The Denver star., 1914-09-12


Negroes. knew the man personally
and knew that he was identified with
the Negro race. but the conductor.
touching him Oh the shoulder. said:
This cars for 'niggers.' white people
amt lowed to rHe Gu it: take the next
car back" And he did so and rode Q,
his journeys end
In Washington so many mulattoes.
whose complexion is as fair as any
whites, We're securing choice seats al
theaters whose policy is to restrict
Negroes to the balcony OF gallery or
exclude them altogether it was found
expedient to employ Negroes as spot
ters. The duty Of the Negro spotter-
an fnsutfcrable traitor-is to stand on
the outside Of the ticket window. and
whenever one of these white Ne
groes" apply for seats tip it OF to the
ticket seller.
There are 100000 blacks in this
country as against 100000 mulattoes
without recognized and honored
propa ganda in favor of absorption at
the rate black is being evolved into
mulattO and mulatto crystnlliZed into
white it will take many genera tions foi
the whites to absorb the Negro race III
this country. The increasing restric.
tons and exclusions the Negro is meet
Ing with. north as well as south, sug
gests that segregation. harsh as the
term may sound and un-American as
some may think the policy to be. is but
in fits infancy.
Schools at which Negro students may
now matriculate do not recognize him
beyond the classroom. with the result
that he becomes an isolated human be
ing Desirable as education is, worthy
OF every sacrifice as we acknowledge
| 1t to be. the number Of Negro students
who have the courage to become social
outcasts at white universities grows
perceptibly less each year. This very
discrimination and restriction frequent
| " induces very bright mulattoes to
pass for white either to gain entrance
| to white university or to enjoy a
| measurable social equality, SO desira-
BILE In student life, after gaining en-
trance. 1t is this discrimination and
restriction that induces thousands of
mulattoes to assist absorption by pass
| ing unknown as whites.
| Once a Negro drops on the other side
to secure an education, employment or
| citizens rights and privileges when the
| fear of detection has been entirely dis
sipated the unrestricted rights and
privileges he enjoys are so compensat-
ing he frequently loses himself perma-
nently among the whites and thus as
siste absorption. The sole reason for a
Negro desiring to pass as white is to
enjoy rights and privileges vouchsafed
| by the constitution whites enjoy and to
| secure employment commensurate with
his abilities it is easy for the white
man TO secure. but almost impossible
| for him as Negro to obtain.
| l have just concluded q tour of 25.-
600 miles. during which made a
cloaA study OF this possible race alb
sorption. l learned that few, if any,
traction lines will employ a Negro as
motorman or conductor. and yet l en-
countered many Of them serving in
these capacities who are passing as
white. I found that railroad and sleep
| ing car companies. whether north or
south, decline TO employ Negroes as
conductors or train brakemen. and yet
1 learned that many Negroes are so
employed while passing unknown as
white.
The disinclination on the part of de
partment heads and bureau chiefs in
| the government service to appoint a
Negro to a clerical position or position
requiring technical knowledge, when
certified by the civil service commits
sion, II discovered that the certified is
a Negro, has induced hundreds of mu-
| lattoes to secure federal appointments
by not betraying their racial identity.
And many Of these. fearing the loss of
their positions should their identity
! become known. are permanently pass
| ing as white. and not a few have mar
| ried on the other side In every large
1 city in this country there are hun
dreds Of very fair mulattoes who are
OCCASIONALLY or permanently passing as
white, and the larger the city the
easier 1t is for them to hide their
| identity.
Taking the per cent increase Of mu
lattoes during the last decade us basis
for making computations, in the next
| ffty years the mulatto population Of
the United States will have eQualed
that Of the blacks. In the same period.
by absorption. II per cent Of those
! PHYSICALLY mulattoes will have lost
themselves among the whites. In
1920, II the present ratio Of increase
continues, the mulattoes will form 266
per cent of the total Negro population
OF this country. The same ratio. If
maintained, will cause the mulatto
population to form S3.6 per cent of the
total Negro population in 2o2o-lOO
years hence.
During the next hundred years that
are to evolve the present mulatto m-