Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-09-01
The Right OF
Free Speech
Pilgrim Fathers Intended America to
he y Place Where Men Could
Petition for Redress of
Grievances.

The release of The Richmond
Planet, Thursday, does not entirely
settle the question of what mon have
right to say under constitutional
guarantees. The attempt to muzzle
the expressions Of Il man who has
, grievances that he feels should be
redressed open up wide field for the
discussion Of Free Speech and the
intent and purpose of those who
wrote into the federal constitution,
I congress shall make no law rcspect-
3 ing the establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof:
| or abridging the freedom Of speech.
or OF the press, or the right Of the
people to peaceably assemble, and to
petition the government for redress
or grievances. "-Article of tho Con-
stltution OF the United States.
! IN a discussion of American insti
tutlohs one does not have to go far to
discover that all of those men who
sat In the convention that drafted tho
constitution were believers in free
speech. They believed heartily in
the right of citizen to strive for tho
DRESSINGS of liberty and a more per
1cct union, or else, why did not they
say i'll the preamble OF that document
that they adopted, "In order to form
more perfect union, establish JUS
tice' insure domestic TRANQUILITY.
provide for the common defense
plonlo'e inc general welfare and
, secure the blessings of liberty"
>, o""lah Miner, former editor of the
howard University Journal, was GER
Lilly petitioning the government for
Nv ess oi grievances when he wrote
/ the article that the Richmond most
/, 5ocftiGe officials sought to bar from Tho
! mails. We have read his statement
! ana believe in the truthful unrarn,sh-
CD TACT in his every utterance, and
whlie We fail to reach the same con
! clusion as he, rs to how the black
! nun should act under such conditions
we at the same time feel that he had
a risht under the Constitution OF tho
united States to state his case md m
say how he felt about it.
| Ihis Is the portion of what he said
mat got him into bad standing with
the postal authorities:
PERSONALLY, I wish to saw that T
am completely disguised with Amer
icas hypocrisy and insincerity, She
mas entered the war for the ayowed
purpose of bringing to pass a World
democracy I fail to see how 7 can
! conscientiously volunteer to fight for
World Democracy" while am
den,ed the fruits and blessings OF q
Dehiocracy at home. or course. T
may ne called Stacker" may be
regarded unpatriotic, I may be looked
Upon as alsioyal, but must say, un-
less President Wilson, like CoIone,
Theodore Roosevelt, speaks ont brave
ly against the unspeakable atrocitie.
perpetrated upon my despised and iii
treated race; unless the Department.
or Justice brings the guilty parties Mt
EAST st. Louis to "strict account-
abllity'' for their unparalleled bru-
tahties; unless I am assured that the
slorioms Nag which I love so dearly
VIII orer protection in the future to
Twelve million peace-loving colored
lhnabltants OF this country; unless 7
am convinced that this "World De.
mocraey' includes black men as we'll
as white men, I shall consider myself
disgrace to my race and my country
by freely volunteering to fight for n
Democracy across the seas, because
l firmly believe and maintain that
democracy, like charity, should begin
at nome and spread abroad"
In the issue Of July 9th we had
what We feel is a fitting answer to
ffof. Miner and we summed It all ND
IN this terse expression, Nothing
comes to the man who sulls, nothing
/ mas come to the Indian Men can
only try to chain you from without
and he is truly helpless who chains
himself Within" We concluded bv
saying this:
| There Is no getting away from II
wherever there Is right there Is also
grave responsibility. Every intel
hsent black man in America that cries
aloud today about his rights should
nave the vision to sec that in pro-
portion as he now grasps his respon.
| slblllties and duties OF citizenship as
largely AS he may, he proportionately
| grasps also his every right for the
two are, in this life, cumulative,
heaped together"
The other fellow may not know it
| yes, you may not understandable
you can not go out into this great
world war and lay down your life
without getting into the equation OF
things. The time to convict any man
Of your right to Justice and fair play
is to help him when no needs you
| most.
Take the worst white man out OF
mississippi and let him face danger
by tho side Of the blacklist son from
tho bowels OF Dahomeny; lot them
face death together, but conquer
through their joint effort to enforced
helpfulness, and there will spring up
' furo T.