The sun., 1901-07-20
THE GROUND OF FELLOWSHIP.

| the currents direction Such an indich
| tion of the direction of current thought
| Hnated through the newspapers the other
day. In the labor news Of the day it
was said that Il labor organization had
| adopted resolutions declaring that the At
tempt to dSfranchisc the negroes of u"
South is an attack upon labor. Follow
| ing this came the news that the color'N
workmen employed in the still mills, one
nr the mills ut least, had joined the
strikers Here are slight indications OF
| a change OF sentiment ANA relation be-
tween white and colorcd working people.
that means much that is Of Importance
in The history of this conntiy-hrc awak-
rung to sense Of mutual interests,
which viii 20 far To remove social ar'.
political prciudiccs.
What appears 10 have been asserted
hy the labor organization in question
il, true. The southern objection to tho
negro is moi because he IS black nor yet
l.r"nusc he is ignorant. 1t is because
he Is poor. There is no southern Stat"
III which Ignorance is n political bar TO
!. white voter Ignorance Is as danger
orlS an element in politics represented Iv
white men as il is represented ly black
men. That is proposition which no one
will undertake to refutc. Despite this
the Southern effort is to diSlrunchiSr
the negro without DISTINGUISHING The -
nor;tnI white voter. So il is not the
nrgrn's igonrancc that is barriu. him
ont of the politics of the South. II Is
his poverty. Not the poverty Of the IN,
! iii ,itlual negro, hut because he represents
a race upon whom a cruel fate has pui
the mark Of poverty that is nrninl
The poor white man is not barred because
Il better fate hns made him the unfnrtu-
nate representative Of 4 dominant mas
tcrful race that is II once rich ;tnG
powerful. If il WAS ignorance nluu,
that disqualified tie voter Tho color Of
his skin would connt for nothing. a
prunf that il is lis poverty that hals
The negro. il lc fact that il proprrty i
qualification for voting is proposed III
several Of The southern States, that ar.
nuw wrestling with the suffrage problem.
n then it is not the ncgru'S poverty that
bars him out. what il IT, II might bo
said that il is because he is !; Republicans
Il" some extent that is true But that
will not do. There are now II good many
wftnorr rorirmfrrr-- -rnrmSrrvrs 10 nrgry
suffrage.
The objection to the negro is that II,
: lahorrr, IS we have said il laborrl
~ what NJ" considered mental nccnpa
tans Labor has always been rncninI n
me south. Is Il mattcr or ,act thr whit.
lah"r"r has had scarcely more social
recognition than thr negro lhr Signs ii
, i"l have always bccn regarded i'll badges
"f nlcriority ana of i mcninl position.
II Is y" NOW. 'l'o Il degree il is trne
y here II u 81 to worse degree South
! rms relates "a white ana black alike.
. Here then is tho common ground Of m
I"w~hip h"twrel labor without regard
t4 rol"r The negro il hrr, 10 STAY. Hr
v u "cnllr more aud more IL factor
NE intn all liuns Of work As Il lahornr
\" Is largely IN evidence Ill" has in
!. vadrd the ranks Of what are called the
learned professions, nld is rdgins intu
mechanical and mercantile preserves.
llr eimot bc suppressed Cypress him
and you PIT him un Go side oi the
controversy. Then thr issue i not doubt
fill
llm negro must i" accorded justice II,
y labortr, tilSt rs surely ;lS mtISt lii
fellow white ahorer Thcir interests
;nd rights ar, mutual. OF all Tho means
"t agitation ANA defence iii possession 4"
labor, the ballot Il the greatest. THAI
Is til" hulwark uf bis defense, ANA lis.
Stuitn"e % his victory, III" flct thai thn
M"rkingnrn m" awakening ID this fact
Is showing IN til" labor news, in III,
proposition already made, fur il labor
party and the choosing of candidate.
from III" ranks Of the workngnrn. 1t
lnst br evident from This that organized
labor must hrcm" the opponents Of lh,.
schemes /" ,lisflnuchis" the negro. #
Il, from labor yi"w. an attempt 10 &C.,
tabor y The r4ht e defend Itself viii
thc ballet aud IL" workingmrn or this
country rann"t afford 10 allow liz iii
Ii"ns Of their fellow workingmcn, who
lElpprn 10 - born black. Il H. disfran
cI,iacd
Those who arc ttyins u dsrranchis"
tlH' Negro ~" lindmy It diti,ult work
II is dilirult hccallsr il is nnjuSt. Thr
effort viii not snccc"d. The industrial
freedom "t III" American workman muSt
he guaranteed by his political equality