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246 THE CRISIS N.A.A.C.P. NOTES THE FIGHT IN CONGRESS Will the Sixty-third Congress adjourn without passing some measure of discrimination against the Negro? This is the question that is agitating the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The present Congress will long be remembered for its Negro baiting and may before adjournment, or even in extra session write its name in history. During these last crowded days, while attention is engrossed by the Merchant Marine, the Army and Navy bills, and other important measures, a few tireless Bourbons are quietly redoubling their efforst to push through anti-Negro legislation. Undoubtedly it would be embarrassing for them to return to their southern constituents without being able to report the enactment of a single hostile law against the Negro. The real menace lies in the possibility of trading votes. Northern members with no prejudices or convictions on the race question may be willin to vote for anti-Negro legislation in return for votes on othe measures in which they are interested. The anti-intermarriage bill, with its appeal to general ignorance and prejudice, may go through on this account. Already it has been jammed through the House with the speed andd secrecy which is a characteristic procedure of the South in all such proposed legislation in Congrss. These bills are usually brought up suddenly without warning when there are few members present and rushed through committees with no time for hearings legislators. These same men, however, paid at the rate of twenty dollars a day can on occasion remain in session all night to filibuster in speeches elevan hours or more long. it is such stuff that fills the Congressional Record, the most expensive free-speech organ in the world. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has, however, been standing on guard. It employs in each branch at Congress a man whose duty it is to keep it informed by mail and telegram of all proceedings affecting colored people. These men are also in close touch with the Disctrict of Columbia branch which acts as a Congressional committee in Washington, co-operating with the headquarters in New york and leading the fight locally. Branches, members, officers and friends all over the country co-operate by pouring telegrams, letters and petitions into Congress and even appearing before committees at hearings. This is the machinery that defeated the amendment to the Immigration Bill as told in the February CRISIS. Last year a series of discriminating measures, anti-intermarriage bills, "Jim-Crow' car bills, etc., were quietly asphyxiated. The dangerous segregation bill for colored civil servants was killed in the committee through the work of Mr. Archibald Grimke, President of the District of Columbia Branch. The work on the Smith-Lever Bill has already been described in THE CRISIS for March and April, 1914. Never has Congress, however, so engrossed the attention of our Association as during the last two months. Hardly a day passes without bringing a telegram announcing some new legislation affecting colored people. In addition to the anti-intermarriage bill which has passed the House and is before the Senate District of Columbia Committee, there are six "Jim-Crow" car bills in the House and one of these, the Clark Bill, has been favorably reported by the House District Committee and may come up for action any day. The Association, and especially the District of Columbia Branch, is working hard against these measures, knowing well that "Jim-Crow" car legislation in Washington means the spread of such laws in border cities and perhaps even further North. Already St. Louis is trying to pass a segregation ordinance which the local branch of our Association is helping to fight. A Committee of Thirty composed of fifteen white and fifteen colored Men has been organized there for this work. Last year in Michigan the Detroit Branch defeated an anti-intermarriage bill. This year a general eugenics law is proposed