Phoenix tribune., 1924-09-20
BOB CHURCH KICKED
OUT OF REPUBLICAN
PARTY in TENNESSEE

Washington, D. C.-The two out
standing announcements of last were
the ousting of R. R. ("Bob") Church
of Memphis, Tennessee, by the State
Republican party of Tennessee, a
pure lily white affair. The other was
that of Attorney VIM. H. Lewis, of
Boston, former assistant attorney
general under President Taft, that he
was through with the Republican
party and would support John w.
Davis for President Both of these
men are well known nationally, and
their actions will have a deal of in
fluence with many colored voters.
The ousting of Mr.. Church and Mr..
Fite is a very raw deal for the Re-
publicans to pull in any state and
especially in state classed as doubt
full.
Some of the Republican leaders
realize that there is a great deflec-
tion of the colored voters from the
G. o. P. Others figure that if the
deflection is not placated, it will be
offset by the white women. But they
lose sight of the fact that colored
women are interested in voting them
selves and will cast a big vote in
November. The lily whites of Ten
nessee made a bold front and have
insulted the colored voters of that
state. These voters have their op-
portunity to resent that insult and
will give the G. o. P. ticket the black
eye in November.
Since Mr.. Taylor, national COM
mitteeman of Tennessee and congress-
man from the End district of that
state, has been a frequent visitor at
the White House, it appears that this
was done with knowledge of the
White House. AS soon as they ousted
Church and Fite the lily whites held
a Republican banquet attended by H.
B. Lindsey, the Republican candidate
for the Senate; T. Fl. Peek, candidate
for governor and ]. Will Taylor, can,
didate for congress, fresh from visit
to the White House.
Every practical politician knows
the Negro is the strongest asset of the
Republican party. 1t is the key
stone of the building and with that
stone crumbling the collapse of the
building may be expected. But for
the solidarity and loyalty of the col
ored voter, the Republican party
would be minority party in possi-
bly, twenty important states of the
north. Hence every Negro vote cast
for the Democrats counts double.
The reasons there is stronger
tendency toward Davis than any
other Democrat since the civil war are
these:
First: 1t was Davis who knocked
out the Oklahoma disfranchisement
amendment before the supreme
court.
Second: Davis threw his weight
against the Jim Crow law for West
Virginia.
Third: Davis declared strongly
against the Ku Klux Klan and Cool
idge has kept silent.
Fourth: The indentification in 50
many states of the Republican or
ganizations with the Klan.
Fifth: Failure of the Republican
congress to pass anti-lynching law
which was promised in the platform
of 1920.
Sixth: The continuing of the out
rageous segregation in the various
departments in Washington.
Seventh: The failure of the Re-
publicans to enforce the 18th, 18th
and 18th amendments, thereby ac-
quiescent in the disfranchisement of
100000 Negroes.
Eighth: The Negro has become
very impatient over promises sith-
out performances. He is realizing
his value to the Republican party and
will not be the gullible follower of
that party as he has been