New-York tribune., 1889-12-19
CoLORED CITIZENS ORGANIZING.

CoLORED CITIZENS ORGANIZING.
II is perfectly proper for colored American
citizens to organize National Relef Associa-
tion. with view to secure their rights. III thcy
have formed such an organization in nearly
every prominent city in the country as Is as
serted. and have enlisted the actual co-opera-
ton of nearly every prominent colored man
in the country" that fact by itself shows
measure of ability and of unselfish devotion to
the interests of their race which does them
GREAT credit. The accomplishment of all this
nreparatory work without the aid of the press
and without attracting attention or getting
premature publicity must be considered re-
markable feat. The call for national con-
yention. to be composed of delegates from each
state and Territory TO be held at Washington
on February 3. is a legitimate outcome OF such
n movement Its object, as stated In the call,
is :" for the purpose of taking some action to
remedy these wrongs" in Southern States, land
the obtaining of the exercise of all political and
civil rights and privileges by colOred American
citizens as are guaranteed to them by the Con-
stitution and laws of the United States.
Colored citizens have a right to regard the
question as one peculiarly concerning their
race, and to take counsel together in order to
make their united efforts effective. Other
citizens who take interest in the same question
also have right to regard the disfranchisement
of great body of citizens as crime, and as
wrong to citizens of all the States since votes
in Congress obtained by criminal injustice are
used to make laws for the whole people. More
than twenty years have passed without prac-
IL .rona &C pinhfa t.lQd
the amended Constitution and it is not strange
if colored citizens begin to conclude that their
real enfranchisement must come through their
own eyertions. Heaven helps those who help
themselves" they reason, and nothing within
the power of Northern citizens or of Congress
to do would be half so effective as measures
which the colored citizens themselves are able
to adopt, if rightly organized and wisely di-,
rected.
There is not much wisdom in the reported
intention to refuse answers to census enumer-
ators, in order to leave Southern States with
out the large population now frauduently dis
franchsed and misrepresented The notion,
that 700, 600 men, women and children can
| " take to the woods" and stay there until census
officers have finished meanwhile abandoning
for serious consideration. The law not only
provides that any adult of a family, upon re-
fusal to give information to enumerators, may
be sued and fined $780, but also that in the alb
sence or refusal of adult members, "any agent
of the family" shall give the information neces-
sary. 1t is easy to see that "agents" will be
prompt to perform their duty in Southern
States, and careful not to understate the pop
| ulation.
Far more practical and effective measures
can be devised and carried out, whenever the
coored citizens themselves are so organized as
to secure individual cooperation. There has
been great deal of talk about colonization of
the colored people, and only short time ago
another pretentious effort to that end was an
nounced. But the colored people themselves
do not want to be exiled from the soil they have
done so much for many generations to make
valuable, and they never will be. They want
to live here under the protection of United
States laws. and in the enjoyment of freedom,
and they will. 1t is infinitely more likely that
concentration, instead of colonization, will be
the key of the problem. When the cOlored
citizens begin with well-dnected intelligence
to gather themselves peacefully in those States
or counties or towns where they can be assured
of protection in their rights. and to leave those
in which they are not so protected, having the
aid of a powerful organization 10 purchase prop
erty for them in advance, if necessary through
white and unsuspected agents, the loss of labor
ing force in one quarter, and the gain of labor
ing and voting force in the other, will soon
be felt.