Evening star., 1939-03-27
Congress Probe
Asked in Ban
On Singer
Marian Anderson
Protest Meeting
Adopts Resolution

Adopts Resolution
A resolution demanding a con-
gressional investigation Of the use
of District public schools for COM
munity activities was adopted at
Marian Anderson protest meeting
yesterday at the suggestion of Rep
resentative James P. McGranery Of
Pennsylvania.
The suggestion was embodied in a
letter from the Representative, one
of IL messages from Government
officials and educators protesting the
Board OF Education's stand that the
colored contralto's proposed concert
n Central High School auditorium
April be not a precedent.
Mr.. McGranery explained that
Miss Anderson and her family were
residents of his congressional dis
trict in Philadelphia and "the city
OF Philadelphia is proud to claim
them" He said he would like to
introduce a resolution in Congress
for an investigation If the Marian
Anderson Citizens Committee
thought it proper"
Wagner Sends Letter.
Senator Wagner of New York,
whose message also was read at the
mass meeting held in the Metro
politan A. M. E. Church, termed the
case the most challenging issue
confronting American democracy
today"
The Marian Anderson case" he
declared. "is not a local issue. 1t
is a matter of the foremost nationa!
and international importance. If
art can be stif1ed and racial lines
drawn SO tightly in our own Capital
City, then it would be we'll for us to
ponder the fate of democracy in
the United States"
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace S
message expressed entire sympathy
for the unconditional use of Central
High School auditorium"
More than 1900 people heard
Charles H. Houston, Washingto
attorney and former member OF the
Board of Education. char,e that
the March 2 issue of the Central
Bulletin, the high schools news
paper. had been called in after pub
lication and replated, striking out
an editorial on the Marian Anderson
case
Quoting from a copy of the al
legedly suppressed newspaper, he
read, Let us hope it tthe Board
OF Educatlon) does reconsider and
do Central the honor of playing host
to one of the musical worlds great
est artists, as well as prove to the
rest of the world that this country
holds no grudges because of race
or color"
Lawrence G.. Hoover. principal of
Central. denied today that the paper
had been suppressed. He explained
that page proofs. containing the
Marian Anderson editorial. had been
submitted to the assistant principal
for approval. Before the editorial
page proofs were approved however,
he said. a few copies of the inside
pages we're run off. The assistant
principal ordered the Marian An
derson editorial deleted. Later. he
went on. some one in the school
print shop where the four-page
paper is printed "surreptitiously" took
the banned pages and ran off the
reversed sides. making the paper
look complete. 1t was one of these
copies that Mr.. Houston had in his
possession. Mr.. Hoover asserted. He
said he planned to make an in.
vestigationD
oscar Chapman. Assistant Secre-
tary of the Interior who presided,
commented after Mr.. Houston's
talk: This challenges one of the
bulwarks of democracy-a free
press"
Mrs. Mary Mcleod Bethune, di-
rector of the Division of Negro At
fairs OF the National Youth Admin.
istration. warned that "the situation
in the District of Columbia Is worse
than in the deep South. What has
happened in Germany may happen
in America"
The Rev. Albert T. Mollegen of
Virginia Theological Seminary as
serted that never in history has
democracy been less able to afford
to increase racial antagonism.
A resolution, introduced by Albert
L. Dunlap, adjutant of the James
Reese Europe Post, No. S, of the
American Legion, was adopted COM
mending Mrs. Roosevelt for her DO
sltlon in resigning from the Daugh-
tiers OF the American Revolution as
protest against its ban of Marian
Anderson.
Other Letters Read.
The meeting also adopted a reso-
luton asking the School Board to
reconsider its decision.
Other letters read at the meeting
were from Senators La Toilette of
Wisconsin and Thomas of Utah,
Representative Gavagan of New
York. E. c. Moran of the Maritime
Commission, Dr. w. A. Nelson,
president of Smith College: DR.. Ned
H. Dearborn, dean of education at
New York University; Clyde r.
Miller, professor of education, and
Frank Boaz, professor of anthro-
pology at Columbia University;
Canon Anson Phelps Stokes and the
Robert T. Freeman Dental Society.
Canon Stokes wrote that South
ern woman had offered to con-
tribute $500 toward a 81 1000 fee for
Marian Anderson to give a free
concert.
1t was announced at the meeting
that reservations for Miss Ander-
sons recital could be obtained at
Howard University School of Music.
but tickets would not be sold until
Cal>l