The broad ax., 1920-10-30
BOLD AND COURAGEOUS SPEECH OR GRAFTON OF
HON. MARTIN B. MADDEN DELIVERED IN THE
HALLS OF CONGRESS THE FIRST PART OF
April, 1916, FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEGRO
WOMAN4OOD"

The following eloquent Grafton was
delivered in the halls Of Congress BY
Hon. Martin B. Madden, the latter
part Of April, 1916, and II Is wen to
reproduce Il once in awhile for Il Is
wen worth reading especially at this
time while % many white gentlemen
in and from the south are engaged in
spending mueh Of their Invaluable
time IN AArping on that old "SOeial
equality STUFF and that the eolOred
folks are endesvOriAg TO break or bust
into the homes Of the whites, without
an invitation from them to do % and
place themselves O the same social
plane with them.
Tor TIE Protection Of NeEro woman
hood
Mr.. Madden. Mr.. Speaker, an op-
posed 10 intemaEriAge Of the raees.
TIE Negroes Themselves are opposed
to such marriages. But I am opposed
to legiSlatiOn making such marriages q
erims. II q white man and q black
woman want 70 marry, II Sh0ald be .
matter for them to decide. I think
they would both Be foolish 70 thus
ostrseiEe themselves from association
with their own people, and that Is what
they do when they marry. But II they
want to OstraeiEs themselves, that IL
q personal matter between them, and
should be.
To make such marriages criminal
and void would leave the children Of
such marriages without the protection
which they need and should have. In
stead Of lettering the moral conditions
such q law would make them wore. It
would leave many young girls at the
meery Of brutes willing to take ad-
vantage Of their virtue and then desert
them to q life Of shame. cannot cen
eeive Of q condition under which q
white man should be allowed TO eohabit
with q black woman not his wife with
out being compelled by law to marry
her or provide for the care Of their
children. Why should innocent women
Of the Negro race not have the same
protection Of the law which II &c
corded to women Of any ether rasOf
It viii not do to say there Il no such
condition a. that to which I have
alluded Everyone knows better, elDs
how does it happen that we have %
many people Of mixed blood In the
United States.
The Negroes are willing 10 eOnhns
their marriages to their own race, In
deed they would prefer that, but they
have . right to demand that the WOm-
en- Of their race shah not be considered
the legitimate prey Of the men Of
other races. (APplGuse.) II marriage
between the Negro and CGuessian Il
50 abhorent as to some II seems to be,
why do 20 many Of the caueasian men
insist on taking undue liberties with
the defenselesS Negro WOmeni Why do
they Insist on mixing the blood Of the
raeesi II the blood Of both raees can
be kept pure BY law, all right. but
who can assure 1T By al means,
If we are to have . law against mixed
marriages, the law should provide for
arrest and prosecution for bastardy, %
that it win be possible to expose those
who boast Of the purity Of their blood
while they continue clandestiLely and
illegally to eohabit with those against
whom this law is directed.
Let the law Of marriage stand as It
is, and trust to the pride Of race both
among the Negroes and CAueasians to
contract their marriages with their
own people. The purpose Of this law