Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-07-06

government called them there through
TIE War Department did the War Dc
partment make Il mistake in not call
ing the Virgnian as one Of the lead
crs Of the Negro race and is the Vir
ginian better authority upon re-
Fleeing tho sentiments of the colored
people than the coiorcd people them
selves? When these questions arc an
swered all are answered. Webster de
fine "lcadcrs' as follows:
y person or animal that goes he.
lore to guide or show The way or that
pre- edcs or directs in some action.
opinion or movcmcnt*#On who pre-
cedcs and is followed by others in con
duct - ION. undertaking etc.
In this sense, were the colorcd men
assembled in Washington at the call
of the Government leaders of tho
colorcd pcopc, and we'll fitted TO speak
for the colored people in the various
sections Of the country or is the editor
OF the Richmond Virginian leader
of the colored people recognized as
such to speak for the same class of
people?
No one of these colored leaders
could properly speak for all
of the colorcd people, but
us combined organization they could
speak for these colored people that
they cssaycd to lead and who had &C.
copied their leadership. Has anything
stated in the resolutions been repudi
ated by any class Of people that they
claimed to represent? The editor of
the Richmond Virginian represents
Il claSe of white people. Why should
he not be satisfied with speaking for
his own clientele? Why should he
attempt 10 speak for colorcd people,
who have never recognized him as
their sponsor nor subscribed to all
that he has been unkind enough to
say2
He rearks:
The colored man is getting along
very we'll. He is behaving himself and
4 good living.
This is gratifying information and
1t seems TO us that it answers his
claims that any Of us arc seeking social
equality" We want civil and political!
equality. Social relationships adjust
themselves, thank God although some
OF us have had hard time of it keep
'hE some of our white friends out OF
th' neighborhood where the female
u"r,.on Of our race resides. No one
on earth abhorS Social equality"
more than the Intelligent colorcd per
son who has noticed it's ravkgcs in
tho Southland Tor The last one hun
dred years or more With white portion
OF the proposition being most perSis
tent in the propagation OF his species
The Richmond Virginian contin
ues:
Trouble whenever here IS any. com
"s from the false and insincorc mouth
ing% OF the fellow who strollS around
IN idlencss and filchcs II living out
OF the honest and hard working Ne
grocs and rcimburscs them Ivy n con
tf!hution from his storchouse OF wis
dom and concoctions for the straight
cning of hair
Wo pause to remark that The kind
of people that he describes were not
in the Conference at Washington. We
take 1t then that the editor of the
Virginian wrote the editorial article
before he had scanned the LIST Of col
ored leaders who had gathered in the
New Interior Department. building Mt
washington. Dr.. r. r. Motion was
there. He is successor of DR.. Book
er T. Washington, a conservative OF
the conservatives. If he is ever idle
we do not know it. Hon. Emmett J.
Scott was there. He Is also conser
vatiye, who subscribns to many south
ern ideas and customs. Neither of
these gentlemen so far as wc know
OF has ever been in the hahn straight
cning business. And even il they had
been we do not see that this would
have disqualified them in represent
ing the colored people of the country.
We remind our contemporary TINT
tho champion hair strnighteners" Of
tho country are white people. They
were the pioneers in the business.
Hon. Charles w. Anderson Dr. w. e.
B. Dubois; Hon. Ernest Lyon: Judge
Robert II. Terrell; DR.. Robert e
Jones; DR.. A. NJ. Curtis; Editor w.
Calvin Chase; Hon. Fl. C. Smith. ex
member of the Ohio Legislature: Hon.
John G. Dancy; ex Recorder Of Deeds