Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-09
THE COLOR LINE.

The DEMOCRAT is glad of the opportu-
nifty offered TO publish the following let
ter, for two reasons 1st-It shows upon
what small groundwork a reader will
sometimes build his objections to the
utterances OF the newspaper he reads,
and 2d-It affords an opportunity of
proving our position to be correct, both
in premises and in TACT. In our issue of
the 5th instant, we said: The selec-
ton of the city OF Richmond, Virginia, as
the place of meeting for the Knights of
Labor in annual convention, was fraught
with more trouble to the Order than it
could well foresee, and is likely to result
in damage to the work hoped to be
accomplished there. General Master
Workman Powderly made a bad break
when he alluded 30 the equality of all
men in the Order for the. reason that
custom and precedent both, hold the
colored man aloof from his white brethren
in all social intercourse, the line being
drawn even in places of public amuse-
ment, and extending through all grades
of societies and organizations, even to
the Masonic fraternity. Not all the bene-
fits promised by a thorough equipment
for working of the Knights of Labor in
the South can be equivalent to the deep
seated race prejudice held by the white
people OF the South against their colored
fellow citizens, and such keen mind as
that of Powderly's should see that it is
idle for the K. of L. to hope to do, what
only time and necessary intercourse can
bring about. A negro couple on the floor
OF ballroom, occupied by whites in
Richmond, or any other city in the South,
would be the signal for most of the whites
to leave, and all the reasoning in the
book cannot change this condition of the
Southern mans feelings"
To this a correspondent in Alta answers
as follows:
'The Knights of Labor of America are
men who have mutually agreed to uphold
Jle dignity OI JU6 ALu0rlCdu ldDOT6T. dlSO
for the mutual benefit of its members, ire
spective of COLOR and in the ranks of that
organization will be found business men,
classic scholars and ripe statesmen from
both our great national parties.
In regard to the Masonic fraternity, of
which your correspondent is a member
for over twenty years, | would respectfully
inform the DEMOCRAT that there is no bar
rier in that ancient and honorable Order in
pauard tn OolOP araad or nationality /
think the General Assembly of the Knights
of Labor made a great mistake In calling
the convention now in session in the capital
of old Virginia. knowing the feelings of the
people of that city and State toward men of
color, and the General Assembly must have
known that a large number of delegates
would be there from the South, and few
from the North.
| often wonder when will the American
people (white) and the press subdue their
prejudice, and assist in the elevation of their
once edown-trodden fellow citizens who have
been in all stages in the history or this
country true and faithful
First, we would ask our correspondent
and our readers if events since our arti-
Gle was published, do not prove we were
right? Is there not serious trouble over
delegate Farrell, of Assembly No. 40?
Was it not necessary for him to forego
his rights in order to avoid more trouble?
The answer to these questions is, yes. The
Democrat in subsequent article stated
that any sane man knew Farrell had the
right to go into the theatre, but was it
polite for him to do so, considering that
his action would menace the success of
the Order in their convention? Second
We would say to our correspondent
that the color line is drawn, and tightly
too, in the f. and A. NJ fraternity, and
he must know it to be so. The position OF
the DEMOCRAT on the Knights of Labor
Order is and always has been one of help
and countenance to them (Uide our regular
issue in the past, and it was our solicit
Gus feeling for the Order which caused us
10 write of the mistakes made, hoping to
have them avoided in the future
Greater undertakings than the X. of l..
have split upon the color-line rock, and
so might the X of L. also, if it pressed
the point. To our correspondent last
question we answer: When time shall
have killed the natural feelings born in
the blood of Southern men, then can his
wish be granted in the South, and not
till then.