Richard B. Moore, nationally known orator and lecturer, and representative of the International Labor Defense of New York City, did not speak in Madison Hall at the University of Virginia, on last Sunday night as had been previously planned.
Professor Ivey Lewis (transciption note: The name "Anderson" appeared in the original text. However, someone apparently scratched through the name "Anderson" and scribbled in "Lewis". However, "Anderson" appears twice later in the article.) not only cancelled the Madison Hall engagement but also issued orders thatclosed all the buildings of the University to the speaker.
Mr. Moore is paid by the International Labor Defense to make speeches and present fiery arguments on Jim Crowism, on the evils of capitalism and the deficiencies of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people. Richard Moore is a devout Communist, but the learned Professor Anderson did not bar him from spacious Madison Hall because he was planning to discuss his views concerning segregation; he did not order the closing of all public buildings to the speaker because of what he may have said against Senator Carter Class or in favor of Karl Marx. No, because Communist speakers have been there before and have, in true Communist fashion, freely discussed all of the "untouchables", from the existing dual wage scale in Virginia to jury pondering in Alabama, and they were made welcome.
Richard Moore is a Negro and consequently, he was barred for that reason.
The preposterous part is that, it all happened at the University, the school founded by Thomas Jefferson, liberal delegate to the Virginia Assembly, author of the Declaration of Independence and president of the United States. Jefferson, the man who encored the bill that prevented further exportation of Negro slaves to America.
All of this was done at the will of a college professor, a man duty bound to instill the principle of Americanism in future citizens of our country; a man apparently qualified to guide our youth; a scholar, whom culture has failed to teach tolerance; an educator honored by a great institution of learning and intrusted to aid largely in the moulding of the lives of thousands of future American leaders, yet, unable to shake off a spirit which fairly wrecked several countries in Northern Europe and which is very prevalent in Germany today; the spirit of Race Prejudice.
Consider the founder of the University of Virginia. Consider the thousands of trained men and women in attendance there; consider Prof. Anderson's background. Suppose the illustrious "Liberal" from Monticello knew all of the facts; what would he think?