The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-30
THE COLOR LINE.

The black human bulldog has worsted
the white human bulldog in San Fran
cisco, and what is sadder yet, nobody in
terfered to vindicate the Democratic
glittering generality that this is
white mans government" by
mobbing the negro out of the
ring. Probably that portion of the Demo
cratic party of San Francisco which is
fondest of believing that this is white
mans government" had too many bets
placed on the black dog to care. for the
party slogan. 1t seems like the bitter
irony of fate that the negro should meet
the anti-negro white ruffian's test of man.
hood, that is. prizefghting prowess, quite
as well as the average white bruiser.
Both in England and America. Jackson,
Molyneux, George Godfrey, Black Sam
Dixon and host of minor fighters have
proved that the negro is more than a
mediocre slugger. 1t is quite comforting
to decent man who has for years seen the
brute white man IN America murder,
mutilate and curse the "nigger" to notice
that when the niger" gets fair play he
not seldom beats his most notorious perse-
cutors on their own ground, that of brute
courage, skill and endurance.
The Democratic ruffians, North and
South, who have for years mobbed and
thumped the negro when they had him
at disadvantage, must feel disguised to
discover that in their own chosen field of
ferocious, brainless, brute pugnacity the
negro can beat them at their own game.
Boston's drunken white Siwash, Sulli-
van, however, promptly drew the color
line in the prize ring when he said on
hearing of Cardiff's defeat by Jackson,
''No gentleman will meet dirty nagur in
the ring" 1t was lucky for Sullivan that
tender Mississippi judge let him off
with fine, instead of imprisonment. for
prizefghting, or he might have met a
"dirty nagur" in ring where he could not
draw the ''color line," viz: the convict
chain gang. 1t is enough to make man
of the smallest sense keep silent about the
color line, when a big, drunken, ignorant
white brute scorns to meet negro in the
| only domain where he can pretend to
equal tue negro, the prize ring.
A fellow with barbaric egotism enough
to draw the color line in the prize ring
would probably insist on drawing the
color line in the calaboose, the peniten-
tiary. the almshouse, the insane asylum,
or the brothel. If Sullivan were burglar
he probably would refuse the aid of a
colored craftsman to break bank or
commit highway robbery. II he were
pickpocket he would probably tell his
''pals" that while he would go through
| the pockets of negro he could not as
gentleman pickpocket accept an Ethiopian
for confederate.
The reflections of q white bruiser beaten
by black one must be similar TO those of
| the imported ignoramus who on seeing
the operations of the steam shovel re-
| marked that the steam shovel was his
| equal in every respect save one, "Be
| iabers, We can't vote" The white prize
fighter consoles himself with the reflection
man" and that he cant vote in as many
places, as early or as often as the majority
| Of white rutfians.
The wretched little white dudes, who are
always uneasy about their social posi-
| ton" and moving in good society" ought
to feel The grim satire of all this
! kind of aileciation when they read
| that even priEehghter Sullivan cannot
afford TO sacrifice his position as gen
tleman," s prizehghter. sot. wife
heater and cruel, cowardly brute by fight
/ ing = black bulldog. Verify, when
Adam delyed and Eve span who then
| was gentleman 2" Socrates hobnobbed with
| AspAsia; Mrs. Browning visited George
| Sand: Gladstone congratulated Sara
/ Rernhardt without thinking about social
/ standing. but il remained for a great hulk
/ ing white priSeGghter TO lay down the
social law that mo gentleman will meet a
dirty nagur in the ring"
| There has nothing taken place in Amer.
| lea that affords stronger proof of the in
tolerable aud increasing impertinence OF
the aspiring African than his arrogant in
| trusion of himself into that Democratic
stronghold, the prize ring. at east moth
Ing since negro had the insuferable in
science 10 forget " hat was his proper place
under white mans government and