Civil rights activists denounced the lack of Republican efforts to pass the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill in spite of their opportunities. The president of the NAACP, Moorfield Storey, regarded the legislation's opponents as "in earnest, and its friends in Congress are not."<ref=blackleaderstwentiethcentury,p.99/> James W. Johnson noted that "the Southern Democrats roar like lions, and the Republicans lay down like scared possums," and wrote to [[W. E. B. Du Bois]]:<ref name=walterwhiteproject/>
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Civil rights activists denounced the lack of Republican efforts to pass the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill in spite of their opportunities. The president of the NAACP, Moorfield Storey, regarded the legislation's opponents as "in earnest, and its friends in Congress are not."<ref name=blackleaderstwentiethcentury,p.99/> James W. Johnson noted that "the Southern Democrats roar like lions, and the Republicans lay down like scared possums," and wrote to [[W. E. B. Du Bois]]:<ref name=walterwhiteproject/>
{{cquote|I should not say "The Republicans did not intend to pass the Dyer Bill," I think they would have been glad to pass it and they had more than enough votes to do so. The fact is,they were not willing to put up the fight necessary to overcome the Democratic opposition. You could say, The Republicans did not try to pass the Dyer Bill." I do not believe the majority of the men on the Republican side hate and despise us " if they do, there are no words left for the sentiments of the majority of men on the Democratic side. The Republicans are disinterested, they want to keep the Negro in the Republican Party, but his insistence upon recognition embarrasses them. I think "wished to ignore us," expresses more exactly the attitude. "Cowardice and Politicians" were the main characteristics of the Republicans.|||Johnson to Du Bois, early 1920s}}
{{cquote|I should not say "The Republicans did not intend to pass the Dyer Bill," I think they would have been glad to pass it and they had more than enough votes to do so. The fact is,they were not willing to put up the fight necessary to overcome the Democratic opposition. You could say, The Republicans did not try to pass the Dyer Bill." I do not believe the majority of the men on the Republican side hate and despise us " if they do, there are no words left for the sentiments of the majority of men on the Democratic side. The Republicans are disinterested, they want to keep the Negro in the Republican Party, but his insistence upon recognition embarrasses them. I think "wished to ignore us," expresses more exactly the attitude. "Cowardice and Politicians" were the main characteristics of the Republicans.|||Johnson to Du Bois, early 1920s}}