The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1938-04-01
PatrOniZe Our Advertisers
(r"m'ilucd from Page Onc)
WILLIAM H. DREWERY'S
CHICAGO LETTER

! Nmcfldn hdJlOn as Il republic,
three and only three Of its
presidents. in their public utter
anccs. are known to have made
mention Of lynchings in these
United States. But Of these ,
only Roosevelt has ventured Il
method by which the federal
government could attack the
problem. Such a disclosure on
! the record, on the subject of
mob rule in America, should be
hailed as good news to the Is
million black Americans and to
their common lot, who for more
than half a century, have been
the primary victims of mob
rule in the United States.
The very fact, that mobo-
cracy in America, hasn't b g G n
| adequately and properly delt
with by the forty eight states,
separately over period Of fifty
years. during which time mob
rule in America has taken toll
| of eight thousand Americans
under t he government of the
United States, with only five
convictions and very light
sentences: is it then not high
| time, uoder the circumstances,
that the chief executive Of the
|nation should at least break his
lsilene?
For two and h al,f years
president Roosevelt, has had
before him brief on the sub
iect of lynching and under adj
visement federal legislation to
the end of suppressing the evil
in the United States. In 1885
Walter White, secretary of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
was able to get the ear of the
president. Roosevelt's secre-
tary, Marvin Mcintyre, refused
Mr.. White an appointment with
the president; but the presi-
dnntE lIegro valet, Irwin H.
! McDuffie, wo sometimes leaves
notes on the presidents pillow
and tactfully gets unofficial cal
] lers in through the White
| House kitchen, was able to ar
range a private meeting. Just
what effect Walter Whites adj
dress to the president may have
had. official Washington for
the last two and one half years,
has been at sea. or was not sure
until the president broke his
science on the subject last week.
During this time. the president
evidently, was thinking while
the congress as fiddling. And
when congress thought it had
fddled away an opportunity TIC
pass the anti lynching bill: and
then sought to put over a game
of politics. in effort to lay the
blame at the White House door
the president comes forth with
a timely statement.
Commenting on the subject
of lvnching and killing at his
semi-weekly meeting with news
paper men, Mr.. Roosevelt had
tbs to say: eff the senate de
sided to sidetrack permanently
| the controversial anti]vnching
| bill, there are two methods by
which the federal government
could attack the problem of mob
! violence: either for congress to
| establish n standing committee
to obtain facts and give h @ m
publicity, or for tn @ Attorney
| General to investigate a ] acts
iof violence and Immediately re
tpOrt the facts TO the chief exc
cutive, congress and the news
papers. " AS a matter of re
cord, this expression on the
ipart Of the president. is highly
important as well as permanent
| ly significant. For no other adj
lministration has seen fit to pro
wide so important a method in
effort to suppress mob rule in
the United States.
Not Dodging but Statesman
ship Diplomacy
In the light of the two
methods whic tie president now
suggests, a way is not only pro
dided to deal wit mob rule in the
United States, but by implica-
ton, the president stands at the
mother of tn g ways to direct
and lead the attack. To brave
| ly face a crisis is a sign of pro