The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-08

the proceeding of the conference.
Both DePriest, Negro representative
from Chicago, and Fish made CAPT
tai of the resolutions passed by two
Southern state legislatures condemn
ing the reception of Mrs. DePriest
at the White House. They used it
for their own political purposes, for
the interest of the republican politi-
cal machine. Fish took the occa-
sion to utilize the indignation of the
Negro ,bourgeoisie at the prejudice
against their representative, by call
ing the democratic party bunch of
political vultures," language
which appealed to the audience and
which could as readily have been
applied to Fish, DePriest and their
colleagues.
Rave About Ballot.
The most treacherous aspect of
the conference was the attempt to
convince the Negro, workers that
they can attain their ends by means
of the ballot. In the face of ter
rorism against Negro voters, well
known to everyone there, DePriest
declared that "the power of the Ne
gro in obtaining his rights as a citi-
zen lies in the ballot" Our "gen-
tleman of COLOR" however, failed to
explain how it was that the Negro
was to use the ballot to obtain his
rights of citizenship, which he is
supposed to have anyhow, when he
was not permitted to use the ballot.
Nor did he, nor anyone else there,
even dare to speculate on what good
the ballot would be to the Negro
workers after they had obtained it.
James Weldon Johnson took care to
interject into his Introductory re-
marks and speeches, careful refer
ences TO peaceful and non-violent
development of the Negro race" He
evidently looked forward to the &C
years promised by Fish. DIR. Nor
decai Wyatt Johnson, president of
Howard University and recipient of
the Spingarn Medal for Service to
the Negro race" although at one
time thrown out of a peace confer
ence in Cleveland for his opposition
to the pacifists, laid down as the
primary task of the N. A. A. C. p,
the direction of indignation into
peaceful and non-violent channels,
The N. A, A. C. P. has done this, >
he continued. "It has saved us from
violence by calling our attention to
the foundations of the United
States government. We must not
make an effort to overthrow the
American constitution but see that
the law is carried out" According
to him this was to be done by per-
suasion, persuasion Of whom and
| by whom he does not say, but he
evidently means a persuasion by
the Negro bourgeoisie of the white
4 bourgeoisie to permit them to be-
come wealthier, and at the same
time tone down a little on the ques.
ton of segregation and jim-crowism
From DR.. Dubois, editor of the
Crisis, came the same song.
In the light of this talk of "peace-
full development" for 66 years ant
non-violence we must all be anxious
to hear what the conference sale
about lynching. 1t was a topic or
which any Negro audience cannot
keep silent and the chief task Of
the N. A. A. C. p, as indicated by
Mordecai johnson, was to turn the
violent resentment of the Negro
masses into peaceful and non-vio
lent channels" The conference pro.
ceeded TO prove it's persuasion the
CRY, as related to lynching, by point.
ing to the fact that while there were
78 lynchings in 1909 there were only
II in 1923, with the obvious infer.
ence that the decline was due to the
existence of the N. A. A. C.P. They
remarked, both in their speeches ant
in their report, that the II lynchings
for 1928 was sign Of marked i'm,
provement. Perhaps in &C year:
there will be only five. II anyone
there realized it, they did not state
that the cause for the decline in the
number Of lynchings was due to the
industrialization of the south, to the
growth Of large white and Negro