The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-02
THE COLOR LINE IN BRUTEs.

THE COLOR LINE IN BRUTES.
John L. Sullivan, with that brutal frank
ness that is generally associated with gross
stupidity, declares that he was brought
up to believe that negroes, or 'niggers,' as
We call them, were intended by the Lord
as interiors, and that their place was
under the whites. You may understand
it palmer if say their place is cleaning
spittoons; you understand? If God in
tended them to be equal to the white men
He would not have changed their color"
Johns views are those of an exceptional
ignoramus and lunkhead today, but he
unquestionably tells the truth when he
says that in his youth such opin-
ions were sound Democratic doctrine.
Sullivan is an enemy of peace,
law, order, industry, humanity; of
everything that separates the life of
civilized man from the ferocious turbu-
lence of a man-eating tiger. He is an
Irish-American who has vindicated the
principle of home rule by slapping the
faces of women who have angered him
when in his cups; cutting newsboys of
tender years, beating his own wife brutality
and whipping horse so outrageously as
to cause his arrest for cruelty to animals.
And this is kind of white man that
generally poses as the champion of the
color line, drawing 1t even as Sullivan
does between brutes; between the white
and the black bull dog; between the white
and the black ruifian and outlaw. 1t is
notorious that Jackson is a very much
decenter man than Sullivan; he is not in
temperate; is not a braggart, gin pig
nor bloekhead like Sullivan, and
yet this great hulking white brute
thinks that negro has no right in the
prize ring, but should confine himself to
his hereditary vocation of cleaning spit
toons" and kindred employments. Jack
son is regarded by Sullivan as an upstart
and intruder; a creature whom nature
intended for the lowest class of workers,
and not for the noble calling of profess
aional fighter, social and industrial ruffian
and outlaw. Sullivan's own calling is
deemed a detestable and disgusting one by
the vast majority ofintelligent and humane
y
despises Jackson, not because he is prize
fighter. but because he is black Jackson
is to blame for consenting to be a prize
fighter, but is not responsible for his color,
which, as Mr.. Sullivan admits, was the
deliberate act of God.
If anything was needed to prove how
little brains is necessary to prizefghter,
we find it in this drawing of the color line
among brutes. Sullivan would probably
decline to shake hands with Fred Doug
lass, who has successfully evaded the di-
vine intention and not only has risen
above "splttoons." but has been
the esteemed friend and associate of
a very large number of distinguished white
men who regard Sullivan as a mere stall
wart loafer who prostitutes the sanctity of
his magnificent body for money. to the
utter degradation OF his humanity. 1t
would be interesting to know whether Sui
livan thinks that Toussaint l. Overture
General Dumas, Ira Aldridge and a host
of other negro celebrities were vulgar up
starts and impertinent intruders upon a
white civilization because they tried to rise
above "spittoons" and behaved as if thew
thought black man was better than a
white brute.
John doesn't ''clean spittoons;" he
doesn't do any kind of honest, law
full. legitimate labor; he's non-pro-
ductive, lawless, illiterate ruffian, and
it is grim satire on the DEM
cratic theory, This is a white mans
government" 10 find its most earnest de-
fender notorious prizeighter, who
thinks it is cial, intellectual and in-
dustrial rise for a white man to
sell his body to the highest bid
der: who despises q negro pugilist
not for his shameful calling. but for his
color; who argues that God intended the
negro TO be an inferior man, aud declines
TO give Jackson a chance to prove that he
is the better brute of the two, and has in a
black body white soul that, like Sulli-
vans, is above cleaning spittoons; like Sui
Ivan, has mo use for spttoon."
1t was one of Sulivan's stripe that said
when asked 10 vote for negro suffrage
amendment: "Of course: why not? Cd
d-n the dirty mayer, he ought to suffer"