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

- A@A"A y a. @ALA 2AA4t0AA4A
district: Il.
"In you keynote address az Har-
lingen. Friday night, you stated, if
the Herald's report on your meeting
- accurate. that the d~emoratic
party in the South was trying TO
make a 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. 1t also i true that the Tam
many controlled legislature Of New
York enacted q law giving the
negroes the same rights in hotels.
restaurants and public ~conveyances
as whites. SO that IL a racial ques-
ton Is brought UP, the Tammany
attitude in New York would result
In breaking of lines more than by
Mr.. Hoover and those In sympathy
with his candidacy,
The obvious intention was BY
this statement 10 offset the effec. |
produced among Southerners, men
and women. BY the publication Of
Secretary Hoover's action taken in
March, 1928. Immediately before the
Ohio primaries. abolishing the seq
fegatlon 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 up
stairs. and allowing negro women to
use the same retiring rooms and IA
cliltles as white women in that bu-
The report of this action by
the Washington Post on March 81,
was denounced by Secretary Hoover
as being sin large degree foolish un-
truths but the fact is now fully
substantiated and is no longer de-
MED. Only last Saturday, William
II. Lewis, negro leader Of Boston,
was quoted as saying: After a
lengthy interview with Mr.. Hoover,
1 am satisfied that the interests OF
the colored American lie with the
republican nominee. He proposes to
deal with the col0red groups Just As
he does with all other Americans.
! feel certain that we shall get a
fair deal with Mr.. Hoover There
y certainly no doubt as to Mr..
Hoovers attitude in this matter.
Your statement above quoted was
plainly intended to prejudice the
white people OF this section against
Governor Smith as an offset 10 the
feeling they now have against Sec
rotary Hoover. BY making il appear
that Governor Smith was responsible
for the legislation enacted in New
York By what YOU call a Tammany
controlled legislature.
1T is true that Alfred 4. Smith,
as governor Of that state. has been
successful beyond ali precedent in
enactlng 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 maiorities in the New
York legislature. The fact remains
that throughout his four administra-
tons the legislatures have been re-
publican by large ~majorities, and
that to speak Of them as Tammany
controlled is simply ridiculous.
"More than this. the legislation TO
which you refer was originally en-
acted about the time that Governor
Smith was born. IL is Just one of
those civil rights acts that the re-
publican party. in its 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 feg-
i~slation 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~ayonets.
In Louisiana they even made il a
part of the constitution Of the
state. Article 3. 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
er state. parish or municipal au-
thority, shall be deemed places Of
public character. and shall be open
TO the accommodation and patronage
CT 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 1884.
"The 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 it on the democratic party,
on Governor Smith or even on Tam
many. is truly surprising. Ny per-
sonal respect for yourself does not
permit me TO 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 Colquitt, Collins, Love
and their associates Ct do not re-
member the last name they are
using). and like all other informa-
fion from that source, you should
have suspected that it was unre-
liable.
"The democratic party, now as al
ways, welcomes the fullest inquiry
regarding the character and abilities,
the private life and the public ca
reer. OF alI its candidates from the
president down. No good democrat
will object TO the publication Of the
truth IN this campaign, for ii we
cannot win on the true facts. We
~ rot want to win at all, and VIC
Relieve a full public knowledge Of
Ire truth "a just what we need TO
win.
because your statement was un-
- ~ mt hnransn Of any disre-