Franklin's paper the statesman., 1911-10-07

| stand he took in the case. The suit
entered for 100000 against the Pull
man and M. X. & T. Railway com
panies for violence to ones person
and it's consequent humiliation and
against the rights of an American cit
izen, would be classed by the world
at large as a suit for civil rights, not
as the sociologist puts it, in the so
clal equality" list.
Let us for minute take another
statement of the Crisis as follows:
Now. riding on Pullman car is So
cial equality and there is no use pre-
, tending that it is not" If some one
had told me this was a statement COM
ing from the editorial columns of the
Crisis, l could not have believed it..
The expression is so absolutely alb
surd and SLOWS utter lack of the ed
itor's ability to discriminate between
personal comforts and his phantom
social equality" The expression is
petty and shows no eternal fitness of
things.
Pullman car is luxury, a COM
modify for which one pays fee 20
rest, to sleep, to be comfortable, and
the question of social equality is not
a consideration and must not be con-
fused with necessary comforts. Take
my own case. l received an urgent
call to go to Southern city last week
on professional business. | had been
up two consecutive nights. The teie
gram says, Come at once" The dis
tance is 300 miles. The next day is
to be a strenuous one. The life of
an individual is to be under my i'm
mediate care. My nerves must be
steady; my senses clear. The coach
is straight back, dingy affair adjoin-
ing the baggage car. The Pullman is
one of the above comforts for which
can pay and which is necessary for
the preservation of my own body and
maybe the life of an Individual.
We have teacher here in one of
our schools who brought his wife, who
was i'll, from Georgia in a Pullman
car. Tell me, is this your idea of So
cial equality? 1t has not been SO un-
derstood by the American people and
never will be.
In last weeks paper we see where
one of the Gould brothers is threat
ening the interests of another brother
because his actress wife is not re-
ceived on basis of social equality in
the family.
There was a multi-millionaire in
Colorado Springs who made his mon
ey by sudden speculations and sought
membership in an aristocratic club
made up OF English gentlemen. He
was refused because he was an ex-
serf
These two cases | cite as typical
examples in the clamOr for social
equality.
Another statement: Equal civil
rights are impossible without social
equality and equa political rights are
impossible without social equality"
Now, civil and political rights are
governed by laws made through acts
of legislation; so regulated and so
enjoyed by all alike.
Social equality is a mutual agree
ment between individuals by sign Or
token or facial expressions, which
legislation cannot regulate and which
all cannot enjoy alike.
The fact that the Southern white
papers" accused the American Ne.
groes in London of demanding social
equality" does not make it SO, for
they too, like others l know, are con
stantly chasing this same phantom,
and when they find this nameless
something, for peace OF mind and 4
better name, they style it social
equality"
There has never been word Of
human tongue that has been made tt
| cloak SO l.-any things. The Crisis
says: Social equality is simply the
right to be treated as a gentleman
when one among gentlemen" May
1 ask of those men that come into
the Office Oh the Crisis, how many
men tnat are not gentlemen are treat
ed as such? Are all men the socia
equal OF each other when they "acl
like gentlemen?
1t has ever been my desire to re
fleet credit, honor and dignity upor
my people and I am willing for the
American Negroes to determine the
meaning of my statement, when you
accuse me of forging the chains o.
social slavery" II they agree witt
me, then you will at least acknow
edge the verdict. If they agree with
you, l will preserve dignified 81
ience"
ignorance and intelligence. as long al
there exist millionaires. middle mer
and paupers, there can never be SO
cial equality. have discussed thii
matter OF social equality as the aver
age man sees and feels, eliminating
the technicalities, for tine editor nl
the Crisis bears the distinction Of be
ing our greatest socfologist and un
derstands sociology in its gruesome
details. II am wrong and he Il
right, then the world needs = better
definition Of social equality.
Respectfully,