The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1921-02-05
A SOUTHERN POINT
OF View
A HUMILIATING CONTRAST
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Jan. %

NAPPNa'g jan 80
Those who may feel an interest III
the matter and il Is the deepest in
terest to all whether they feel ii or
not, could not do better than to re-
quest their representatives in Con-
gress TO send them tl1es2H earrings Be
fore the Committee on the Census,
which recently reported the bill re
apportioning the membership OF that
body. \ more illuminating document
could scarcely be found than this pam
phlet OF something more than 200
pages.
The daily press reports at the time
gave a glimpse OF these hearings, but
the ipsisSima verba OF those who were
heard are far moro impressive and
significant OF the STATE Of mind OF a
not unimportant elcnidnt in the pop
ulation ofthc United States, aud moro
especially OF the southern states.
There all DISCUSSES were thrown aside
and il there were any reservations at
all they are doubtless comprehcndcd
in the significant statement Of one
dcponent who affirmed. We are
standing on the crater OF a volcano
The public is aware that the notori-
Gus Society Tor the Advancement OF
Colored People appeared before this
congressional committee and through
its officials urged the reduction OF
southern representation in Congress
on the alleged ground OF the practical
disfranchiscmcnt OF the negro in the
south. These men freely admitted
that the laws of the southern states
h1. h,4t 1i,araa1 that tlap
administration OF them is not And
ii may surprise others, as it did us,
TO learn that this society has mem
bership OF 100000, principally in the
south, and that it numbers among its
northern membership such respect
able names as that OF Moorheld
Storey. one OF the most eminent OF
+! American lawyers.
The representatives OF this organi-
eaton who appeared before the COM
mittee were negroes OF ability. who
presented their case impressively and
with becoming dignity But the man
ner in which they were bullied by
southern congressman, who we're
members OF the committee. presents
a humIliating contrast. The cour-
t1SJ anu dDlIlS Alt WHICH tllt HOl III
crn members conducted themselves.
though they evidently sympathizcd
with their southern associates, was
highly comnendable. From this ex-
hlbition it seems quite clear that the
south must improve the quality OF its
representation, if it hopes to retain
the respect of the nation One can
not imagine Lamar or George or
lsham q. Harris. or Garland playing
the role that these men did.
The southerners showed up some
what better when they came to deal
with the famous Mr.. Tinkham OF Mas
sachusetts, who displayed a surpris-
ing ignorance of the subject upon
which his fame rests That his weight
IS light is clearly shown by the fact
that his suggestions were ignored by
the committee, majority of whom
were OF his own party. and by the
House itself. which is also Republi-
can. II would seem, moreover. that
his threatened appeal to the supreme
court will yield Mr.. Tinkham small
comfort, II the past decisions of that
tribunal may serve as al guide TO their
future course. N
The negroes who appeared before
the committee were evidently such
as are sometimes called light COM
plected, Tor one OF the :, northern
members expressed great astonish-
ment when Que. OF them was referred
to as negro, And the record con-
ta'ns an amusing statement from the