The Washington times., 1917-04-13

requests elimination.
attitude Of the whole nation toward
the deprivation OF his personal and
political rights. Those persons who
fear 1t most are those persons who
under similar circumstances would
take the action suggested. They are
the same persons who nifty years ago
actively sought the aid Of Great Brit
ain to accomplish national dlsinte-
grafton. They are the same persons
whose representatives will now op-
pose universal military training for
private reasons other than patriotic.
Sooner or later" wrote an inspired
author, "the means which we adopt
to enslave others, become the means
of our own enslavement." Is this
prophetic declaration now to be ex
emplified by a revolt OF the colored
American, or will he, assuming thai
repeated violation of his most sacred
rights and privileges has obliterated
the fundamental instinct OF love oi
country, coldly weigh the gains OF
such a policy against the losses flow.
ing from the perpetuation OF the
sitting, tyrannical doctrine Of the
CLOSED sea"
My belief is. that seIf-interAst. u
not love of his native land. will guide
him to support the cause OF the Amer
cas-. The '"open sea" means the op
portunity to flee at will from injus'
tice, continued existence of small in
dependent nations Of his brethren In
Haiti, 'Santo Domingo, and Liberia
with other peoples. All OF these and
Uf N n
terests as to that OF any other "in-
ternational citizen"
Secondly, the colored American
reads and ponders what he reads He
has not forgotten that IT was the i'm
perial German government who pro
tested to the neutral world that his
advent upon the battleflelds of Eu-
rope was theIdaYn of barbarism. Nor
has he forgotten that when his breth.
rem were struggling in the sea. af-
ter their ship had been torpedoed
1t was German sailors who took q
gleeful interest in seeing that they
found a watery grave.
Undoubtedly, he will view the
promises of political equality and
equal public privileges in return for
his support of the German cause az
merely another "scrap OF paper" He
citizenship and wants them badly
but he wants them from his own
people as an honest admission of his
national citizenship and not as the
price of treason, from an allen
enemy, to the land he loves as strong
ly as any other person born upon it,
soil
His loyalty will be the loyalty OF
intelligence rather than the loyalty
of an ignorant dog who loves the
hand that Injuries him. No one ap
preciates more than he the high hon
or of guarding the National Capital
and the person of the President, from
harm. No one deptores more than ht
the narrow unpatriotic attitude which
says to him we may be able to find
you a place in the navy as a waiter
He wants to do bis bit for the ma
,,tienal defense IS an equal mot as ar
inferior. .;
A third reason why the colored
American will support President WI
son In his foreign policy lies in the
fact that he Is vitality Interested In
the rise and spread of democratic gov
ernment. Equal rights and privileges
Is the corner stone OF democracy
Political equality Is what he needi
for his own ends and those of hii
country. Its spread then throughout
the world means that continued pres
sure from without will react bench
cially on him. There Is much in com
mon between the present status of tht
| colored American and the formel
status of the Russian Jew. Both hav'
| tasted the bitter fruit OF absolutism
The subjugation OF America by Ger
many means nothing more to hin
than continued Absolutism and prob
ably a more ruthless absolutism
While. on the other hand, making |
common cause with his white breth
ern gives him an additional lash Il
| apply to the conscience OF the natioi
in his struggle for his "place in tn
SUM-"
German disaffectionists have yer!
shrewdly calculated that the thinl
which would win the colored Ameri
can to open revolt, or a studied cam
paign of inaction, was the thini
which he desired most and was en-
titled to, but was deprived of. The!
also saw that the most fertile field 70
their doctrine OF sedition was in tn
South. Knowing this why not bea
the Teutons to It? This is a yer.
practical opportunity for the whit
American to ix the allegiance of tn
colored man beyond all Question. l
is the special opportunity OF tn
South. Has IL the courage and pat
riotism to rise to It? Is there In IN
South, .or in America, a national In
fiuence with the courage to point ou
to the South its patriotic duty? 1
there in this moment of nationa
peril, a white man who will ris
above provincialism and say to hi
own people that we ought to pledg
ourselves and our own children L
give our actual and moral support Z,
those only who accord to the coloret
American equal political rights ant
public privileges, that we will our
selves treat him with fairness ant
consideration, will help him overcom
his weaknesses, rejoice in hi
strength, make him a friend and no
an enemy of Anglo-Saxon civilization
for our own spiritual. regeneration
for the security and defense of ou
common country and for our God?
GEORGE H. MURRAY.
Considers Suffragettes Tempt Fat
PicketinE the White House Gate.
To the Editor Of THE TIMES: