The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1919-11-08


Hon. Victor Lawson,
Editor, The Chicago Daily News,
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Sir
| notice an editorial in your issue
of October 9th, entitled City Homes
For Colored People" Your editorial
policy in the past has been fair and
satisfactory to the people of my race.
They have pointed with pride to your
newspaper as being the one Metro
politan daily that has consistently
stood for equal opportunity, justice
and fair play for all peoples, irrespec-
tive of race, creed, color or religion.
Your editorials have been read with
pleasure by the people of my race
and very highly priced. Negro news
papers have selected them as models
of real American sentiment and have
printed them verbatim in order that
they may be read by large numbers of
our people and appreciated in the
spirit of hope for better understand
ing between the races; but, the views
and suggestions expressed in your
editorial of October 9th are incon-
sistcnt with your former editorial
policy, irreconcilable with the spirit Of
fair play, and cannot be accepted by
the people of my race.
While we agree that 'denunciatory
talk saturated with racial prejudice
and misunderstanding cannot settle
anything, and we also agree that self
respecting colored people do not
desire trouble with their white fellow
citizens, we most emphatically deny
that self-respccting colored people
are willing to accept any plan of
"ncighborhood cxclusiveness," rs sug-
ge9ted in your editorial, solely upon
the basis of color.
You refer to the member Of our
race who met the Hyde Park Com
mittee of whites on last Friday ev-
ening as a Representative Negro
We must have you distinctly under
stand that the colorcd people of Chi
cago have never delegated to any
man or set Of men the authority to
represent them in any meeting which
has for its purpose the colonization
of colored people, or any plan of
1neiehborhood cxclusiveness upon
the basis Of color And they never
will.
You suggest thai ~ solution of
the problem of building is in process
through the operation of building aud
loan associations and kindred organ
ization that seek to provide Negroes
with the kind of homes they need in
localities where they will not be I'M
welcome. Our answer to that sugges-
ton is that the individual, and not
Il building and loan association, has
the exclusive right TO determine for
himself the kind of home he needs as
we'll as the location of the home; and
the question of being welcome or I'M
welcome is of minor importance and
may not be considered at all. The
matter of being welcome or unwel-
come is a question of fact, and de-
ponds largely upon the mental at.
titude of the neighborhood towards
colorcd people. There are many,
very many, sections of this city where
eolorcd people are living, and have
been living for years, in respectable
white communities under conditions
OF perfect peace and harmony and
good will.
We must insist upon the right of
the individual to determine the kind
of home he needs and the location
of such home, because in reaching his
decision in the matters he must take
into consideration such subjects as,
his work, and station in life; the par
ticular hnc Of occupation he follows
the distance of his place of employ
ment from the residence section OF
the city; the possibility of securing a
desirable home upon terms consistent
with his earning capacity; Transports
ton facilities with reference Of his
aIano Of pmnloytnpnt or of business