The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1910-07-21
RALLY TO YOUR OWN DEFENSE

To Colored Americans and their FEB
low Countrymen.
Greetings
BY vote Of the Executive Commit
tee and by order of the President this
call Of the National, Independent (for-
merly Negro-American) Political
league is issued for the 3rd annual
meeting at Atlantic City, New Jersey,
August 4th and 9Th, 1910.
This national convention of Colored
citizens is called under what grave
conditions touching the object Of this
organization, the supreme aim OF
which Is to maintain and secure for
all Colored Americans the same rights
and privileges Of citizenship as the
enjoyed by the other citizens of these
United states of America? In the
southern states 95 per cent of the nine
million Colored citizens of the United
States are deprived of the exercise of
the ballot, the fundamental right under
our system of government, without
which there is for citizens neither
protection nor freedom. This rape of
the ballot Is consummated in plain
violation of the national costitution
which forbids denial of the right to
vote because of race or color. The ex-
ecutive head of the federal govern
ment within sixteen months officially
admitted this disfranchisement in in
augural address and palliated the vio-
lation of the federal constitution in
stead of declaring his purpose to en-
force the law in obedience to the oath
he had just solemnly taken. Presi-
dent VIM. H. Taft even intimated the
legality of those devices for multiplying
the 18th amendment by state laws
which are as much worse than fradul-
ent practices as law is stronger than
custom. The legislative branch of the
federal government, specifically cloth
ed with power to enforce the suffrage
articles of the constitution, has
viewed with apathy and inaction their
fragrant violation save when actively
condoning it by seating congressman
elected under the violation as against
contestants entitled to seats if the
federal law had been obeyed in their
districts in the South. The judicial
branch has lodged the issue in all
cases brought involving southern dis
reimbursement laws, thus by persistent
refusal of relief Strengthening the
notification and emboldening the
nullifiers of the supreme law of the
land.
In view of the very nature of our
republican institutions, as we'll as of
the declared reasons for our existence
as an independent government, is not
this condition sufficiently serious to
twelve millions of Colored Americans
to justify and necessitate a national
convention, and sufficiently alarming
to all believers in our country's de-
and Of her fair name to compel their
sympathy and support?
But what train of evils were let
loose upon Colored Americans with
disfranchisement! In the southern
states unequal and oppressive laws
have destroyed all their civil rights,
excluding them from public places of
business, of accommodation, or resort,
even public parks and public libraries,
barring from state, quasi-public and
the public schools, forcing them into
separate and inferior schools, fasten-
ing upon them the public ignominy
and caste stigma of segregation in
public travel, casting them even into
peonage. They are under the tyranny
of taxation without representation.
Left in that hapless and helpless con-
dition of citizens without voice as to
law-maker, law-ehfoTcer, or law inter-
prefer, they are not only the victims
of injustice in the courts, but, denied
all trial by court or jury, are they the
now the almost daily lynching of hui
man beings has disgraced our country
before the civilized world.
Inevitably this race persecution in
fects the north, Color prejudice is on
the increase. Discrimination based
on color in civil rights and in
economic opportunities is gaining
ground, Jim-crow cars have reached
the borders of the national capitol,
twice color Acknowledgement has
raised it's horrid head above Mason
and Dixon's line, while bloody race
riots and barbarous lynchings have
reached up to Illinois, even to the
home of the martyred Lincoln.
Most harmful and portentous of all
in this crusade Of race hate and color
prejudice is the action, under the pres
ent administration, of the federal gov
eminent itself. For the first time in
the United States president has Of
ficially proclaimed color political
disability. BY his declaration that he
would not appoint Colored citizens to
office where white citizens objected,
he completed southern disfranchise-
ment. 1t is Colored soldiers who are
the victims when for the first time a
battalion is discharged wholesale and
without trial because of an alleged
affray with civilians, and the new de-
parture, aggravated by the failure to
establish individual guilt after trial, is
boldly continued. That unique degre-
dation of free citizens, segregation by
color in public carriers, has been
sanctioned and nationalized by fed
eral commission, while the federal
court in support declares the right of
even an interstate railroad to segre-
gate Colored passengers. .-..
Unless one-eighth of the citizens of
the United States are TO De reduced
to political serfdom, unless our Repub-
lie is to abandon democracy for the
caste of color, this present trend must
be resolutely opposed. Graver crisis
in Republic could hardly be. colored
A.. AAG