The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1923-05-26
VOTERS IN NORTH
SCORED BY Dyer
FOR BILL FAILURE
Large Crowd Hears Sponsor of
Anti-Lynching Bill at
Pilgrim
BALLOTS WILL PASS BILL
People of Country Must Be
Reused to Need of Legisla-
tion, Speaker Says
BY Roy. Wilkins


"Lynching is the most horrible
crime in all the world"
Moved by this conviction and
speaking with a fervor that marks
him as a whole-souled champion of
the wrongs of colored Americans,
Representative Leonidas. C. Dyer, au-
thor of the Dyer anti-lynching bill,
told a packed house at Pilgrim church
last night that when you send these
cowardly mobbists to the peniten-
tiary, they'll stop this damnable
crime," that the fate of the Dyer
bill in the next congress would de-
pend entirely upon the pressure
brought to bear upon congressman
by colored voters and upon the sup
port given the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored Peo-
pie by the colored people:
Duty of Northern Voters
"The fate of anti-lynching legis-
lation is squarely up to the colored
men and women who have the bal
lot" said the speaker. 'In the last
Congress, when I went to some Re-
publican senators for support of this
bill they said that there was no de-
mend that it be passed; in other words
you were asleep in your satisfaction
with opportunities in the North and
expected that a few Of US could put
the bill through"
Rep. Dyer pointed out that it was
the duty of the colored people in the
North to come to the rescue Of the
people in the South who cannot help
themselves. Self satisfied northern
ers were bitterly scored.
"Colored people in the South are
as weak as little children. They can
not do anything to help themselves.
The remedy lies in the black ballet
in the North. When see colored
men in politics waiting to see which
way the wind will blow, watching for
a favor or a job, when hear of col
ored voters selling their votes on
the streets of Northern cities when
their brothers in Dixie cry out for
help, would that I could gather all
such men together and send them
down to Texas where they can't vote
and bring others up here who will.
N. A. A. C.. P. Backed Bill
Had it not been for the N. A. A.
C.. P. we would never have got this
bill through the House. Colored peo-
ple have many organizations, but
saw that the N. A. A. C. p. is the
only one that helped me in this fight
Turning suddenly to the chairman
the speaker asked how many paid up
1928 members there were, and upon
receiving the small number, launched
into a delicious bit of irony that
showed his knowledge Of colored peo-
pie. =.
"Colored people as a people are
all right, but instead of standing to-
gether upon issues like this in one
compact organization, they hight
among themselves as to who shall
!lead or hold Office The N.A.A:C.P
today should have 1000, 900 members
instead of 100000" he declared
"That membership would make ever
the Senate sit up and take notice"
Bill Enforces Amendment
In explaining the bill, Rep. Dyer
said that it simply carried out ths
provision of the Fourteenth amend
inent giving Congress the power K
enforce the clause guaranteeing equa
protection, of the law to all.
"When Southern states prosecute
and convict men for every crime ex
cept lynching, they are not giving
all people equal protection OF Int
law. This bill simply provides tina
Congress, in accordance with tn.
power given it by the Fourteenth
amendment, shall give protection %!
prosecuting and convicting mobblst
in Federal courts where the ballot o
prejudiced white men cannot reach
Rep. Dyer fiayed the Republical
members Of both houses for their fail
ure to support the bill and in so do
ing to support their platform an
the promises of their President.
In his conclusion the speaked ex
pressed the belief that the desire TO
service should be the motive for sin
ccere and untiring support OF the bil
until it is passed.
"God expects every man to do tn
greatest possible service for his fel
low man. The man who has tn
mind and heart and does not us
2 them to help others is surely unfi'
/ believe that the greatest servic
that any voter, any minister, any tru
Christian, black or white, can do fo
this country Of ours is to wipe on
lynching by means Of this bill"
Rep. Dyer was introduced by Mr.
Cora Bell Grissom, president of tn
city federation of colored women
clnhs Drl " ID. Turner presided.