Evening star., 1934-02-21
LYNCH|NGS HELD
WIDELY APPROVED.
Pastor Charges Maryland
Communities Indorse Re-
cent Mob Killings.
BY the Associated Press.

by tne AbSoCldteQ FIebs'
A Maryland pastor told the Senate
Judiciary Subcommittee at hearing
today on the Wagner Costigan lynch
ing bill that State authority was i'm
potent" to protect Negroes charged
with certain crimes.
Rev. Asbury Smith, pastor of the
McKendree Methodist Episcopal
Church at Baltimore, added that two
lynchings on the Eastern Shore Of
Maryland had "the overwhelming ap-
proval" Of the community.
Citizens opposing lynching in gen.
eral support lynchings in certain in
Baltimore newspaper had been boy
cotted In certain districts of Mary
land because of its condemnation Of
the lynchings.
Referring to the two lynchings on
the Eastern Shore, he said in all COM
munities where lynchings occur they
have the overwhelming approval Of
the citizens of the community. On
the Eastern Shore, lynching is gener-
ally approved, he said.
Would Punish Counties.
Rev. Smith urged particularly a
Federal law which would punish
counties and State officials where
lynchings occur.
Attorney General w. Preston Lane
jr., Of Maryland, declined to comment
on the conStitutionality Of the bill.
Though hesitating to express an
opinion on Federal legislation, he said
he favored any legislation necessary
to stamp out lynching and mob vio-
lence. He suggested mob violence
could better be controlled by acts be-
fore lynching than by primitive laws
after the crime.
He favored protecting OF prisoners
by State police
Lane filed with the committee tes-
timony of the "a State police who had
been detailed to protect George Arm
wood, lynched last year in Somerset
County, Md.
He gave summary of evidence he
| had collected concerning persons he
charged with participating in the
lynching of Armwood.
Since the arrest and subsequent re-
lease of four persons charged with the
lynching, he said he had obtained
! other information on alleged par
Elephants. The subcommittee was to
decide today whether to subpoena
persons alleged to be involved in the
lynching.
Chairman Van Nuys said the COM
mittee also would consider the issu-
ance of subpoenas on witnesses n the
Jan Jose. Calf. and Missouri lynch
ings, which likewise had brought no
grand jury action.
Gov. Rolph of California will be in
vited to appear with opponents Of the
bill, Van Nuys said.
The hearing began yesterday. Sen
ator Dieterich, Democrat, Of Illinois
questioned the wisdom of imposing the
proposed $4,000 fine on counties
where lynchings occur.
He pointed out that 1t might, as
now worded, be so construed as to
fine a county for q gangster Staying
that occurred within it.
Change Favored.
Arthur Garfield Hays, New York
lawyer, and Walter White, secretary
of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People,
agreed that it would be better to
change that section of the bill than
to risk rejection Of the entire measure.
But Karl N Lewellyn, professor Of
law at Columbia University, said the
a. - Af ha h{1Ip and
that, "even should an injustice be
done to county, the imposition Of q
fine or two would bring us back to
the downward trend Tin lynching)."
Later Llewellyn agreed that he
would consider carefully q possible
amendment restricting definitions of
violence to staying of persons charged
with q crime, or taken from the au-
thorities.
Charles H Houston. dean of the
Howard University School of Law,
said if the bill were not passed at
tempts to convince Negroes they
would obtain Justice would be futile" /"
He said there was danger that Negroes
in time of war would be unwilling
to serve in the. armed forces.
A Southern Instructor in history at
vassar College called "metophysical'
her sections objections on States
rights grounds and added that the
South was becoming more 'prag-
matte" than legalistic.
Miss Elizabeth Webb, daughter Of
a former North Carolina Representa-
tive, added that ''at times in the
South the Federal Government has
not had very good reputation" but
was confident her section would pre-
fer a Federal Government to lynch
ing.
Students Interested.
Twenty per cent Of the college
population Of my generation" she
said, "is making an honest and frank
attempt to face our race problem. I"
She added that the problem was not
| exclusive to the South
Houston presented posters from
France, Germany and other coun-
tries protesting against the execu-
tions of the "Scottsboro boys"
Houston also summarized a jap
anese pamphlet predicting that in
event of a war between Japan and
America Negroes would be barred
from our Army and Navy.
He said he fought himself, but
added that responsible Negroes" did
not enlist in the World War.
Adding that the Southern Negro
was too canny" to show his grave
disillusionment," Houston said:
AN international crisis may come
when the loyalty or disloyalty of one
tenth Of our population might spell
the difference between success and
failure"
He charged that in the World War
Negroes were enlisted month later
than white troops in order to arm the
latter first. Conditions now, he said,
are worse than in 1917, and the South
would be unwilling to arm the Negroes