The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1922-12-30
5 ) | | Ut FOR
dyer BILL HELD
NOT ACCEPTA ABLE
Senators Told Commission to lnvesti-
gate Lynehings Is lnadvisable
and Unnecessary.
ESSENTIAL FACTS KNOWN
N. A. A. c. p. Holds Out for Revision
OF Senate Rules and Passage
Of Dyer Measure.

New York, Dec. 29.-Proposal by
Republican senator's to institute a
commission for the purpose of inves-
tigating lynching in the United
States has elected sharp letter to
Senator Frelinghuysen, author of the
resolution, from James Weldon
Johnson, secretary of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, in which notice is
served that a substitute for the Dyer
anti-lynching bill will not be accept
able to our people.
Facts Are Known
Mr.. Johnson's letter asserts that
the essential facts concerning lynch
ing in America are known Through
out the world; that commission to
Investigate" will be interpreted only
as plan to delay action and to "lulI
the nation and the Negro with false
hopes" The letter in full is as fol-
lows:
II have carefully examined YOUR
proposed joint resolution establishing
a commission for the purpose of con-
Quoting general inquiry into the
subject of lynchings in the United
States, including the number occur
ring and the causes thereof.
I'VE would interpose no active op-
position to any steps leading toward
the adjustment of the crime of
lynching, but the National Assoc;a-
ton for the Advancement of Colored
People in this case as in a half dozen
similar proposals in the past is I'M
able to see ny necessity whatsoever
tor such a commission, nor can we
indorse the proposed measure as a
substitute for the Dyer anti-lynching
bill. Such commission as you pro-
pose could gather only statistics and
facts sucn as have already been pre-
sented by this association and other
agencies and which have been re-
peatedly and at great length read
into the Congressional Record, where
they are available to the United
States Senate as we'll as to other
citizens.
l. Commission Ineffective
"The essential facts in regard to
lynching are we'll known and undis-
puted. The gathering of such facts
for an additional year would have no
appreciable effect upon the question.
We would, therefore, view this COM
mission plan, with it's year of inves-
tigation, only as a further delay to
the one thing we believe to be essen
tial in the circumstances, and that
is legislation giving the federal gov
eminent jurisdiction where states
fail, as they have failed in the past
IS years, to secure to persons &C.
cused of crime trial by due process
OF law, or to prosecute and punish
members of mobs.
"This commission plan therefore,
seems calculated only to delay action
or lull the nation and the Negro with
false hopes.
"The National Association for the
Advancement Of Colored People will
not he actively interested in a COM
mission to investigate ]ynching.
Rather, we insist up a revision Of
the Senate's rules of procedure and
the passage of the Dyer anti-lynch-
ing bill"
Senator Medi'1 Mccormick of I]li-
nois had similar measure before
the Senate. but withdrew it pending
the vote and committee action on the
Dyer hill. His bill authorized the
appointment Of committee of five,
compc sed of both races, to handle the
Investigations on mob violence.