The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-12-24
ANTI-LYNCHING BILL
DEBATE CONTINUES

washington, Dec. 19.-ItileT
bitter fight the house tonight vot-
ed to take up the Dyer anti-lynch-
ing bill under a rule limiting gen
eral debate to ten hours. Leaders.
! however, have agreed that the
measure Will not be pressed to a
final vote before the Christmas
recess
The vote was ITO to 42. with five
members voting present" and
was reached only after more than
two hours delay through quorum
calls demanded by Representative
Garrett, Of Tennessee, the Demo
cratic leader who directed the op-
, position to the bill. Twice the
! Seargeant-at-arms was sent out
with warrants to arrest absentees
(; before Guorums were obtained.
Two hours We're devoted TO the de-
! bate, which ended in the bill be-
Ing given the right CT way in the
house.
General debate on the measure.
according to plans Of leaders. will
be stretched over the days remain
ing before the recess, which prob
ably Will begin Thursday.S More
than ten hours may be devoted to
discussing the bills features, Chair
man Campbell Of the rules commit
tee said, Ito permit comprehen-
sive consideration Of a question
! that cannot be side-stepped."
The bill, introduced by Repre-
sentative Dyer, Republican, of
Missouri, would provide heavy fines
and imprisonment for persons par
ticipating in lynchings and for OF
! ficials who failed through negli-
gence to prevent mob violence. 1t
would also require counties in
which iynchings occurred to for
/ felt $4,000 to the family Of the
person killed.
Among those urging passage Of
! the measure were Mr.. Campbell.
j of Kansas, and Representatives
Fess, of Ohio, and Ansorge Of New
! York, Republicans. while those who
spoke in opposition included Mr..
; Garrett and Representative Pou,
! of North Carolina; Byrnes. of
South Carolina. and Aswell. OF
Louisiana, Democrats.
Mr.. Fess declared the bill was
not aimed at the south but was
designed to deal effectively with
mob violence wherever it occurred.
One OF the most ''indescribable''
lynchings had occurred in his own
state, he added. Mr.. Ansorge said
passage of the Dyer bill would
'.forevermore wipe the stain of
lynching from the pages of Amer
lean history"
On the other hand. Mr.. Garrett
asserted the measure should be en-
titled "a bill to encourage rape
and Mr.. Pou said its purpose was
Ito pay a political debt" Mr.
Byrnes characterized the measure
as a proposal which. if enacted and
held constitutional, would prove in
effective, while Mr. Aswell con-
tended passage OF the bill would
have a tendency 70, increase rather
than prevent lynchings.
Representative Begg, Republ!-
can, Ohio, broke into the discussion
TO tell OF the robbing Of bank IL
Cleveland. Citizens he said, turn
ed out TO apprehend the robbers
and ore Of the bandits was shot.
Under the terms OF this bill.
he asked aIr. Campbell would that
cr..nty be required to forfeit sl0,-
Oc0 because a criminal met death
at the hands OF group of citi-
zens?"
I'm not prepared to answer
that question: replied Mr.. Camp
bell.
When Representative Kelley, Re-
publican. Michigan. followed with
a query as to whether the oiil
would penalize county which did
it's best TO prevent mob violence
but failed Mr.. Campbell said ap-
piication of the bills various pro-
visions would have to be deternlin-
ed during the debate.
Representative Bankhead, DEM
ocrat. Alabama, inquired what
would be gained by passage OF the
bill transferring jurisdiction 10 the
! federal courts.
Aren't Judges and jurors in
state and federal courts actuated
/ by the same desire TO enforce
! law imDartially?" he asked.