The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-04
POLITICS,

! ISM has made its official pre-conven-
| tion bow in Chicago and the city stand
ing politically aghast at the spectacle:
Old timers call it sorry sight
| others more temperate in speech de
clare it can impudent assumption of
political authority'' that cannot but
give a freshened impetus to whatever
temper of radicalism has, undoubtedly,
began to show it's fangs among the
younger element of me Negro vote. -
No one here has been able to put his
hand on the fuller significance of this
latter declaration One thing - GER
tain, however, dissatisfaction is 'be-
ing openly expressed by colored men
who heretofore have been willing to
swallow anything that was rammed
down their political throats if it bore
the stamp Republican,
FRANK HITCHCOCK SCORED.
Frank Hitchcock is being soundly
scored on all Sides He is said to be the
arch conspirator in plan which aims
to eliminate the southern Negro voter
as directing influence in the councils
of the party south of the Ohio river.
Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, zMissise-
|.ippi and Texas are said to be the fields
"a which he has been giving special
|attention and where his particular
Brand of political genius has been exer-
cised with sinister and far-reaching
results. His action is said to have been
determined by the discovery that the
old time "nigger delegate' lisa bird
that has flown to the swamps. The
jingle Of the silver dollars has lost its
the "bird' to listen to it's siren SHIN
merings, Mr. Hitchcock lost his tenn
per, called the creature a ID buz-
zard and then hide himself over, bag
and baggage, to the camps of the 'lily
whites.V - "Smal loss, ,, chimmed the
"birds,' - "he was double crossing the
Wood people, anyway.'
~, 118 CONTESTS.
118 contests are to be decided before
the big convention gets under way.
This is, the number that; were filed with
the national committee last week. The
list includes the Arkansas four at large;
the entire delegation of eight from
Florida; fourteen of the seventeen from
Georgia.; Louisian's entire delegation
of twelve; two from the tenth district
of Minesota; the entire twelve from
Mississippi; two from the fourth dis
trict of Missouri; six district delegates
from Oklahoma; the entire delegation OF
eleven from South Carolina; two dele
gates from the sixth district of Ten
nessee; the four delegates at large and
two from the eight district of Virginia;
three sets contesting for two seats for
the district of Columbia; the entire
delegation of fourteen from Alabama;
and the twenty-three from Texas are
among the contests to be passed upon.
Ninety nine split votes will also come
underthe scrutiny of the committee.
DELEGATES ARRIVING.
The advance guard of the delegates
are beginning to arrive. Perry w. How
ard was among the first to appear. The
doughty Mississippian started the fur
to flying right off the reel. He made
no concealment of his intentions to
make it uncomfortable for all and any
who questioned his claims to represent
hi state in the convention There is
no pussyfooting and no whispering in
the character of the campaign Howard
is waging and it is believed he will win
his fight. Bob Church from Memphis
urbane and gracious as usual is also
upon the scene full arrayed in fighting
t0gs to the latest cut. He says but lit
tie yet, whenever his contest is men
toned, there comes momentary flare
of Indignation to his handsome face
which augurs i'll for his enemies. DR..
Ferguson and the rest of the Virginia
men came to town Saturday eager for
the scrap and they were closely fol
lowed by the South Carolina "Black
and Tans'' equally eager for the fray.
Henry Lincoln Johnson and Ben, Ben
himself, got here Tuesday, took off
their coats rolled upftheir shirt sleeves
and calmly announced @ We are here. -
By the end of the weekathe city will be
full of fighting delegations and con
tests will then be the order of the day
until the convention starts.
MISSOURIWILL BE HEARD FROM
Bill Hueston, Bill of Kansas City,
came TO town last Friday. The news
he brought from the state that con
tains St. Loris and other points of in
+ tcrest set the wiseacres to wagglng
their heads. For all that mi ght be
otherwise known Missouri may be the
first commonwealth in the north to be
represented in congress bv Negro.
At least the fight is on and the district
threatened with the innovation is the