Here are two pages from a 1922 Congressional Digest that outline the legislation that was standing before Congress at the time – as well as the debate of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill.
The bill, which was introduced by Representative Leonidas C. Dyer of Missouri, was intended to make lynching a felony that would have involved a short prison term and a $5,000.00 fine for all guilty participants. The proposed legislation passed the House of Representatives but not the Senate. Congressional debates concerning anti-lynching would be a topic for many years to come, however, the arguments presented against passage of this bill by the Southern Representatives make an interesting read.
Click here for the Ku Klux Klan Archive.
