Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1919-05-31
ID and he looked relieved.

! According TO Dr.. Dubois statement
the presentation Of the Negro PROB.
lem, SO called to tho attention Of the
world would have been stopped the
| moment the Great Powers heard OF
! it. If this he true, what would DO the
use Of holding Pan-African Congress
! il the purposes and requests Of this
Conference would go before Il Court
that had already determined the
| questions at issue against the plain
tiffs? Ho makes other interesting dis.
closures as follows:
With tho American Secret Service
at my heels l then turned to the
| French Government. There arc six
: colorcd deputies in Tho French Par
lament and one Is an undcr-sccrc-
tary IN the War Department. "Of
g.! course, we can have a Pan-African
Congress" he said-"Ill see Clcmcn-
ccau." He saw Clemenceau and there
was weeks pause. Clcmenccau SAW
Pichon and there was another pause
Meantime, our State Department
chucklcd and announced that there
would be no Congress and refused
Negroes passports. England follow
;; cd suit and refused to allow tho Soc
rotary OF tho Aborigincs Protection
Society even to visit Paris, whilo the
South African natives were not allow
cd to sail. -"
But there are six Negroes In the
French House and Clcmenceau needs
their votes. There were 100000 black
African troops in tho war before
whom France stands with uncovered
head. Tho net result was that Clemcn
ceau Primo Minister of France gave
US permission to hold tho Pan-Afri-
can Congress in Paris.
What could n Pan-African Congress
do? It could not agitate the Negro
= problem In any particular country,
except In so far as that problem could
be plausibly shown to be part OF tho
: problem of the future OF Africa The
problem of tho future Of Africa was n
difficult and delicate question before
tho Peace Conference so difficult
and so delicate that the Conference
was disposed to welcome advice and
cooperation.
IL the Negroes of tho world could
have maintained In Paris during the
cnco n central Headquarters with OK
perts, clerks and helpers they could
have settled the future Of Africa at
, n cost Of less than $40 900.
To our mind, DR.. Dubois is right
in his declaration that ten thousand
, dollars to maintain permanent head
. quarters in France could have settled
the future OF Africa. But what would
it have settled for the Negroes in
. this country? He says that the Con
ference that was held cost $4,000.
1t was a cheap congregation of intel
lect. Does the distinguished econom-
, list and scholar mean to say that this
was all OF the money that tho Nation.
al Association for the Advancement OF
Colored People was able to provide?
In all Of these movements. the handi-
cap Of race leaders Is lack Of money
and tho colorcd people have not
, enough confidence in each other, it
seems to provide the sum necessary.
The men who led the movement at
the National Race Congress and
kindred organizations were right.
The State Department nipped their
. plans in the bud and they could not
get across the Atlantic. Money could
have boon raised to have kept mon
like Trotter, Jernigan, Waldron and
many others on the otherside in
permanent headquarters where tho
} lobbying system would have accom-
plished wonders. "
DR.. w. =. b. Dubois has made a
most interesting and timely contri-
button to tho inside history OF this
great war, but his words echoing
throughout the United States of
America in particular and tho world
In general will be roechoed not only
by Emmett J. Scott in reply to his
criticisms but by DR.. r. r. Notion
In his look Of rebuke for his COM
mont on his actions. Both were in
embarrassing positions and 1t Is only
fair and just to repeat them. AS DR..
Dubois has said. so say they all.
What did do when I got there?
First, there were certain things that
I did NOT do. I did not hold an
anti.lynching meeting on tho Boule-
ward des Italiens. X But 1t did
not follow that because could not
do everything that could do moth
ing"
AS to what no did or what he at
tempted to- do, DR.. r.. r. Moton's
mouth Is closed. That he did bring