Evening star., 1934-03-18
SUSPENSION ASKED
.|NDEMONSTRAT|ON|
Suggested for 80 Howard
Students for House Res
taurant Disorder.

Suspension OF the 81 howard Unl-
versity students who participated in
a demonstration at the Capitol yes
terday against the rule prohibiting
colored persons from eating in the
House restaurant, was suggested last
night by Kenneth Romney, sergeant
at arms of the House.
Romney. who supervised police ar
rangements for handling the demon
Strators, declared the students had
"diSgraced" the institution and should
be punished.
About the same time. Representa-
tive DePriest of Illinois, the only
colored member of the House. de-
plored the demonstration and said he
thought the students had made "a
serious mistake"
DePriest Is author Of a resolution
providing for an investigation by
House select committee TO determine
the authority OF the restaurant man.
agement to deny c0lOred persons the
privilege OF eating there He has
pending q petition to discharge the
Rules Committee from consideration
OF the resolution so 1t can be called
up in the House for vote. There
are now about 80 signatures on the
petition. One hundred and forty-tive
are required.
Former Waiter Arrested.
Representative Warren, Democrat
OF North Carolina, chairman of the
Accounts Committee, which controls
the operation of the restaurant said
the committee was operating the
restaurant in the same manner as
preceding Republican administrations.
He declared he was particularly
shocked over the demonstration be-
cause OF what he said was obscene
language used by the students.
The demonstration was staged about
2 O'Clock, near the close OF the con-
gresSional luncheon hour, and re-
suited in the arrest of Harold Coying-
ton. colored a former waiter in the
restaurant who was discharged Fri
day for serving colored man in viola
ton of the rules.
Covington was arrested as a result
Of an alleged attempt to strike Harry
Parker, 70-year-old colored messenger
of the House Ways and Means Com
mittee. He was taken to the first
precinct at the request of Capt. Viii
liam S. Ortham Of the Capitol police,
charged with simple assault and dis
orderly conduct and later released
under $500 bond.
Parker Veteran EmplOye.
Capt. Ortham said Covington at
tempted to strike Parker while he was
~
ate a disturbance. Parker is a vet
eran Capitol employe, his service dat
ing back to the Mckinley adminiStra-
ton. He is said to have been born
on the Mount Vernon estate.
Short but portly and powerful,
Parker, familiar figure around Cap
itol corridors and committee doors,
doesn't believe in engaging in pro-
tests and other demonstrations. Not
ing the persistence of the Howard
University students, he sought to in
tercede with their leader.
Il tried to tell him" the messen-
ger, who is a deacon in his church.
explained afterwards, that they ought
to go along out and not be trying to
cause trouble, for it wasn't going 70
get them anywhere"
mo. I wasn't scared" he added
But I didn't like to see anything
like that, and tried to talk sensible
to them. When told them that was
no way to do. and that they weren't
going to get any rights by that kind
of carrying on. they said, oh. don't
pay any attention to old Uncle Tom.
there. We want to make them let
us in to eat
Advised Warning.
''I told them it was all right for
them to call me Uncle Tom l am
a church man. and know you can't
gain anything by such means.
told the boys I was old enough to be
the father Of all of them, that had
a boy Of my own like one Of them.
Il told the people down at our
church just last night they ought to
90 out and talk to these boys and
tell them not to come up here be-
cause that was no way to do"
Several attempts were made by the
demonstrators to enter the restaurant,
but each time they were repulsed by
a special detail of Capitol police, who
had been informed of their coming.
The students, all claiming to be
natives of the North. advanced on
the Capitol in struggling formation,
and. after sightseeing in the rotunda
and Statuary Hall, headed for the
public dining room in the House.
This room was closed to the gen.
eral public Friday after a series Of
attempts of colored persons to get
service.
The police detail refused the students
admission, and when they began an
argument and jammed the corridor.
the officers forcibly elected them. The
demonstrators, however, came back
in few minutes after insisting they
had rights under the Constitution to
visit the Capitol. Police told them
they would not be molested unless
they tried to enter the restaurant or
created a disturbance.
Senate Restaurant Warned.
Again inside. the students made a
second attempt to gain entrance to