Grow" institution and who made a
most impressive presentation of these
facts; Prof A. w. Mitchell, formerly
president of the State Industrial In
stitute of Alabama; Mr.. Edward B.
Henderson of Washington, and Capt.
Louis +. Mellinger.
capt. MelliilBeI, WIN seiFeu Will
the Ninety-second Division overseas,
compared the return of the white and
colored soldiers to the country for
which both had fought, and recited
some of his own experiences since his
return.
Representatives Raybum of Texas,
Sanders of Louisiana, Simms of Ten
nessee made vigorous assaults upon
the bill, engaging in prolonged COLO
quies as to whether or not the bill was
intended to infringe upon state rights
or to promote social equality among
the races. After the argument of the
colored council had been presented,
however, these representatives were
profoundly silent or conspicuously
absent.
The argument by the council, it is
stated upon high authority, made a
profound and favorable impression.