The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1919-09-20
BACK TO DIXIE, A FORLORN
HOPE

Southern statesmen" for the return
of their Colored emigrants is fore
doomed to disappointment. The young
Colored men and women who have
left there during the, war will never
return in any large number so long
as the South remains the seething
inferno of Caucasian barbarism and
race persecution. If we may take
the words of those statesmen leading
the Back to Dixie" crusade, 1t is
too plain for argument that the South
has not only learned nothing by the
war, but that she will learn nothing
until poverty brings her to her knees
and common sense. We make no
secret of our position in this matter.
We believe the only way the South
will ever learn to grant her Colored
citizens equality before the law,
equality in public accommodations
and equality in their inalienable
rights to life, liberty, property and
the franchise, will be for the black
Southerners to continue to bleed white
the South's industry by leaving there.
We further frankly declare that this
end that we take grim satisfaction
in seeing not only the black laboring
man, but the black business and pro-
fessional man of Georgia, Mississippi
and Louisiana leaving there. A con-
SENTATIVE but manly Atlanta Colored
physician, who has just moved his
wife and daughter to Greater New
York, finally phrased this conviction
to us on Sunday when he declared
that he had decided to quit being a
hypocrite. mo Colored man in Geor-
gia," he said" can fail to fear that
in moment of frenzy he will COM
NIT a rash act against the insulter
with impunity of his wife, sister or
daughter. He must grin when he
ought to fight, he must swallow in
suit and injustice when his manhood
should make him give up his life
for all that men hold dear" So long
as Georgia burns Colored churches,
so long as Texas mobs northern white
friends of the black man because
they are seeking the road to advance
ment, so long as Tennessee turns
machine guns only upon black men
defending themselves. we say there
is no good to be looked for from the
present generation of the renant class
es in the Northern communities until
the foreign-born whites and the
Southern-born blacks find their equal
places and settle down in industry
in peace and harmony side by side.
Congressman Mason of Chicago ans
wers the plea of the Back to Dixie"
leaders in these encouraging words:
'The Negroes are welcome to re-
main in Chicago and throughout
Illinois so long as they please SO
long as they abide by the law, and
1 am opposed to driving them out"
said Mr.. Mason. (" We need them
as laborers in Chicago.
'"The Poles, with whom the Negroes
recently had the trouble at the stock
yards, came to this country to benefit
their condition; the Negroes came
because they were forced to leave the
South. The Negroes will be given
protection. We had violence and an
archy in Chicago once before a few
years ago, but order was restored
after seven or eight of the ringlaad-
ers were put out of the way. We
will have order there again soon and
there will be no necessity for the
Negroes to go South"
We speak in language the white
South viii understand when We say
her sta smen will have to change the
tune of their plea before black men
will ever consent to return. They
must not only quit their lying propa-
ganda about Colored men wanting
a Wi NH 10
they must offer in advance as guar
antees of good faith prompt punish
ment of their mob murderers, and
their other criminals against black
people, railway and street travel ac-
commodations regulated by the class
of passage and not by the color of
laws, living wages, humane working
do well to discount the enforced
hypocricy of cringing Colored men
and realize from the outset that
nothing less than an absolute square
deal will suffice not only to win the
emigrants back, but to hold those
now there from emigrating. Many
the Cod of Justice forgive the leaders
of the Back to Dixie" movement
when they give vent to such bias
phemy as this:
The people of the South understand
the Negro thoroughly and there is
very erroneous impression entertained
by some people of the North that we
do not treat the Negro Justly down
South" said Senator Harrison of Mis-
sisippi There is no friction be-
tween the races in Mississippi and
the Negroes are given every oppor-
tunity for progress and to be happy
and contented. There is no discrim-
nation in the court, everybody is
treated just like white man.
ut is very true that there is a
distinction between tn races there,
and there always will be. The Ne
groes, in my opinion, desire it and
are thoroughly satisfied with their
treatment. The segregation Of the
races on the street cars, on railroads