The Colorado statesman., 1912-03-02
NO COLOR Line
in west indies
Secretary Of Jamaican Cricket
Club of New York Makes
Statement.
CLASS DIsTINcTION-JAM
DISSEMINATED AGAINST ON
ACCOUNT OF STATION AND
NOT BECAUSE OF
COLOR.

COLOR.
New York.-Branding as silly the
assertion of T. L. Mcdonald, native
of Jamaica, to the effect that the col
or line is drawn in the West Indies
between the blacks and mulattoes, X.
Roger Melbourne, secretary of the
Jamaican Cricket club of New York,
comes out in statement that while
class distinction exists in Jamaica,
there is no discrimination on account
of color.
Mr.. Melbourne expresses himself on
conditions in Jamaica as follows:
Il see that a student of Morgan
college, Baltimore Md, while partial
ly agreeing with Mr.. O'Connor De
Cordova's article in refutation OF Miss
Mary Ovington's statement in the
Sunday Herald that the negro is a
man only in Europe takes exception
to the term negro as used by Mr.. De
Cordova and alleges that the mulat-
toes in Jamaica are distinct people
from the blacks or negroes
when Mr.. De Cordova came for
ward to refute Miss Ovington's state
ment, mentioning certain conditions
in Jamaica, he did not for one mo-
ment think that the negro was not
also a man in the United States. He
came forward out of justice to ne
groes in general and Jamaicans in
particular (he being himself ia
maican) and that the spirit Of the ar
ticle was taken by the editor was
shown by the headline, Negro Also
Man in America
"Mr. Mcdonald has made the as
sertion that mulattoes in Jamaica are
distinct people from the blacks or
negroes That statement is sweep
ing and misleading He is muddled
in his fragmentary statement, and
one would gather that the color line
is drawn He has hopelessly mixed
up color line with class distinction.
In New York city one hears much
of the 400, and in other localities
the same class distinction, although
during the recent visit of the Duke
of Connaught New York 400 dwindled
down to 800 or so. So you see in
every community there must be the
classes. In Jamaica the mass OF the
population is composed of negroes,
and with the masses there are the
world over penury and ignorance.
For convenience sake, according
to vl,ir McDonald's viewpoint, l will
divide the negroes of Jamaica into
two groups-the blacks and the mu-
lattoes. There are among the blacks
and mulattoes people of prominence
socially and otherwise, and the gov
ernment of the colony are in the
hands of these people with few Of
ficials appointed by the colonial Of
flee in London
That there is no color line in ia
maica is well known; but there is
certainly such a thing as class dis
tinction. 1t is erroneous to think that
there is a line drawn between the
two groups of people. Among the
blacks and mulattoes there are class
es The blacks of culture and refine
ment would not recognize as their So
cial equal the uncouth mulatto, and
vice versa: but both groups of the
same class are at par and receive the
same social recognition from the
white man. Nor is it expected that
the cultured of both groups would
bring themselves down to the level
of the peasant population. To bring
it more clearly to the readers, the
educated and refined class of Amer
leans look down in sympathy with the
ignorant negroes who are the cause
of mob law in the SOUTH and would
not allow themselves to be put in a
class with them.
Reforms are needed in all govern
ments, and history teens with the
names of reformers who have lived
centuries ago, down to our times. Re-
forms mean progress. There are many
men who have stood for the rights of
the negro In Jamaica who are dead
and gone. Mr.. Cox is a reformer and
is esteemed by Jamaicans at home
and abroad, although many think him
too radical in his views.
According to Mr.. Mcdonald, We
understand that because Mr. Cox
raised hue and cry against negro
oppression he was suspended by the
'aristocrats' from the Legislative coun-
ell. The truth of the matter is that
Mr. Cox was suspended by regular
parliamentary procedure on account
of what was considered an insdlt to
the representative of the king. In
deed, he was censured by his own
colleagues and a motion for suspen-
sion and a vote of confidence in the
governor, Sir Sydney Oliver, was
moved, 1 think, by the Hon. d. A.
Corinaldi, member for the parish OF
St. James, a representative of the
people"