Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1923-03-17
S0uth'S Denial of Vote to
Negro Menace to U. S.
Governments Johnson.
Secretary OF National Association For
The Advancement of Colored Peo-
pie Addresses Dinner in Honor
of Representative La Guardia
OF New York. at Hotel
Pennsylvania.

Speaking at dinner in the Hote,
Pennsylvania, rendered to Represen-
tative F. II. LaGuardia of New York.
Saturday night, March 10. James Wei
don Johnson. Secretary OF the Nation
al Association for the Advancement OF
Colored People declared that:
'If the Constitution OF the United
States cannot extend the arm of pro-
lection around the weakest and hum
blest Of American citizens as around
the strongest and proudest, then it is
rot worth the paper that it is written
on.
Mr.. Johnson made this statement at
the conclusion of an address in which
he declared it was open and public
knowledge that the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Amendments to the U. S
Constitution were being nullified in
the Southern States and that the Ne
gro was being denied the vote. Alleg.
ing the prepOnderant influence of the
South in the u. S. Congress because of
the failure to reduce its representation
in accordance with the disfranchise-
ment of the Negro. Mr.. johnson said:
In the elections Of 1920 1t took 81
492 votes in Mississippi to elect two
senators and eight representatives. In
Kansas it took 57022O votes to elect
exactly the same representation.
I'm the Presidential election OF 1916
the States OF Alabama. Arkansas, Geor
gia. Louisiana. Mississippi, North Car
DINA; South Carolina. Tennessee, Tex
as and Virginia cast q total vote for
Presidential candidates OF 1,670 2O9.
In Congress these states have a total
III 1O4 representatives and 1926 votes
In the electoral college. The State OF
New York alone cast a total vote for
presidential candidates Of 1,7O6.354 q
vote within 10000 OF all the votes
cast by the above states and yet New
YORK has only 43 representatives and
40 votes in the elector.l COLLEGE.
against their 104 representatives AMI
126 votes in the electoral college,"
The Negro, declared Mr.. Johnson,
was the test OF American democracy.
and according to it's treatment of the
Negro that democracy would prove TO
be success or a failure. The effect
OF DISTINGUISHING and depressing the
Negro has already proved disastrous
to the South, he asserted.
I'm the whole South the so-caIle,l
purity OF the ballot has been preserv-
ed at the cost of defiance of the Con-
stitution. perversion of law, injustice
and violence practiced upon a weaker
group" he said. "The result has been
that the South is Intellectually dead
and politically rotten. II this expert
ment In SUPPLEMENTARY had resulted
in one 1-hundredth of what was prom
ised there might be justification for
IT, but the result has been that not on.
~ are Negroes denied the vote in the
South but that Write men dare not ex
press their honest opinions, political
or otherwise"
Mr.. Johnson said further, that il
the South failed to see the light. then
In the interest of the whole country:
steps should be taken to compel com
pllance with the Constitution and that
should be done through the enforce
ment of the Fourteenth Amendment
which calls for a reduction in repre
sentation in proportion to the number
~ citizens in any state denied tire
right to vote"
other speakers at the dinner to Mr.
IiaGuardia. besides Mr. Johnson, were
Senator Smith w. Brookhart. of Iowa
Mayor Hylan of New York City:
James A. Frear. Representative in
congress from Wisconsin and Miss
Elizabeth Marbury Mary Garrett HAY
PRESIDENT of the Woman's City Club OF
New York. presided at the dinner.