Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-01-29
H LINCOLN JOHNSON
CONTINUED from Page Three)

Hitchcock, so that Gen. llltchcock'
when he got to tho convention, would
say, IL have got SO many votes, ne
would come to even YOU, Senator"
and say, Now if you don't como
across here, why | have got nun
drcd votes that / can USE Now, VIC
don't want to BE- uGed foE tradlhg
purposes in that Way.
The Chairman. Was that the way
things were done in the South?
Mr.. johnson. When Hitchcock had
Office it was.
Senator Spencer. Is that what Is
known as the Hitchcock plan?
Mr.. johnson. Yes; that lis what
is known as the Hitchcock plan.
1t was not TO pledge yourself for the
candidate for President, but the idea
was to get somebody who will do
just what Mr.. Hitchcock says when
he gets to Chicago.
The Chairman. DO you know what
tho situation is i'm South Carolina?
Mr.. Johnson. Yes, sir l got so
busy, Senator, that l couldn' t go
over there, and l got Mr.. Stewart TO
go over and manage the matter III So.
Carolina and he went over there. /
know it ,in a general way. Now, we
know that over theoretically, as
understood it, to be entirely frank,
the sentiment in South Carolina was
for Gen. Wood, among the Negroes.
There had been some demonstration
there where Gen. Wood had had a
little black child and showed some
Humanitarian disposition and made
the Negroes In South Carolina feel
quite well, and they were really for
Con. Wood but then MIR. Hitchcock
said, "You must be for me and let
mo manage you and control you and
put you like so many fish on the
string so that when I get to Chicago
l can make delivery" Now that is
true.
The Chairman. We'll, now, Just
how does Mr.. Hitchcock get that pow
or? How can he come down to you
people and get the delegations and
use them as you say?
Mr.. Johnson. We'll, when he comes
down and says that they put out Mr.
John II. King and they put out every
body else, and Il am the manager Of
the Wood campaign, and when Gen.
W. Cd is elected l Will he tho Postm as
ter General" say, for instance, and
all these statesmen wanting TO be
misunderstanding is the thing that
counts Now the colored people don't
want to be postmasters; it is tho
white men. And that Is the thug
that counts, that every one Of them
Is candidate for postmaster. Now,
fer instance, take Fred Dismuke, he
was postmaster under Gen. Hitch
cock, and II Gen. Wood was elected
you couldn't make him believe that
no wouldn't be postmaster again. Now
Mr.. Mckee had been postmaster at
Atlanta, and II Gen. Wood was elect
ed, he would believe that he would
agmin be postmaster. And Mr.. Blum
had been postmaster Mt Savannah,
Ga, and IL Gen. Wood was elected he
would expect to again be postmaster
at Savannah, Ga, and so on nd in
finitum.
The Chairman. We're there any
promises made Of misunderstanding
in this campaign?
MIR. johnson. Yes. Now, l had n
very splendid white gentleman friend
or mine from u little town near At
antn, who was really my friend, and
Is my friend today, an honorable lit
TIC white man, who said, "Lincoln,
am going to cast my fortunes with
you, my boy, and they tell me will
never be the posLmaster; but
would rather be With you, my boy,
than TO be the postmaster; my boy"
That is an il us.raIion. Now Mr..
Cole was assistant postmaster ut At
lanta, Ga; MIR. Clark Grier was the
postmaster at joplin, Ga, Capt. Blum
.bt 10
and Mr.. Alderman was tho postmaster
at Cartersville, and Jacl. Spence was u,
revenue service; ana Mr.. Charlie vii
hams from the fourth district, was a
deputy ,ntcrnalrcvenue collector
there; and Fred Dismuke, OF Thomas
vllle' Ca, was postmaster; and Mr..
Schwartzweiss, at Wnyneshoro, was Il
postmaster there, and every one o.
them we figure in this thing.
The Chairman. Did you have any
people working with you who desired
to be Do3tmasters?
Mr.. Johnson. Well, there were
some OF my friends that would not
suffer tho crown to be offered to them
LOO many times, Senator, but if they
would get it, il would be q Virgin ex
perlence OF theirs.
Inc Chairman. Had you promised
them?
Mr.. Johnson. No, I wouldn't do
that. | wouldn't have the temerity
TO promise po3tmnst erships. | might
say that l would use my kindly Off
Co.'S even with The Senator from Iowa
ana all that kind OF thing, but
would not give them a promise; I
would tell them that would write a
letter to my friend over in Missouri
Miss Haley, the colored women
that was alternate at large from Mis-
souri,. Now, that is the extent to
which l would 60. I would chance to
know somebody that would know
somebody. l would expect to get next
to the Senator from Minnesota
through my friend, Mr.. W. r. Francis
Negro who is an elec:or ND there
IN Minnesota. There are variety of
negroes who are trying to hold them
selves up as best they can, Senator,