Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1910-02-19

1T eNll happiness we prize.
Within our breast this jewel lies.
And they are fools who roam.
The world has nothing 20 bestow.
From our own selves our joys must
flow.
And that dear hut-our home
~ Cotton.
Mr.. James samuel Stemons does
not seem 90 be entirely satisfied. He
thinks that we have misunderstood
him. let us see: We do not under
stand that any Of this discussion is
of a personal nature. We accord TO
Mr.. Stemous the same right OF opin-
ion that we claim for ourselves. We
have not discounted the fact that
the Negro as an industrial factor
in the North is losing ground and
that an effort is being made 90 trans.
fer this very feeling 20 the South
land. where the relationship between
the better class of white men and
the better class of coIored men Is
most friendly.
We did not refer 90 Mr.. Stemons'
radicalism I'm the sense that he was
offensive 90 white people either
North or south. We might have used
the word extreme. TO a better adj
vantage To viii be seen then that
Air. stemous' challenge amounts to
nothing iu this respect No thought
full race leader is In favor of relin-
gushing the Negroes human and
fundamental rights. Down here we
yield under protest. relingulshiug
none OF our rights in the premises.
We have heard the demands for
The same opportunity Of living In any
part Of this country that Is given 10
any other class OF citizens. We have
encouched these demands IN resoIu.
tons. Emancipation day addresses
and Fourth of July orations for the
last forty years and we have not re-
treated one iota from this position.
But, are we TO sit down and bewan
these proscriptive conditions and do
nothing TO help ourselves? Mr.. Ste
mons evidently has not locked up the
definition Of the word. "exDatri.
ating'. so we thought we would look
it mp for him. Webster gives the
meaning as follows.
Banishing driving or forcing
from his own country: making an
exile Of Withdrawing from ones ma.
tive country. denouncing the rights
and Liabilities OF citizenship. where
one was born and become a citizen
OF another country.
To apply that word TO colored
people i'm the North. who removed
from the South, seems to us TO be
ridiculous.
The Negroes in the South remain
here because they have nowhere else
TO so. They are strangers in a strange
land in the North. They have their
sorrows down here. but they also
have periods of happiness. They ind
consolation in religion for this very
reason. and when they can gather in
the little pine church in the woods
and give vent TO their feeling. tell
ing God all about il, there is a re-
verberance of feeling that extends
away up TO the big house. where the
white folks live.
The segregation of the Negro in
the Southland is in direct violation
Of every economic principle. but II
has been the salvation of the Negroes
in many respects. tt has taught him
self-reliance and brought to him
selfrespect. That which he cannot
get in the white workshops as me.
chanics, he is getting in the hun
dreds OF industrial schools Of the
Southland as students.
Mr.. Stemons talks about humilia-
ton. We fatten ca humiliation. He
talks about segregation: we prosper
on segregation. He tells about init
midation; we sharpen our wits and
increase our manhood on intimida-
ton.
Mr.. StemOns seems to forget that
the white men of the North have the
same right to discharge Negroes asthe
Negroes have the right to refuse to
work for white men. II is not for
US to complain because we are not
wanted as walters. We should be in
dependent enough TO seek employ
ment elsewhere, and to demonstrate
to others that our labor is the best
and the cheapest that can be obtain
ed from any source. Mr.. stemons
seems to overlook the fact that his
arc-larnant zuo..la onIz- kahl =--.a