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| CHICAGO QUIZZES GOV. RITCHIE ON LYNCHING By THEODORE HOLMES (For ANP) CHICAGO—"Well, now, Governor, I understand that you are in line toi become a candidate for President. \ What would be your position in re-1 spect to a national anti-lynching law if you should become a candidate?" "Good gracious! that's" too blamed far off to talk about now," replied Governor Albert C. Ritchie, Maryland's favorite son, to your correspondent shortly after he had arrived here Sunday afternoon over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Having covered a lynching in Little (Rock, Ark., a few years ago with such j frankness that I was forced to leave I town, I welcomed the assignment to greet the prospective Democratic standard bearer on the heels of news to the effect that a Marylander had just been yanked from a hospital bed, hanged and burned to death in Governor Ritchie's commonwealth. The governor seemed a bit taken aback when I pushed through the crowd and extended my hand to him a few seconds after he and Mayor Howard Jackson had alighted from the train. But his presence of mind soon returned to him and he accepted my proffered hand. The governor's apparent embarrassment at being so suddenly confronted by a colored reporter was relieved while we shook hands by the interjection of a pleasantry by Michael igoe, white, Democratic national committeeman for Illinois, who informed me that I was meeting the next President of the United States and the next Governor of Illinois, meaning himself. Mayor Jackson My presence in the group was also a bit puzzling to Mayor Howard W. Jackson, for as we walked on I overheard Mr. Igoe inform the Baltimore executive that there were four or five "darky" newspapers in town. Mr. Igoe has many friends among colored residents here and poses as "the angel", of the colored Democrats in the city. "But, Governor," I persisted, "sure-1 ly you have some position in respect to lynching. You can say whether you favor or do not favor an anti-lynching bill, can you not?" Mr. Ritchie demurred. "Would you prefer then for me to report you as not being willing to be quoted on the subject?" I followed up. State's Rights "Well, yes," he replied. "You see, I am an advocate of state's rights. I believe that the states should take care of those things." "What are you going to do about Friday's lynching in Maryland?" i! inquired. "As soon as I heard about it, I went to Baltimore and started the attorney general to work on it," he answered, adding: "I have instructed him to keep me fully informed as to developments." Where Sheriff Was "Where was the sheriff when the , lynching occurred?" I pursued, hav-; ing in mind Governor Ritchie's re-I cently expressed desire on two occa-: sions, to leave the matter of mob con-( trol up to county authority. The Maryland governor and Presidential aspirant, did not know where the sheriff was, nor what he was going to do to the sheriff if that official had been negligent in the performance of his duty. . "Will any of the mob members be punished?" I asked. Doesn't Think Mob Can Be Punished "We are going to try to get them," he responded, "but I doubt that we shall have much success. It is very difficult to get grand juries to indict in such cases." Pleasant and Frank Thus this tall and angular bit of Presidential timber was not very hopeful about mob violence in his state and had no encouraging position in respect to lynching as a national crime. Throughout the interview, however, I after the first shock, he was pleasant i and unrestrained, and concluded it by inviting your correspondent to vis-it him and question him further at J his hotel. |