Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1919-08-30

from Egypt We're able to do for they
were not able to get theirs before the
Peace Conference"
Taking n blanket shot at Negro
leadership in general Mr. Ransom
reinforced his argument with the
following: "But | toll YOU what has
happened. The time has como when
the great mass of the Negro people
everywhere has rcpudiatcd the pro-
fessional Negro leader" Tho peo-
pic at large are waking up and are
thinking for themselves"
The speaker at this point divided
his discussion of the great Ovcrshad-
owing Issue into four sections and
spoke under spell Of wrapt atten-
ton from the audience OF cnthused
thousands who at times were wrought
to such pitch that DR.. Ransom had
to hold up his hand for silence in
order to finish his lecture.
First. 'Tho first thing involved in
this great issue is The Right to Work
and to Enjoy the Fruit Of Your Toll
Now everything depends upon that.
1t is n plain, simple elementary right
! mean the right to work as an Amer
lean citizen anywhere and at any
thing that you are capable Of doing
America has opened her doors and
said to the people of the ends of the
earth, COME in. Well, we are already
in
Mr.. Ransom to prove his claim
that the Negro is qualified to work
anywhere mentioned Mr.. IIundley,
whom he said is responsible for the
development Of the cash register in
this country. Hundley is colorcd
man. The private secretary to the
president of one of our great rail
roads, said the speaker, is not a COL
ored man. He is black man.
Second. "The second is, The Cues
ton of Education. That is to say.
that education shall be equal for all
the children. If you are satisfied
with less, you are not the kind of
an American father you ought to be.
There is something coming to you,
brother. Why do / say this? Ev-
erything is based on it. We just as
we'll get this straight now. We say
We Will let the Italians come. We
have five hundred thousand Italians
in New York City. We have five
hundred thousand Russian Jews in
1t is the American ideal.
And we say we will take the chill
dren of the Americans and will put
the children Of the foreigners in the
Tree public schools of America The
next generation will come up full
fcdged Americans. Now, then, how
can You ten or twelve or fifteen mil
lion or whatever you are, American
Negroes hold your place? You talk
about the future of the race. Where
is its future? It's future is bound
up in the school house"
Third. equal Protection of the
Law-&Absolutc. Say that the black
criminal will be absolutely certain
that he is going to get his just dc
ScrtS for his crime whether it be the
pcnitcntiary or the gaIlows, and tina,
the white criminal will be equally
certain of the same fate. Our atti-
tudc on this question is because of
the uncasincss that now oyerhangs
this nation. And I want to say to
you that anybody who plays with the
question Of race conflicts in this hour
Is playing with fire and when YOU
are handling inflammables You had
better be careful how you handle il,
The whole thing is bound up in
the question of equal protection of
the law. | blame in part the Negro
leaders in this. If il should occur
In Richmond, and I do not believe
II Will, or in any community the
thing for the leaders to do would be
TO let he police officials know, LET
the government know, that your pol
icy OF going around dsarminc the
Negro viii have to be stopped.
The Negroes in no community arc
going to start riot. Nobody thinks