Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-05-20
EDITOR DAVIS EXPLANATIONS.

i''''iS anu NHtloidl committeeman
Henry Lincoln Jo'lnson was not
healed rs result OF thc recent reg
! Ullr Republican Convention held in
tie state of Georgia. if we are to
judge by the recent editorial utter
anCcS appearing in the Atlanta indie
pendent, Which is the official mouth
! piece Of that large element Of citizens
, watch tho versatile and brilliant
| Editor Davis controls.
I lie "rcturnS to his mutton" so to
speak. if the issue Of that journal Of
the 11th inst. is to be taken as a
, criterion. 1t says:
! III the language Of the Now York
! Age, when our National Committee-
man broke his speaking silence. he
made tnc following announcement
which Brother Harry Smith Of the
! Cleveland Gazette does not rhinll
| consistent with the pronunCiamento
issued by the Colonel following his
attendance Of the Georgia Republic
can State Convention. Tao Colonel
had been silent long time and had
! remained so. SO long that Brother
! Moore Of the Age referred to his
! silence as "a speaking silence " And
when ne broke that eloquent silence,
our National Committeeman re-
marked:
! AS member OF the National
| Committee, | cannot denounce tho
Administration and remain a men,
Der or the committee as Il matter
of principle. 1t is an open secret
| that l could be extended nattering
i political favors were | willing to re-
/ sign from the committee"
This announcement was scnt out
| through the National Negro Press
| Association. And if it was not true.
the good Colonel has never taken the
time to deny it, and the people Of the
| country accept this news item as the
facts.
The Atlanta Independent contin-
ucs:
Following the state convention
/ here April 20Uh, our National Com
| mitteeman before leaving the state,
bought Il lot Of Atlanta Journals that
made an effort to report the Repub-
ltcan Convention, and largely feat
ured its report with speech that
our National Committeeman never
made. Colonel Johnson clipped that
part Of the report from the Journal
| that referred to him and mailed II
out to select bunch Of Negro papers
throughout the country. In It's re-
port tho Journal said that, "Our
National Committeeman severely
criticised President Harding, chnrg-
! ing the President with having yio-
! lated patronage agreements and turn
! ing down his best rriends-those
| who were first to cspouso his cause
| and candidacy."
Mr.. Johnson never made any such
remarks. He did not assail the
President and uttered no word Of
| criticism OF the President or his pol
Icy. l1e made no charges against
the administration, and yet, he took
6his clipping from the journal and
sent IT broadcast throughout the
country rs quoting hfm correctly.
| ana adopting this false report as
| what he said rs his own speech.
There Is Il story told about faith
er, who had castigated his son for
some OF his misdeeds. The boy was
| not in as humble n mood as the iroto
| parent thought he Should be and so
he asked the boy, what are YOU
thinking?" The boy made no roply.
Il know what YOU are thinking, "
said the father. "You are thinking.
God d---n it, and am going to
whip you some more for THAT"
| This seems to DO the case Of Henry
! Lincoln Johnson, so far as Editor
Is. j. Davis is concerned. While he
did not assail President Harding in
his address, he was thinking it and
so Editor Benjamin Davis will chas-
tise aim some more for that.
so far as we are able to observe,
we have not seen any evidence pro-
| duced to show that Hon. Henry Lin
} coin johnson assaulted the President
in his address before the regular
! Convention. He may have felt like
doing it, but until he did do it, he
cannot be held responsible. His
| opinion as to the treatment OF him
self and colleagues is self-evident.
: but until he openly expresses it, he
Is "foot-loose and fancy free"
But Editor Davis gives in the fol-
lowing language his reasons for
again attacking Mr.. Johnson, al
though he does not in specific lam
guage say so. He says:
| But the joke Of the whole matter
is Mr.. johnson never uttered a word
IN criticism OF the present adminis-
tration at Washington, or said one
word in denunciation Of tie !iIv-
! "h'e propaganda or policy in vogue
IN our state Mt the suggestion OF the
President. Mr.. Johnson mad no IN.
Kind word for the President, Mr.
phillips or his lilywhite henchmen
IN fact, he left the impression with
us that he was with them--agrced
with and acquiesced with them in the
poi1cy they were pcopagating in
Georgia