Evening star., 1936-06-25
PRAYER IS SMITHS.
NEED,PAST0R SAYS.
CoIored Minister Declares
! WaIkout Incident Is 'Un-
: Fortunate"
nv the Associated Press.

PHILADELPHIA, June 25.-The
awalkout of South Cardinals Senator
ELLISON D. Smith on the Democratic
National Convention yesterday when
scolored minister offered the invocation
was interpreted by the minister today
as simply an indication that Brother
Smith needs more prayer"
\ Smith, a cotton planter, who has
sserved 81 years in the Senate, said he
would walkout whenever a Negro has
"a part in the convention proceedings.
! Rev. Marshall Shepard, pastor Of the
Baptist Church here, who offered the
prayer, commented:
( IF that is the way he feels, don't
Aeee what he can do. If he goes to the
Republican party he will find Negroes
.in their convention and if he goes to
Sthe Socialists or any left-wing parties
s.he will find them ever more important
an the activities.
: "If he is looking for party without
sNegroes it looks like he will have to
form his own little party right there
in South Carolina"
Z Pastor Not Bitter"
Z Questioned by newsmen on his per-
ssonal reaction, Shepard said he was
mot bitter" but thought the incident
unfortunate"
Rather than being bitter about it, "
ghe continued, II feel sympathy and
pity for him and pray to God that he
may be emancipated from his pref
udices."
: officials said 80 Negroes have been
seated at the convention.
They said Pennsylvania has its first
Negro Democratic delegate at large.
sHe is from Pittsburgh.
Kansas has the first Negro woman
ito sit as district delegate.
West Virginia has two Negro alter
mates at large.
i Other States said by officials to
ahave Negroes seated in their delega.
$tions include:
California, Illinois, Indiana, Mis-
<souri and New York
$ Officials said it was impossible to
sissue list of the Negro delegates
snameS. as no effort had been made tC
scompile one.
Officials said 1t was the first time
"a colored person ever had offered
sprayer at a Democratic convention
Even as Smith and one or two others
from the South Carolina delegation
asstrode toward the door the minister
finished his prayer and the band
Swung into the strains of Dixie"
= The combination brought wrv COM
.ments from other Southern delegates
fbut only Smith voiced his resentment
spublicly.
! Out of Harmony.
The outburst was the elimination
sof train of circumstances reaching
shack even before the convention. In
sthe last days of the recent Congress
sSmith was compelled, in the interests
OF party harmony, to forego attaching
to the Commodity Exchange bill GER
etain cotton market regulations of his
=ovn designing.
Previously he had been out Of har-
smony with many New Deal policies
Then he came to the convention be-
flatedly after attending the funeral OF
Senator Fletcher OF Florida, only to
find his delegate badge-and the right
to seat in the convention-had tenn
sporarily been given to another
( AS he left the convention floor Smith
Edeclared he was through and would
ago home and do some talking" add
/. ing that he was sick of the whole
sdamn thing"
MOdifies Statement.
Later he modified this to say he
1would stay at the convention at least
Z Through today to vote against abroga-
/ ton of the two-thirds rule.
: Enlarging upon his attitude, Smith
ssaid: There isn't man in America
sthat has more regard for the Negro in
this place than have" But, he said,
s the situation in the South, before
sand since the Civil War, makes it i'm
spossible for the South to recognize and
accept the Negro as an equal political
sfactor."
Political equality means social
Equality and social equality means in
ftermarriage and that means the mon-
sgrelizing of the American race" he
asserted.
! He denounced what he called po-
,litical catering" to the Negro vote,
sdeclaring the party didn't need it.
In modifying his earlier position,
Smith said he had intended to say
he was through with the Negro busi-
ness of the convention and I'll walk
tout whenever Negro has part"
Gov. Olin D. Johnston of South
Carolina, the States national commit
teeman. expressed regret that Smith
had walked out of the session.
F. You can tell the Senator" he
added, that we will never be bothered
with Negro equality in South Caro-
lima"