The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1916-07-15
AN OPEN LETTER TO ROBERT
RUSSIA NOTION, .
(FrOm the Crisis.)

1ue CIlSlS udSCenS TO extend TO you
on your accession to the headship of
Tuskegee the assurances of it's good
will and personal respect. The Crisis
does this all the more willingly be-
cause it has to some extent been the
mouthpiece of many who have had &C.
casion repeatedly to criticize the
words and deeds of your predecessor.
1t would be matter of hope and
rejoicing if your assumption of new
duties could be the beginning of a
new era of union and understanding
among the various groups of Ameri-
can Negroes.
But understanding and cooperation
must be based on frank conference
and clear knowledge. AS a prelimi-
nary step to such understanding the
Crisis ventures in this open letter to
| express to you publicly it's hopes and
fears.
1t hopes that the aims of the COL
ored American have become suffi-
GENTLY clear to admit of no misunder-
standing or misstatement. We desire
| to become American citizens with
every right that pertains to citizen
ship:
1. The right to vote and hold office.
2. Equality before the law.
3. Equal civil rights in all public
places, and in all public services.
4. A proportional share in the bene
fits of all public expenditures.
5. Education according to- ability
and aptitude. 4
With these rights we correlate our
duties as men and citizens aboli-
ton OF poverty, the emancipation of
women, the suppression of crime and
| the overcoming of ignorance.
The Crisis assumes it
knows-that in these matters you be-
lieve substantially, as we do, and that
the real differences between us, if
there be such, lie in matters of pres
ent emphasis and present procedure.
We assume, without demur, that
following the late Booker T. Wash
| ington you will place especial en-
phasis on vocational training, prop.
erty getting and Cancellation of the
| white South. These are necessary
and against these the Crisis speaks
| policies, but they have their pitfalls,
this warning word:
1. Only the higher and broader
training will give any race it's ulti-
mate leadership. This Mr.. Washing
ton came to realize, and this you must
not forget.
2. Individual accumulation of wealth
must gradually and inevitably give
way to methods of social accumula-
ton and equitable distribution.
s. Finally: Cancellation is wise and
proper. But how far shall it go? 1t
is here that the Crisis confesses to it's
deepest solicitude in your case 1t
cannot but remember it's unanswered
query OF you in the case of the st.
Louis luncheon. 1t has before it the
heading of a Rochester paper which
gives as your opinion that from
North one gets distorted view OF
South" And finally, there is the re.
cent case of the Pullman car and your
family. 49,. 80,
The Crisis will assume in all OF
these cases that you have not been
correctly reported; that you did moi
voluntarily give up lunching at the
St. Louis City Club; that you did moi
assert that the South was maligned
usually at the North, and above all
that you did not say that you had nc
sympathy with the attempt of mem
bers of your family to ride on Pull
man cars in the South.
The Crisis knows only too we'll the
way in which Southern newspapers
put such sentiments into the mouths
of colored leaders; but the point upon
which we insist is this: that such
atrocious statements cannot be al
ways passed in silence.
We do not wish the principal of
Tuskegee to spend his valuable time
in answering calumnies and misstate
ments, but we do believe that when
so monstrous statement is made, as
in the case of the Pullman car, some
thing besides silence and acquiescence
is called for.
We hope to see, therefore, at Tus.
kegee in the future a carrying out
and development of the best of it's
past work and continued attempt to
come to terms of understanding with
the best of the white South; but to
these policies we hope to see added a
policy of making it clearly understood
to the people of this country that Tus.
kegee does believe in the right to
vote; that it does not believe in Jim
Grow cars; that it recognizes the
work of the Negro colleges, and that it
agrees with Charles Sumner that
Equality of rights is the first of
rights"
This, then, is the forward step at
Tuskegee which the Crisis and it's
friends look for under your admins.
tration, and it desires to express it's
earnest hope, and indeed it's faith,
that you will not disappoint your fel.
! low workers.