The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1919-08-09
THE NEGRO AND THE AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF LABOR.
(Aseociated Negro Press)

/ (Associated Negro Press).
zone Of the most hopeful signs Of the
time" SO far as the Negroes OF the
United States are concerned, is the
action taken by the American FEEDER
alton of Labor admitting Negroes to
the ranks Of organized labor on
equal terms with the white members
Heretofore organized labor has been
inclined to take an unfriendly atti-
tude toward the black workers. The
bars haye generally been put up
against them. This almost forced the
Negro worker to become "scab." He
could not get work as a union man
and he had to live.
IF the unions of the country adj
init Negro workers to membership il
will do more than anything that hos
ever been done to open the doors of
/ opportunity to. the Negro race. More
I than 1t will have tremendous In
| fiuence In stopping lynchings for the
white members of the labor unions
will be bound to do what they can
to see that justice is done the Negro
members of the unions.
The treatment of the Negro in the
United States has been something of
which every white man ought to be
ashamed. The ancestors of the
American Negro were dragged from
their native wilds, crowded into hor-
rible slave ships, treated with un-
speakable cruelty and sold as slaves
to masters processing to be Chris
tians.
For moro than two hundred yea, 3.
they aud the.i descendants were held
in bondage in country which boast
ed of its freedom and democracy,
robbed Of their toll. sold as If they
were dumb brutes, taught to believe
that virtue among slaves was a
fault. haunted down with blood
hounds If they sought for freedom,
whipped without mercy II they we're
recaptured.
when freedom came to them by
the fortunes Of war and they were
invested with the right of suffrage,
they were blamed because they did
not use wisely in all cases the priv
eleges of citizenship, cheated by the
white employers, murdered for tri-
vial offenses and denied the protect
ton OF the courts, disseminated
against in the matter of educational
opportunities and forced to pay first
class fare FOR riding in third-class
cars. With the doors of opportunity
shut in their faces they were blamed
because they did not make greater
progress.
'In spite OF the treatment they
have received at tine hands of the
government. state and national, the
Negroes have always been loyal to
the flag and with accomplishing
cheerfiilness have responded to the
call TO- men to fight our battles. With
valor unsurpassed they fought in the
trenches and mac hine-gun infested
woods OF France and with their blood
wrote on the pages Of history, re-
cord Of imperishable glory.
Black men do not swell the ranks
of the I. w. W., the Bolshevists or
the anarchists. although If there are
any people IL this country who would
be justified in joining such organi-
cations, il would be the Negro race.
They deserve sympathy end fair treat
meat which up till now they have
received in scant measure. 1t Is a
hopeful sign that TIE labor unions
seera to be ready as last to open to
the black man the door Of opportuni-
ty.
There Is manifest Inconsistency
/ in procia.niing hat we are going to
spread democracy and freedom to the
uttermost parts Of the earth when
We deny ten million citizens of the
United States equal rights, equal
protection by the courts and equal
opportunity to earn an honest living"
Topeka Capital