The St. Paul echo. [volume] (St. Paul ;) 1925-1927, 1927-06-18
HOOVER MEETS C0LORED ADVISORY
FLOOD COMMISSION, SEES REFUGEES

Food everywhere was excellent. 1t
found no camps where refugees were
being detained but censured strongly
Greenville, Mississippi, where w. A.
Percy, son of former senator of the
state, has assumed the role of a die
tator and issued peremptory orders
affecting Negro refugees. A colored
committee headed by c.. B. Young
and Levyo Chappelle, is now coop
Grating with Percy, who insists the
daily papers misquoted his orders.
But the commission asked that while
it had been impossible to prove they
were OBTAINING men, a close watch be
kept on the situation. This is to be
done. At Vicksburg, detectives are
carrying on a secret investigation.
Hoover Gains knowledge.
Members of the commission were
startled as plans were discussed for
helping those stricken people back
to their feet to discover the clear in
sight which Mr.. Hoover has gained
into the whole situation. He de-
clared it was big job, but that the
Red Cross was in it to see it through.
When he had finished outlining the
plans being worked out for rehabili-
tation it was clearly apparent that
his efficient mind saw through the
whole plantation, tenant and small
land owner system. His hearers
were convinced of his sympathetic at
titude and that he regarded condi-
tions as both uneconomic and un-
fair. While he showed clearly that
he did not expect the Red Cross with
Money given for charity" to do the
impossible or change the economic
system of the South, he seemed con-
vinced that a way would be found to
assure the tenants and small land
owners of support and help until a
new crop was made even if such a
program took eighteen months.
Their plans, he said, are based di-
rectly on aid for the tenant and
small land owner, 80 per cent of
whom are Negroes and as in the flood
relief, it will not go through the
plantation owner who already has
land as basis for liberal credit. The
The. secretary expressed his appre-
citation of the assistance given by the
commission. The dual character of
the population made it difficult, he
explained, to gather up and house
two or three hundred thousand peo-
pie and to deputize great authority
to individuals, many of whom had
not been accustomed to authority
without mistakes being made, but
that the Red Cross was a national,
not a sectional, institution, and with
the help and advice of the sub-com-
mittee, he hoped they would be able
to do a good job of rehabilitation.
The commission will issue complete
report showing the detailed investi-
cations made at once. 1t will be in
printed form available for the press
and the public. While at Baton
Rouge the members were entertained
by President Joseph S. Clark at
Southern University.
Commission Named.
Bishop Robert E. Jones was elect
ed vice-chairman of the body. Men,
bers of the commission were: DR..
Robert R. Motion, Chairman; Bishop
Robert E. Jones of the M. E. Church;
President Joseph S. Clark of South
ern University, Miss; Eva Bowles,
National Secretary Y. w. c. A., New
York; Thomas Hayes, president of
the Solvent Savings Bank, Memphis;
Eugene Kinckle Jones, Executive
Secretary of the National Urban
League; DR.. S. D. Redmond, Missis-
sippi, DR.. J. B. Martin, Memphis;
Jesse o. Thomas, Atlanta; DR.. L. M.
Mccoy, President, Rust College; Bert
NJ. Roddy, Memphis; A. L. Holsey,
Tuskegee Institute, Ala; DR.. Roscoe
Brown, Asst. Secretary, National
Medical Association; Thomas M.
Campbell, U. S. Department of Agri-
culture, in charge Mississippi Valley
states; Miss F. C. Williams, Public
Health Expert; Mrs. John Hope,
Morehouse College; R. R. Taylor,
vice-principal, Tuskegee Institute,
and Claude A. Barnett