Franklin's paper the statesman., 1911-07-29
An Appeal to Reason

Negroes who live in the North and
West feel that the burden of race
progress rests upon them more lightly
than upon those living in the South.
There are even persons in this section
who pride themselves upon their
aloofness from the general activities
of the mass of Negroes. We therefore
wish to have a heart to heart talk
with our readers, and we suggest
some thoughts on the industrial life
of Negroes which if not accepted in
their entirety will at least lead into
thinking on the subject. We have no
fear but that when the brains of the
race are busy better conditions will
ultimately ensue.
The accident of color has linked us
all together so that the incapacity OF
some is the excuse for the refusal OF
us all by white employers. Where the
employers do not discriminate against
us, labor does. Trades unlonlsm IN
many branches has prohibition
against colored workers in its constr
tuition. Labor which is not organized
agrees in fighting the employment OF
colored co-laborers. The exceptions
TO this rule are so slight as to be neg
ligible 1t is this sky-high barrier
that has driven many members of our
race to seek livelihood in the pro-
fessions. Unlike a trade in which ap-
premiership is refused on account OF
color the way to become preacher,
teacher, lawyer or doctor lays through
the schools and is open, just as cap
ital opens the way to business. Ihe
small percentage who have trades are
discredited on the one hand by union
labor and on the other by unorganized
hard fphf to exc
out a living; especially hard since
they are almost universally not the
product of apprenticeship at their
trade in shops, as are their white COM
petitors Yet they are no worse on
than the business or professional Ne
gro. for the trade of colored as well
as white people in the beginning OF
our emancipation was all with white
business and professional men, ana
Negroes entering those lines did so
without experience and with little or
no capital. and with no record OF sue
cess to guarantee to their customers
service comparable with that OF
whites The only class of endeavor
that slavery fitted the Negro for was
unskilled labor and in that alone he
holds his own SO long as trades union
ism does not dignity and organize it.
Despite these handicaps, the race
has succeeded in a marvellous degree.
And it should go on to greater sue
cesses. Legitimate criticism of short
comings of Negroes, taking the best
of white competitors as a standard,
will do much to drive our people to
greater endeavor At the same time,
our laborers, skilled and unskilled,
and our business and professional men
cannot live unless employed and pa
tronized The radicals who insist up
on the logical following out of either
courSe-criticiSm or patronaSe-do
not take into account the fact that
among Negroes as well as among
whites all men are not of equal abll-
ity. Just as one white workman ex-
cells another SO do colored. Because
one colored mechanic or doctor is
failure, it will not do to stop patroniZ-
ing him and take up white compet-
itor as the only alternative. Neither
is it good sense to insist upon contin-
ued patronage of a colored man after
he has proven his incompetence. Here
is the crux of the matter and the very
essence of the thought we wish you
to consider.
Give to the Negro just the same
consideration you give to whites Give
10 your DrOtneT III DldCh lue Sdhic
treatment you wish for yourself. You
do not wish to be condemned because
down in Georgia some Negro is Grim
inal or incompetent. You do not wish
to be denied the opportunity to labor
because some Negroes in this city are
incompetent and dishonest.
Neither should you deny it to col
ored workers. You do not wish praise
of white men who compete with you
to be dinned in the ears of colored
people who constitute your sole pos
sible patrons, for the inference is that
they should have the business which
inevitably means that you cannot get
it. If that be true, you should not
yourself be a party to the same prac-
tice We do not mean that white men
are without merit. 1t is just the other
way. Their merit is unquestioned.
And it is because this is so that praise
of them is gratuitous and unneces
sary. 1t is the competent Negro who
needs the boosting.
AS spender, the Negro has right
to get just as much for his money as
any class of people. Therefore there
is need of our people who serve us to
give their very best. Poor service Is
not compensated for because it is a
colored man who gives it, Unless we
wish to confess to the world our in
ability TO measure up to its standard
of success, we should not make ex-
cuses. Make good in your line or get
ont of 1t. Customers cannot consc1en-
tiously recommend a poor mechanic