Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-18
SAYS HALLAM
IN ERROR ON
NEGRO Laws
Neither Smith Nor
Tammany RESPONSE
bic For Social Equal
ity Measure

CHAIRMAN Tor the 9TH se~natorial
district:
ain your keynote address at Har-
lingen, Friday night, you stated, II
the Herald's report on your meeting
Is accurate. that the democratic
party in the South was trying 70
make q bugaboo out Of Secretary
Hoover's well known views on negro
social equality, and by way Of the
pot calling the kettle black, you
said: It also i true that the Tam
many controlled legislature Of New
York enacted a law giving the
negroes the same rights in hotels.
restaurants and public |
as whites. so that If a racial ques- |
ton Is brought up. the Tammanv
attitude in New York would result
IN breaking Of lines more than BY
Mr.. Hoover ard those in sympathy
with his candidacy.
The obvious intention was BY
this statement to offset the effec.
produced among Southerners, men
? women, by the publication Of
Secretary Hoover's action taken in
march, 1928, Immediately before the
Ohio primaries. ab~olishing the seq
regation Of negroes and whites in
the bureau Of the census, bringing
the male negro employees out Of the
basement and putting them to work
side by side with white women M
stairs. n allowing negro women to
use the same retiring rooms and ia
entities as white women in that bu-
reau. The report Of this action BY
the Washington Post on March 81,
was denounced by Secretary Hoover
as being in large degree foolish I'M
truths but the fact is now fully
substantsated and is no longer de-
MED. Only last Saturday, William
II. Lewis. negro leader Of Boston,
was quoted rs saying: After a
lengthy interview with Mr.. Hoover,
4 am satisfied that the interests OF
the colored American lie with the
republican nominee. He proposes 70
deal with the colored groups Just as
ne does with all other Americans. |
l feel certain that we shall get a
fair deal with Mr.. Hoover There
IS certainly no doubt as to Mr..
Hooyer's attitude in this matter.
Your statement above quoted was
plainly intended to prejudice the
white people Of this section against
2AtAAtl az al QAL1EE 10 tine 1
feeling they now have against Sec
rotary Hoover, By making it appear
hat Governor Smith was responsible
for the legislation enacted in New
York by what YOU call d Tammany
controlled legislature.
1T is true that Alfred Z. Smith,
as governor Of that state, has been
successful beyond all precedent in
enacting into a law a great number
Of reform and humanitarian mea-
sures IN the teeth Of bitter parti-
san opposition on the part Of the
republican majorities in the New
York legislature. The fact remains
that throughout his four ~administra-
tlons the legislatures have been re-
publican by large m~ajorities, and
that to speak Of them as Tammany
controlled Is simply ridiculous.
"More than this, the legislation 10
which you refer was originally en-
acted about the time that Governor
Smith was born. It is just one of
those civil rights acts that the re-
publican party, in It's first flush Of
enthusiasm over the freeing Of the
negroes and their admission to the
franchise. put into effect by act Of
congress passed in 1866. and there
after by quickly following state leg
i~slatson in many Of the northern
states. and also in those southern
states like Louisiana and Missis-
sippi, that were then governed by
carpet-baggers and negroes under
the protection Of federal b~avonets.
In Louisiana they even made il a
part Of the constitution az the
state, Article 5, thereof reading: "All
persons shall enjoy equal rights and
privileges upon any conveyance Of a
public character: and all places Of
business, or Of public resort, or for
which q license Is required by eth
err state, parish or municipal au-
thority, shall Be deemed places Of
public character. and shall be open
TO the accommodation and patronage
Of all persons without distinction or
discrimination on account Of race or
color
"All these civil rights acts are
very uniform in their language. The
original act in New York was of
early date; its constitutionality was
passed upon BY the highest court Of
that state in People VS.. King. is
Northeastern Reporter, page 245, the
offense against the act there charg-
ed having been committed in the
year 1854.
sThe republican party has always
justly claimed among the negro vot-
ers full credit for all this legisla-
ton. and it should now likewise
accept the blame. Your attempt TO
saddle IL on the democratic party.
on Governor Smith or ever on Tam
many. IL truly surprising. Ny per-
sonal respect for yourself does not
permit me Il believe that You orig
mated the tale. Nor can ! believe
that you got your facts" directly
or indirectly from the republican
leaders OF the Hoover campaign, IN
view Of their positive instructions,
widely quoted, 70 refrain from the
utterance and circulation Of false
statements about their opponents
You must have gotten your infor-
nation from the Texas organisation
headed BY Colduitt, Collins, Love
and their associates Il do not re-
member the last name they are
using), and like all other informa-
ton from that source, you should
have suspected that 1t was unre-
liable.
aThe democratic party, now as al
WAYS. welcomes the fullest inquiry
regarding the character and abilities,
the private life and the public ca
reer. Of all its candidates from the
president down. No good democrat
will object to the publication o. the
truth in this campaign, for II we
cannot win on the true facts. We
~ rot want 70 win at all, and VIC
believe q full public knowledge Of
fhe truth Is just what we need to
win.
aBecause your statement was un-