The broad ax., 1923-04-07

becue landed thirteen white men in
jail down here in Florida, and the
bond fixed at fifteen thousand dollars
each and their inability to furnish this
enormous sum causes them to be on
the inside looking out like bird in
cage, while instead of being cooked
and his meat wasted, Arthur Johnson,
who is accused of killing a white man
is in Jacksonville jail known as the
Duval County jail waiting for judge
and jury to say whether or not he is
guilty.
1t looks to me like the south is
about to wake up, and execute law,
and protect human life and property.
I don't give a Sam Hill about the
property if they will just protect life
and let me have a fair chance with
the other fellow. If. they will just
furnish a cell for few Of the lynch
ers and supply them with some state
suits, this thing will be stopped. That
it can be stopped there is no question
in my mind. The thirst for human
blood has been cultivated on my poor
race and now they are turning on the
poor white man and some Of them
who are not SO poor are being sent
into eternity. Some Of them are go
ing to heaven and some to the other
place. l think that there is an equal
distribution. / thank God for Gov
ernor Hardee, Sheriff Hagan who was
slightly wounded while protecting his
prisoner, and for them I am proud.
They are men, and the highest type
of manhood.
OF course, you remember where /
was when l took my pen in hand to
write to you last week, and you see
just where I am today. Way down
in Florida, and was in Florida last
week when / wrote to you, and the
guest of Mrs. Mary Mcleod Bethune,
and there were guests in the same
home Mrs. Booker T. Washington,
DR.. Julia H. p. Coleman, Mrs. Addie
Dickerson, and Mrs. Mary Church
Terrell, and Miss Annie Chadrick-
and you see I must have been pretty
hungry when I got up from each meal
after sitting with ali these women at
the table and / was the only man
there. On the last day, President
Nathan B. Young, DR.. I. Garland
Penn and DR.. J. Seth Hills, came
along and that made things a little
better.
told you in my other letter about
the dedication Of a dormitory for girls
costing just $4,000 and that means a
building for school girls to sleep and
abide in while in school. 1t is one of
the finest of the kind / have ever seen.
take off my hat, coat and all to Mrs.
Bethune who is a wonderful woman.
Into Jacksonville, was the next
thing, and it was a pleasure to step
into the city and see what was going
on there. The people are still re-
joicing over the success of Charles H.
Anderson, who was being prosecuted
by a few men. Like many men who
met with setbacks in business, but
that's nothing, he has been tided over.
There were some would-be smart
alecs who would like this young man
right behind the bars-in fact they
did have him arrested, but bless your
soul, honey, Anderson made them
duck their heads in shame. He proved
without a doubt that he was innocent
and intended to do the right thing and
every dollar would have been paid
had it not been for his enemies. But
enough for that.
/ had the pleasure of meeting on
this trip w. Z. Robinson, who is pro-
moter and general manager Of the
Negro National Education and Indus
trial Exposition, which is to be held
in Jacksonville, Fla, in August Of
this year, and my people are going to
be there in full and we are going to
show to the world some of the things
we have accomplished in the past
hftv-hUe years. The general COM
nissioners for this are John w. Jones,
Jacksonville; H. H. Williams, Hast
ines: D. w. Perkins, Jacksonville;
James R. Polzinghorne, Pensacola;
]. H. Stays, Fernandina; B. V. Con-
zalez. Key West; J. A. Colyer, Or
lando; G. H. Holden, Jacksonville;
George p. Norton, Tampa We have
made progress in education and in
dnstry and we are willing to show the
world about this. 7 did not tell you
that w. I. Dancer, was general
secretary. and g. Fl. Bolden, IS the
recording secretary.
Before leaving this Exposition bust
ness. permit me to tell you that it has
the Endorsement Of the Mayor q
Jacksonville, the County Commission
ers Of Duval County, the Florida
United States Senators, the Governor
Of the state, and many other officials
and my people are just taking hold Of
It.
/ was not in town long, for I got
there at $40 in the morning from