The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1934-01-04
shame at this infamy:
Blame Communists


and interest Of the colored resi-
dents Ct the peninsula and IN
this statement we shall endeaQor
to deal only with facts.
During the past TWO years We
have zen a new series Of events
here It Is not necessary to re-
peat what has happned. It Is
not necessary for us to look TO
the cause and having deter
mined the cause, to try to re-
move it.
I'VE hold Bernard Ades, Com
nunist attorney Of Baltimore,
entirely responsible.
"As is well known the en-
tire disturbances here h az e
grown out Of the Fuel Lee case
into which he injected him
self not at the request of, nor
in behalf, OF the people OF our
race.
after his first pronounce
ments in that case his ideas
were found to be SO different
from those Of all of us on this
peninsula that he incensed the
people Of the Eastern Shore. On
the strength of that resentment
which he had brought about
himself, he began to argue that
Fuel Lee could not secure a fair
trial on the peninsula.
Eve, however, had confidence
in the justice Of the local
Courts and SO far as the Courts
were concerned, believe that ne
could have received . fair and
impartial trial. There was no
reason TO presume otherwise.
we had seen the orderly process
Of law carried out for so many.
many years here, that it would
have been foolish and unfair 70
make any other presumption
about the people of the PENN
suIa."
"In behalf of our local people
and their attitude on such mat
tiers it is worthwhile to call at
tention to the fact that the
principal witness against Fuel
Lee was Martha Miller. the col
ored woman, with whom he was
living in Ocean City.
eve state, without fear OF
contradiction, that 1t was the
tactics he employed in that case
which caused the death Of Mat
thew williams and George Arm
wood.
at is not to be understood
that we condone lvnching any
more than we condone the acts
of the persons lynched and yet
we are able to look through 1t
all and see just why these things
happened. We sincerely regret
that our race has been exploited
by this man AIDES who is only q
self seeking individual and one
who cannot possibly contribute
anything to the happiness and
stability Of the colored people of
this state. His ideas Of fair
play are as far removed from
ours as Is the East from the
West.
1--WE enjoy the lives we live
here in this beautiful Shore,
graced by nature and Astounding
in plenty. We feel that our
people here, on the average are
more intelligent. NOR understand
ing, more prosperous. more in
dustrious and happier than are
our people IN any other section
Of this nation. We have come
to know actual c6ntentment in
such a short space Of years and
we know that contentmert and
security come only through CO.
operation with others.
Blocks Courageous Organizations
This is the shame of the CEN
turyl While numerous organi-
cations and leaders fight hard
and long to even secure Negroes
on juries in Maryland and the
South, these handkerchi -heads
refer to the confidence" they
have In the local courts" add
ing that they believed that Lee
could have received fair and
impartial trial"
There was no reason to pre-
sumo otherwise, they say-and
yet. you have only to stop over
night in Princess Anne to hear
of two other lynchings Of Ne
groes years and years ago, long
before Communism got foot
hold even in Moscow. IN the
broad Of day they happened, and
yet "the orderly process Of law,
carried out for so many, many
years." did not arrest even one
Of the criminals. That same
orderly process" was the ma
chinery which openly defied the
Governor of Maryland so much
SO that he had to send troops
into Mr.. Kiah's quiet country
side to aid it in its sworn
routine.
Decent people surely ccnnot
see how Negroes could entrust