Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-07-14

| nolS city nau lett Il stain on the Amer
lean name. There was no justiiica
ton for the riots, he said, they wero
| just plain murder.
| II demand" he said, chat the
| Government representatives put down
| violence with ruthless firmncss,
whether 1T is of white against black
or black against white. Before We
can help others in drowning the beam
from their eyes let us draw out the
| beam that is in our own eyes. The
ntCSt dangerous form Nef sentimental
debauch is to give expression to good
| wishes in behalf of virtue somewhere
else when you do not dare to enforce
deccncy i'll your own province.
so much," chuckled the Colonel,
! Tor This brief eulogy OF my fellow
citizens
! All this was chccred, every SEN
tcnce OF 1T The Colonel then read
this typewriter speech.
GOMPER'S EXPLANATION.
Inc next speaker was Mr.. Gcmpsrs.
should like TO eXpain about
East st. Louis" he said, after prais-
ing everything else the Colonel had
SAID. Il wish l had with me tele-
gram received tonight from the Sec
retary o. the Illinois Federation of
LABOR. 1T explains the whole situa-
tloh. Not only labor men, but the
ChamDcr OF Commerce warned those
| VINO were Turing colorcd men from
the South to undermine the workers
OIL East. st. Louis. Hundreds of thou
sands were brought in and there
/ 60,
heads. Luring them there was no
more than working OF the same
brutal, tyrannical forces that existed
III old Russia. There is altogether
too much injustice prevailing in free
America. (Groans and hisses), but
there is larger percentage of free
uom and justice than in any other
country"
Mr.. ttompcrs then told why the
American Federation of Labor had not
looked with favor on The calling Of
early peace conferences, saying the
agitation to that end was either the
, result uf German propaganda or of
heutrals fearful of their own exist
, ence. He said the IMAM power and
the wealth power OF America was
pledged to the Allies to the end"
'''h' shttS ilC ilIIuScll uuU Docn con-
vertcd from paci1ism to tho realiza-
lion mat I'VE have got to fight; we
can't help ourselves"
EXCEPT for the Kissing at the point
| indicated, Mr.. Gompers's speech was
: hailed With approval The Mayor
stepped forward and was about 20
| introduce Prof. Bakhmcticff when
Col. Roosevelt, who had been fidget-
inu In
planning" the riots, darted from his
chair.
May | say another word" he said,
waving Il programme In his right
hand and obviously boiling with sup
pressed feeling.
Il am not willing" he went on,
biting off each word as If ii were
soft noscd bullet, that II meeting
called TO commemorate tho birth of
IA democracy in Russia shall even
seem to have given any approval or
accepted any apology for the brutal
infamy imposed on Negroes or col
orcd men,"
Most Of the audience sprang to its
feet, yelling for the Colonel
SHAKES FIST AT GOMPERS.
Justice" he continued, sis not
merely words. 1t is to be translated
into living acts, and how can we
praise the people of Russia if we by
explanation, silence or evasion apol-
ogiZe for numbering the helpless.
(Chcers.) In the past | have lis
tened to the same form OF excuse
from the Russian autocracy for the
programs inflicted OH the Jews.
Shall we by silence acquisco in this
! amazing apology FOR the murder OF
men, women and children in our own
country?"
There was noise all over the hall,
! but 1t was all in the Coloncl's favor.
Hitting the speakers table with his
! list after every word, he said:
III do everything for the labor
ing man except that hich is wrong,
! and that l will not do for any man
| or cause. l care not snap of my
iinger'-here the Col>rcl walked
over to Mr.. Gompcrs and shook his
INST within a foot Of the Gompers
nose-"for telegram from the head
or the strongest labor union in Hi
nois. This thing took place in a
Northern State, where the whites
t"tnumber the Negroes twenty to
one, and If in that city white men
cannot protect their rights by their
votes against an Insignificant minor
lty and have to murder women and
; children, then the State that sent
| Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency
, must bow its head in shame"
Col. Roosevelt still stood over Mr.,
Gompers pointing his foreGnger, then
shaking his fist and talking right at
the labor president so everybody could
| hear 1t was at this point that the
] cries ANSWER him, ;..swer him!"
began, and Mr.. Gompers, half rising