Evening star., 1948-02-25
|Anfi-Lynch Bill
Voted byH House
Subcommittee
Civil Rights Program
Foes Moy Try to Bor
Trumon Nomination
By The Assoeioisd Press

Legislation to make lynching a
Federal offense received a House
Judiciary Subcommittee's ap-
proval today.
It's action sends the measure on
to the full Judiciary Committee,
which must approve the bill before
1t can be voted on by the House.
The legislation. is part of the
civil rights program advocated by
President Truman and opposed by
Southern Democrats.
The Southern rebels, switching
their tactics. are talking now of
trying to knock Mr.. Truman out of
the Democratic nomination to avoid
having to fight him within the
party.
Their strategy is to try to con-
vince Northern Democrats that Mr..
Truman has no chance to win in
November and the party should get
another nominee less inclined to
press for congressional action on
antilynch, antipoll tax and similar
racial equality proposals.
Would Let U. s. Step In.
On the antilynching question the
Southerners contend the problem
should be left to the States. They
argue, too, that the number Of
lynchings is decreasing.
The measure approved today would
let the Federal Government step in
when there was a lynching. People
accused of taking part in 1t could
be tried in Federal courts. Trials
might be moved to a place far away
from the community where the
lynching took place.
The legislation provides:
/. A maximum penalty of 10 years
imprisonment and fine of $4,000
for persons guilty of participating in
a lynching.
2. A fine of $1,000 and five years
imprisonment for peace officers gull
ty Of negligence.
3. Compensation for survivors OF
a lynch victim. This could range
from $4,000 to $4,000. Lynch vic
Tins df they lived) or their de-
pendents would get the money from
the city or county where the lynch,
ing occurred. However, no payment
would be due If there was no negli-
gence by peace ofices .in efforts to
protect the victim.
Bill introduced by Case.
The bill was introduced by Rep
Iresentatiye Case, Republican. OF
New Jersey.
The vote by which the bill was
Improved was not announced off,
lcially. Members reported privately
it was three to two. Representa-
tive Cravens, Democrat, of Ar
kansas, a committee member, said
he voted against 1t.
Other members of the subcom-
mittee are Representatives Case,
Fellows, Republican, of Maine;
Dewitt, Republican, of Minnesota;
Byrne, Democrat, of New York, and
Feighan, Democrat, OF Ohio. One
of them presumably refrained from
voting.
The full Judiciary COMMITTEES
may consider the legislation at Its
next meeting. tentatively scheduled
for tomorrow.
The legislation defines lynch
ing as:
AN organized effort not only to
punish the persons lynched, but also
to terrorize the groups, in the COM
munity or elsewhere, of which the
persons lynched are members by
reason Of their race, creed, color,
national origin, ancestry, language,
or religion, and thus to deny to all
members Of such groups, and to
prevent them from exercising, the
rights guaranteed to them by the
Constitution and laws of the United
States"
Other Candidates Studied.
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat, OF
Arkansas was among those talking
about trying to beat Mr.. Truman
out of the nomination. He told a
reporter:
"The time can come when the
party may realize that President
Truman can't win. Maybe then we
can get another nominee"
Senator Mcclellan and six other
Southern Senators met yesterday
with two Of the protesting Southern
Governors still in Washington.
The Southerners made clear they
are willing to think about a great
many other men, so long as the one
finally picked is not publicly iden-
tified with the Presidents civil
rights program.
Members Of the group also are
discussing a two-fold plan to setup
Official" Democratic parties in each
of their States and take the presi-
dental and vice presidential candi-
dates names off those ballots on
which they usually appear. This
would leave Democratic electors free
of any commitment to vote for Mr..
lsee CIVIL RIGHTS, Page A-5)
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