in that state, prohibiting the marriage of idiots, imbeciles, insane, etc., and in the bery first clause the intermarriage of whites and persons of Negro descent is forbidden. This vicious mixing of measures makes it difficult to fight the proposition and disentangle the races discrimination from the other features. The eugenic features have already won for the bill the support of most of the women's clubs in Michigan and of many of the churches and welfare societies. it is the task of our local branch to enlighten these well-meaning but mistaken people. THE NEGRO-BAITERS A study of the vote on these discriminating measures is suggested to CRISIS readers. They were as follows: Is your representative here? AFRICAN EXCCLUSION AMENDMENT Senate Vote: Yeas, 29; Nays, 25; Not voting, 42. YEAS - 29 Ashurst Borah Bryan Chamberlain Clarke, Ark. Fletcher Hardwick James Johnson Kern Lee, Md. Martine, N.J. Myers Overman Poindexter Reed Sheppard Simmons Smith, Ariz. Smith, Ga. Smith, S.C. Sterling Sutherland Swanson Thornton Vardaman White Williams Works House Vote: Yeas, 75; Nays, 252; Not voting, 99. YEAS-75 Abercrombie Adamson Aiken Aswell Barkley Bartlett Beall, Tex. Blackmon Borland Brockson Burgess Byrnes, S.C. Candler, Miss. Caraway Church Collier Crisp Dent Dupre Eagle Edwards Estopinal Ferris Finley Flood, Va. Floyd, Ark. Garner Garrett, Tex. Goodwin, Ark. Gregg Hardy Harrison Haugen Heflin Helm Hughes, Ga. Humphreys, Miss. Jacoway Johnson, S.C. Kitchin Lazaro Lee, Ga. Lever Lewis, Md. Linthicum Moon Morgan, La. Oldfield Park Quin Ragsdale Rayburn Rouse Sherley Sisson Small Smith, Tex. Stephens, Miss. Sumners Talbott, Md. Talcott, N.Y. Taylor, Ala. Taylor, Ark. Thomas, Thompson, Okla. Tribble Underwood Vaughan Vinson Watkins Watson Weaver Whaley Wingo Young, Tex. ANTI-INTERMARRIAGE BILL House Vote: Yeas, 238; Nays, 60; Not voting, 126. YEAS-238 Abercrombie Adair Adamson Aiken Alexander Ashbrook Aswell Avis Bailey Baker Barkley Barnhart Bartlett Barton Beakes Beall, Tex. Bell, Cal. Blackmon Borchers Borland Bowdle Britten Brocksen Brown, N.Y. Brumbaugh Bryan Buchanan, Ill. Buchanan, Tex. Burgess Burke, Wis. Burnett Byrnes, S.C. Bryns, Tenn. Candler, Miss. Cantrill Caraway Carlin Carr Carter Church Clark, Fla. Cline Coady Collier Connelly, Kans. Connolly, Iowa Cox Cramton Crisp Curry Davenport Decker Deitrick Dent Dershem Dickinson Dies Dillon Dixon Donohoe Donovan Dooling Doolittle Doremus doughton Driscoll Dupre Eagle Edwards Estopinal Ferguson Ferris Fields Finley FitzHenry Flood, Va. Floyd, Ark. Fordney Foster Fowler Francis Frear French Gallagher Gallivau Gard Garner Garrett, Tenn. Garrett, Tex. Godwin, N.C. Goodwin, Ark. Gordon Gorman Goulden Graham, Ill. Gray Greene, Vt. Gregg Gudger Hamlin Hardy Harris Harrison Hay Hayden Hayes Heflin Helm Helvering Henry Hensley Hill Hobson Holland Houston Howard Howell Hughes, Ga. Hughes, W. Va. Hull Humphreys, Miss. Jacoway Johnson, Ky. Johnson, S.C. Keating Kennedy, Conn. Key, Ohio Kiess, Pa. Kinkaid, Nebr. Kirkpatrick Kitchin Konop Korbly Langley Lee, Ga. Lee, Pa. Lever Lewis, Md. Lieb Lloyd Lobeck Lonergan McAndrews McGillicuddy McKeller McKenzie McLaughlin Maguire, Nebr. Mahan Mapes Martin Mitchell Montague Moon Morgan, Okla. Moss, Ind. Mulkey Murray Neeley, Kans. Nolan, J.I. Oldfield O'Shaunessy Padgett Page, N.C. Paige, Mass. Palmer Park Patton, Pa. Peterson Phelan Plumley Porter Pou Prouty Quin Ragsdale Rainey Raker Rayburn Reed Reilly, Wis. Riordan Rogers Rouse Rubey Russell Seldomridge Sells Sherley Sims Sinnott Sisson Slayden Slemp Sloan Small Smith, Idaho Smith, N.Y. Smith, Saml. W. Smith, Tex. Sparkman Stedman Stephens, Cal. Stephens, Miss. Stephens, Nebr. Stephens, Tex. Stevens, N.H. Stone Stout Stringer Sumbers Sutherland Taggart Tavenner Taylor, Ala. Taylor, Ark. Taylor, Colo. Thomas Thompson, Okla. Treadway Tribble Underhill Underwood Vaughan Vinson Vollmer Walker Watkins Watson Weaver Webb Whaley White Williams wingo Winslow Woods Young, Tex.
Transcription Notes:
Page 246, column 2, end of line 5 beginning of 6: cooperating or co-operating?
