The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1919-09-20

be contradicted The damage thai
such a paper may do is directly pro
portionai TO its circulation and in.
versely proportional to the intelli-
gence of the people among whom II
Is circulated.
1t Is, however, practically imDos-
sible to muzzle the press. You may
be able to stop II from saying some
thing in one quarter, but that which
you prevent will appear elsewhere
and II It Is considered imported and
laid at your very door. To illustrate
the above assertion, man In an
eastern city, not many years ago
had sufficient power to keep every
news in his community from publish
ing an item OF truth affecting him.
But New York Daily with an arm
as strong as his, printed the story
in a special edition, hurried thousands
Of copies into special train, carried
its own newsboys, papers and all
to the city that was sitting in dark
ness, and stirred up greater dis
turbance than would have ever oc-
Cured II somebody had not tried
TO prevent it.
Those Negro papers that have de-
generated into simon pure agitators
have much power to do mischief
among our unsophisticated people.
Yet when we consider their limited
circulation and the impossibility for
arousing united acted action by any
great number of our people, the dan
ger arising from such publications
is far less than would result from
their advertisement their suppression
would create. The publication of a
heinous crime, committed by a Ne
gro, in one of Americas great dailies
has the power of creating greater
friction between the races than all
the Negro journals in America can
provoke. 1t is amazing how differ
emily people look at things. The
crime is justified by the fact of 1t
being news. There is no consideration
biven to the harm 1t might create.
Yet If rank injustice done a race be
exposed by race journal. even il
only the bare facts be published with
out comment, a crime is committed
worthy of mob violence, the great
American institution" 1t is dis
couraging to take this view of Ameri-
her idea of justice. But if it is not
her idea Of justice, why does not
great democratic America arise in her
wrath and scourge it from her shores?
This question time alone will be
able to answer. Before leaving those
most interesting mission of the Negro
press we would be unjust not to call
attention 10 a further duty of this
same press. This duty the press
has not been so diligently perform
ing, though its need is just as es-
sential to the welfare of the general
public and the Negro race in par
ticular. This duty of the press to
which we allude is the one of ex-
hortin each and every Negro of
America to conform to the customs
and laws that govern society. Lend
helping hand to all attempts to
suppress crime and immortality
among the members of our race and
the general public. Teach our peo-
pie the duties and obligations of
citizenship as well and as faithfully
as we have championed their rights
and privileges,
Our press should demand that
every man be put to work and every
theft be punished to the extent Of
the law. When we do this the
breach between THE races will con-
tinue to grow less and hands will
eventually clasp across the hereto
fore impossible gulf that divides the
interests Of the two races. Let the
press fearlessly do its whole duty
and its value to the race and to So
ciety in general can not be over es-
timated advise our people that they
have the power in their own hands
to better their condition. Teach
them that there are thousands and
thousands of our people who are
suffering discrimination as result
of their own misconduct. Our peo-
pie must learn that there is no
short route by which we many come
into possession of an improved hui
man nature, and consequently be-
come better people. To become
better people means work for all of
US WIZ ITe dDlS 10 WOTh ana WDrk
can begin anywhere. The oppor-
tupity lies before us like the cup
that had a hundred handlesAready
to be seized from any point of van
tage. If We as a race will only
keep away from quack cures for our
social and political ailments, If we
will only avoid all taking, il we will
get down to real business and seek
self improvement we will soon find
that many of the determinations that
now block our progress will disap-
pear. Education is what we need
education Of the heart as well as
the mind. To work is what we need
TO work on ourselves. The COM
mon ordinary individual must be
shown how to fit himself and his
family for real citizenship. This is
the real road to better conditions for
the Negro. We have come some dis
lance on it and we shall go much
further. New generations are coming
on to be trained to their work. Let
the press perform its full duty with
out fear or favor. When it does
this legion will come forth to pro-
tect it in the performance of its
legitimate Mission.