The Kansas blackman., 1894-05-18
AS TO THE COLOR LINE.

umn. "the only colOred American
newspaper in Shawnee county," that
it is unwise for the Negro to be dis
tinctively Negro. The Call, "a
weekly journal devoted to the in
terests of the colored people," argues
in a similar strain. THE BLACKMAN
is "a paper by and for the Negro. :"
Herein lies our crime. First, we are
a Negro. Second, we are publishing
paper "for the Negro" This is
our position, and upon this ground,
be it high or low, We stand and await
the verdict of the people; both black
and white.
When The BLACKMAN was launch
ed in this city, the first declaration in
our platform was that it was Gin the
interest of the Negro" Upon this
ground do we seek patronage and
support. Upon this declaration we
stand today. We are not anything
if we are not Negro, and our res
pect for our ancestors, for race, for
self and for the future generations of
the Negro race sustain us in seeking
to represent the true merit and worth
of the same. That the Negro has
been an unfortunate race, every body
knows, but "He who forsakes his house.
hold is worse than an infdel." says
the good book, and even though the
curse of caste is felt by the Negro far
and wide, the true, honest, manly
Negro will stand by his colors. The
Negro is making history daily. He is
making history AS Negro. He is a
distinctive element of the American
people. He is a class. He is a Negro
living, he is Negro dead. The great
white journals of this country. speak
ing of any action by member OF our
race refer to the same as (cJlored).
To be Negre is no crime. To be
Negro and seek to hide it, is the great
est evidence of narrowness we are able
to call to mind. We have our color
ed churches, noble institutions; our
colored schools and seminaries, color.
ed lodges, in fact, EVERYTHING we
have as a people. is distinCtively our
own. We are not ashamed of our
Institutions. They stand out in bold
relief as monuments of distinctive
Negro ability. They stamp the work
of manhood upon his brow. They are
the beacons which are to light the
coming generations along life's path
way and point out the possibilities of
the Negro as man.
To refer direct to our contempor-
aries again. The Ledger, "the only
colored American newspaper in Shaw.
nee county," has this to say editor.
tally in its issue of April 27: tNo
Negro can consistently publish paper
for his race in this republic" What
relation does this motto bear to this
We deem argument un.
necessary.
The Call "devoted to the interest of
the colored race" in its issue of April
a. in an editorial under the caption
Of Come Together" says colored
men of Topeka, let us come together
and work for the good of our race"
and in the issue of April %, this ap-
pears: wherever thereais possible
chance to elevate colored man, every
member of the race ought TO throw
away his personal preference and as
sist." Yet this same paper wages war
on THE BLACKMAN, because it is "by
and for the Negro"
1t is not the mission of THE,BLACK-
NAN to fight with this class of news
papers, and we have stood silent aud /
passive under their villanous assaults
on us personally, but in defence of !
Negro manhood and all that is dear to
us as a race, we rise to ask if these
journals, the Call and ] edger, are
not distinctively in the interest of the |
Negro, what then is their mission?
No one believes that either or both /.
Of them fitly represent the intelligence
of the race in this community, but
tfey ask patronage and support from
all people claiming that they are the
press representatives Of the Negroes of
this community, and vet they con.
lenm The BLAcKMAN for being "for
he Negro"
We are publishing s newspaper.
We are publishing said newspaper in
he interest of the Negroes Of Kansas.
We love our country. We love our
lag. We love our laws. We love
'ur white friends. We forgive our
nemies. But be it fully understood
hat our love for the Negro, our eff
orts in bis behalf will only grow cold
~ r,,a r-ha, ort ;r coma sooIr3aJ