St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1940-02-16

Gresham Marmion, assistant rector
of st. Adams P. E. Church, Wash
ington, D. c., and a native of
Texas; DR.. George F. Porter, presi-
dent of Wiley Junior College, and
he Rev. E. C. Estell, pastor of
S.. Johns Baptist Church, both of
Dallas, Texas; R. B. Grovey, of
Houston, Texas; Walter White, ex-
ecutive secretary of the N. A. A.
C. P; Arthur B. Spingarn, presi-
cent of the N. A. A. C. p, both
OF New York; and Dean William
II. HASTE, of the Howard univer-
sity law school, Washington, D. C.
Despite the fact that he had let
it be known that he intended to
have a large number of witnesses
from the South to testify in opposi-
ton to the bill, Senator Tom Con-
nally, of Texas, arch foe of anti
lynching legislation, presented no
witnesses, but contented himself
with vicious attempts to browbeat
and intimidate persons who testi-
fled for the bill, and the use of SLAM
derous language against Negroes.
Senator Frederick Van Mugs,
chairman of the Senate sub-com-
mittee, conducting the hearings,
announced after adjournment of
the hearings on Wednesday, that
resumption of testimony would be
subject to the call of the COM
mittee.
He told Walter White, secretary
of the N. A. A. C. p, that he would
do everything possible to bring
report on the bill speedily. Senator
Van Mugs, in answer to criticisms
of his allowing Connally a wide
latitude in attacking witnesses,
said he made no effort to check
the Texas senator in order that
everything might be placed into
the record.
Senator Warren Austin of Yer
mont was the only member of the
committee who was absent through
out the hearings. Other members
of the committee present in addi-
ton to Van Mugs and Connally
were: Senators Matthew M. Nicely
of West Virginia, and Alexander
Wiley of Wisconsin. Senator Rob-
ert F. Wagner of New York and
Senator Van Mugs and Senator
Arthur Capper of Kansas were
present, co-authors of the bill.
Senators Wagner and Nicely were
praised by the N. A. A. C. P. for
their vigorous action in standing
up for the rights of witnesses be-
fore the onslaughts of Senator
Connally.
AS the first witness before the
committee on Tuesday, DR.. Arthur
Raper aroused the wrath of Sem
ator Connally, when the research
director of the Interracial Commits
sion asserted that when a Negro
kills a white man in the South,
most southerners believe that no
matter what the provocation the
Negro has no right to kill a white
man and therefore has no chance
of being freed of such a crime.
Expressing angry amazement
that a southern white man could
make such a statement, Senator
Connally plagued the witness with
detailed questions as to his salary,
who sent him to testify, and who
paid his expenses to and from
Washington. In an effort to dis
credit DIR. Raper's testimony, and
to prove that the states are ca
pable of combating the crime of
lynching, without the aid of Fed
eral legislation, Connally placed in
the record, figures on instances of
prevented lynchings. He announced
that this information was supplied
him by Mrs. Jessie Daniel Ames,
president of the Southern Women's
Association for the Prevention of
Lynching.
Episcopal Rector Testifies
Opening his testimony with the
statement, 81 have come here as a
Christian to testify" the Rev. Gre
sham Marmion, assistant rector of
st. Adams P. E. Church in Wash
ington, told the committee of his
experience in attempting to put
down a lynching in Eagle Lake,
Texas, in 1885, by standing on the
running board of his automobile
and appealing to the mob to let the
law take its course. For trying to
save the lives of the two Negro
boys, who later died as victims OF
this lynch mob, DR.. Marmion said