The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-24
The Negroes Truc.t Friends.


concerning what is styled by a
certain Northern journal as "a Bark
Iroolem for Denver" permit me to
say few words
1t is said that possibly 1000 dele
Eates are expected to attend the Negro
educational Congress. which is TO CON
Nene in the above named city now
shortly, and of these only about 5no
can be housed by negro Families Iiv
ing within city limits or near enough
Tor convenience. What shall be done
ABOUT the rest Is the dark problem
fronted. Gun
That the outlook for accommodations
IS an!thins but bright goes without
sha!lhB' Tor few. IL any. Of the white
hotels or boarding houses. so far as /
nave been able TO learn, are showing
the slightest tendency toward hos
n ns,nlty And anS,, ys. Denver has no
invited us there would have us believe.
ana that there the Anglo mcrican
non and the Afro American lamb do
safely lie down together: and Indeed
this promise may be a sugar-coated
phi to he swallowed down by some OF
my people; nut as for me, ] know the
south. bred and born" here. and /
am rather inclined Ito bear those ms
not Of" ""'"
Certainly cannot charge the city
OF Denver OF being prejudiced against
the negroes simply because they are
negroes, any more than l might lay
me same charge at the door OF Rich
mono: but will dare to say that Den
amy one wishes to term IT, which Rich
lnond Is guilty OF. and that is race
pride; and this Is and ought to be
by every individual. To-day the social
ana economical battles are beinp
fought out on .the principle of the
Survival OF the attest. and therefore
Whatever would tend to weaken the
integrity and destroy tho inherent
pride and ambition of a people ought
TO he carefully guarded against.
M MInedher u be to keep pure the blue"
me veins of Gods black child of
ISM; Ihere are, and ever will he,
racial lines beyond which no people
iGaping OF these bounds awakes the
divinity that stirs Within u.s.: and
mus the so-called dark problem" as
m !, IS ever and anon presented to us is
no, sectional, but universal. and the
only difference in 1t is that the South
ietrlessly. manfully. declares It's posi-
.ion' while the North Is often the SER
p"nt beneath the rose. and the sooner
our people learn this the better
Now. while 1t does seem hard tina,
Tor even an honest dollar refined
negro may not be able to secure ac-
commodations under n roof owned by
another race. yet IL is simply a lesson
which to my mind. teaches that the
PEST place for the negro. high or low
"OhiV hHiOIlS ms kun ana KIN.
why not. then. hold this congress at
Atlanta. New Orleans. or even Rich
mona? In either of these Southern
cities homes of people of our own race
in sufhcient number would have been
open to the delegates and eating
places for negroes exclusively would
nave guaranteed every one from star
Nation And while II Is not my de-
sire to cXtcnuate any crimes here COM
united against my people. yet, as II
say. the South is outspoknn-she says
says-and the negro will yet learn that
the south is eminently his home
and the home of his truest friends The
negro belongs to the South as her be-
quest to civilization. and in spite Of
what may be said against it, the finer
Scnsibiiities of the blue-veined South
iahh are Offering the negro Industrial
ana economic opportunities such as
no section of the North can boast of
conclude by saying, Furthermore
mat neither Denver nor the entire
west have negro teachers to be COM
pared in number with those of the
south and East hence to cXpcct tho
bulk of negro teachers to go all the
way to Denver to meet IL few wise
men from the West, and at the same
time fleeing from our shadows as II
were. falls but little short of tho
ridiculous.
Thus thanking you for space, may
say that as q child of the Old DO
minion ! am here as "A witness to the
peace and good will existing between
the good negro and the same kind
of white man.
Very respectfully yours
w j. LUCAS.
virginia Union University, Richmond