The Colorado statesman., 1921-04-02
PEONAGE MENACE
TO NATIONS ECO
NOMIC FUTURE
Greatest Cause of Unrest
Next to Lynching.
Negro Association Tele-
graphs President Harding
and Georgia Governor on
Georgia Cases.

-HE National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
u 40 Fifth avenue, New York, to-
day made public telegrums sent Ia
President Harding and Governor Dor
sey of Georgia in which the statement
is made that the murder of eleven Ne
groes ON tn Williams plantation in
Georgia does not constitute an Isolated
case of peonage in the South but that
number of cases have been called tn
the attention of the Department of
! Justice in recent years.
The Arkansas riots of 1919 and the
burning at stake in January of this
year of Henry Lowery,. are laid to the
same cause and it is stated in the tel
egram that the practice of peonage is
widespread in southern states, eSpe-
cially in the Mississippi delta region.
1t is called the greatest cause of un-
rest next to lynching.
In the telegram to the governor of
Georgia, he is called upon not only to
exercise his full power to bring the Of
tenders i'm the present cases to Justice,
but to proceed against the widespread
system of debt slavery which prevails
in his state.
The kilograms follow. The one sent
President Harding is as follows:
March rs. 1921.
Hon. Warren G. Harding, President
of the United States, Washington,
ID. c.:
"'rhe National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
urgently requests of you that II thor
ough investigation he made by the De
partment of Justice under authority
vested in that department by federal
laws of peonage conditions in Jasper
county, Georgia, where John Williams,
Il white landowner, has killed or
caused to be killed eleven Negroes who
threatened to testify against Williams
regarding peOnage. This case is not
an isolated one but is Indicative of
similar conditions which exist in most
southern states and particularly in the
Mississippi delta. Henry LOwery, col
ored, was burned at the state in most
horrible fashion in Arkansas on Jan
uary 26 because he attempted to eS-
cape from being held in peonage. In
Phillips county, Arkansas, in October,
1919, an unknown number of Negroes
were slaughtered and others sentenced
to death and imprisonment for at
tempting to secure redress from eX-
pIoitation through the courts & ,e hat
state. This association has fufirEhed
numerous cases of peOnage to th& De-
partment of Justice. The entire eco
nOmic future of the South and of
America are affected by this system.
Thorough investigation and punish
mcnt of those guilty of perpetuating
this system whatever the cost to the
United States must he made. We
urge YOU 10 issue such an order
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON.
Secretary"
The telegram to Governor Dorsey is
as follows:
March 2S, 1921.
"Hon. Hugh NJ Dorsey Governor
State of Georgia. Atlanta. Ga.
"The National Association for the
Advancement of ColOred People urges
YOU To use every effort to bring totius
tice the murderers of eleven Negroes
in Jasper county, GeOrgia, because
they threatened to reveal peOnage con |
ditions in that county. We also strong |
ly urge that You have brought into the |
light this vicious system of economic |
exploitation and debt slavery which is
so prevalent in other parts of Georgia |
as well and which is so great n menace
to the well-being of Georgia, the South |
and America. VIII you not also turn |
over to the Department of Justice evil
dence of such other cases of peOnage |
aS YOU have in your possession that |
the department may act in cOnjumc- |
tion with state authorities in wiping |
out this evil. Next to. lynching there
is no greater cause of unrest than this !
vicious system.
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON.
Secretary"
\ telegram was also sent to Attor-
ney General Daugherty urging that the |
entire machinery of the Department of |
Justice be placed behind the Georgia |