The Washington bee., 1907-12-28
Race Discrimination.

1907
Race Discrimination.
We call on all American citizens to
oppose the rising tide Of race discrim-
ination that threatens to oyerwhelm us.
The situation is far worse than it was
ten years ago.
The late Carl Schurz Lnot long before
his death wrote: Here is the crucial
point: There will be a movement either
in the direction of reducing the Negro
90 a permanent condition of serfdom-
/ the condition Of the mere plantation hand
alongside the mule, practically without
any rights of citizenship, or movement
in the direction of recognizing him as
citizen in the full sense of the term.
One or the other will prevail
Carl Schurz's prediction has become
true sooner than he expected. The Am
Ierican people are apparently moving very
Iswiftly in the effort to reduce the Ne
gro to a permanent position of inferi-
ority. Race discrimination and race hat
red are growing by leaps and bounds.
We call on all by voice and pen and
ballot TO put down this spirit. Espe-
cially do We urge our foreign-born cit
izen5 to join FIN shifting down this
deadly enemy.
This is their right as we'll as the Ne
gro's. Do they not see that if success
/ should come to those who are striving
to separate the people on account Of col
CT or race their turn may come next?
A distinguished Southerner of Louisi-
ana was recently asked, What will you
do if the Italians continue TO swarm
into the South and secure a majority of
the voters in your State?" His answer
was: we will treat them as We have
the Negro-we will disfranchise them.
The Southern Anglo-Saxon men must
rule and shall rule" and in the adjoin-
ing State of Mississippi, as we learn
from the Asso lated Press dispatches,
the people Of several towns have under
consideration plan to eXpel children OF
Italian parentage from the public schools
The importance to the foreign-born
citizen of the fight, therefore, to give
the Negro a square deal" is that If
the fight continues to go against him,
and the Negro is placed permanently in
the disfranchised class, there will soon
be demand for discrimination between
different classes of immigrants.
The Hebrews, who have been discrim-
mated against for generations, and who
now in Russia and Roumania are re-
aIzine the awful rsults of race hatred,
surely will be found fighting for justice
for all. On what principle OF conslsten-
cy con they encourage our natives o.
espouse their cause in foreign lands, and
fail to do all they can to right the
? wrongs OF native-born citizens in this
] country The Italians will not be found
wanting in this fight when they under
- stand it. The Germans, the IRISH, the
/ Scotch, the Scandinavians, the Russians
+ the Greeks, the Armenians, in fact, al
2 nationalities coming to our shores, have
= histories and traditions that will impe
y them to be on the side of justice anC
g against oppression.
n The singular and awful fact IS tha
this bitter determination to dlscrlminat
f against the colored race is chargeable t
e the native-born American.
h The immigrants have little or none o
1t such prejudice when they come here
: In Europe and Asia there is very Sigh
prejudice against dark skin, and i
IS the West Indies and Central and Sout
Ie America almost none.
II 1t is a sight that lowers this Natio
n in the eyes of the whole world, to sc
a great, and in many ways highly civ
I ilized, people like the white people c
at the United States engage in a cowardl.
IF brutal effort to crush and keep down
ie race of nine millions of people.
le Let us endeavor to look at the stu;
d ton from an outsiders standpoint, as
Id looks to the Canadians and European
d, and not as it looks to us, for it is we
Of known that continuous contact with ar
tn form of wrong and crime renders pc
Id sons or peoples hardened and indifferel
he to it.
he The American people claim to lo7
:? their Constitution. Oaths to honor al
h obey it are constantly made, and y
lis the race discrimination has grown TO
of so strong that this sacred Constitute
d. is trampled under foot and despised
,r- many States. Two of IFS amendmen