February 5, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 24 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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SCIPIO A. JONES POST OFFICE PORTRAIT; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 24
(House of Representatives - February 05, 2020)
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[Pages H831-H832] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] SCIPIO A. JONES POST OFFICE PORTRAIT Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3317) to permit the Scipio A. Jones Post Office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to accept and display a portrait of Scipio A. Jones, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3317 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SCIPIO A. JONES POST OFFICE PORTRAIT. (a) In General.--The postmaster of the Scipio A. Jones Post Office, located at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas, may accept and display, in the lobby of such Post Office, a painting, by artist Wade Hampton, of a portrait of Scipio A. Jones. (b) Costs; Gifts.--The United States Postal Service shall not be responsible for any costs of carrying out subsection (a), including the costs of displaying the painting. The postmaster referred to in such subsection is authorized to accept on behalf of the Government the painting and any services necessary to display the painting. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan. General Leave Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this matter. [[Page H832]] The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Michigan? There was no objection. Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 3317, to permit the Scipio A. Jones Post Office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to accept and display a portrait of Scipio A. Jones. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative French Hill for introducing the measure to honor this civil rights icon. Scipio Jones was born in 1863 near Tulip, Arkansas. He would later argue two civil rights cases before the Arkansas Supreme Court. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3317, introduced by my good friend, Representative French Hill. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill). Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from North Carolina. I thank him particularly for his help in shepherding this bill through the committee. I am grateful, too, to our late, good friend Elijah Cummings for his support and the opportunity to thank him on the floor for his service in the House. Also, I thank my good friend from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) for her support of this measure. Mr. Speaker, in 1919, American doughboys returning from the European front and its brutality were committed to benefiting from the opportunity and liberty they secured at great risk and sacrifice to themselves. Many took that commitment to autonomy and freedom home to small towns and communities and homesteads where their families and livelihoods remained. Just over 100 years ago, as September bled over into October in 1919, few eyes in this country were turned to a small agrarian community in northeast Arkansas. There, Black sharecroppers, spurred in part by the tales of opportunity and liberty spun by these returning brave veterans of the war to end all wars, dared to discuss fair pay for their crops. To this day, an accurate account of the tragic loss of life that took place during the Elaine massacre, when White mobs killed more than 100 African Americans, remains widely unknown. But one of the heroic stories that emerged from the ashes of the Elaine massacre was that of Scipio Africanus Jones, one of the great lawyers in Arkansas history. Jones' skillful legal defense saved the lives of 12 unfairly charged sharecroppers from the Elaine massacre who were originally sentenced to death by an Arkansas State court. Jones' actions resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Dempsey, establishing that Federal courts could review criminal convictions in State courts under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that this legislation today that I have sponsored to honor his legacy, the Scipio A. Jones Post Office Portrait Act, is being considered on the House floor. Today's measure is a simple one. It authorizes a portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed at the U.S. Post Office in Little Rock, Arkansas, that bears his name. It has the support of the entire Arkansas delegation. Scipio Jones' fight for civil rights and equality is an important part of Arkansas' history and something that we are deeply proud of in our State. The Elaine massacre had a profound impact on the soul of our State that can be felt a century later. However, history always teaches us that we can learn from our past. We have an opportunity, today, with this legislation, to write a new chapter on Arkansas history that recognizes the legacy of the tragedy, honors the victims, and seeks to heal longstanding wounds. I am delighted to draft and sponsor this bill that helps accomplish that goal. Our friend from North Carolina, the late Elijah Cummings, I am grateful for their help and the staff of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. I appreciate it for the quick markup, and I am grateful for the support. Mr. Speaker, I urge this measure's passage. Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I urge the bill's passage, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the passage of H.R. 3317, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3317. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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