Phoenix tribune., 1920-12-04
THE EVERLASTING STAIN

hatred as its last gasping hope. Bour-
bon democracy is true to its ruling
passion strong in death The crafty
politician psychological the public and
felt assured that the cry of Negro
blood would throw it into spasm
of delirium. The infamy of that
taint was deemed to be more detest-
able than the murderous brand upon
the forehead of Cain 1t was thought
to outweigh in public estimation the
entire catalog of intellectual, moral
and political virtues. To charge an
American with theft, arson or muir
der would be mild accusation as
compared to this. The time was
set with dramatic cleverness. The
iron must be struck while it is hot.
There must be no margin of time
to refute the charge or to reconcile
public sentiment The cry of Wolf!
Wolf, on first alarm, stampedes the
crowd, even if there is no wolf. But
the bungling bastard did not know
his game. Righteous strategy tri-
umphed over dastardly cunning. With
amazing delerity of action the charge
was refuted as soon as made The
dastardly deed rebounds to the shame
of the doer. Never before and, let
us hope, never again will any poll
tical party sink to such a low level
of infamy. Blessed are ye when
men shall revile you, and say all
manner of evil against you falsely.
With righteous Indignation against
the methods of the character assas-
sin, the American people with all
but one voice sweeps Harding into
the White House, assured that his
purity of blood is as unblemished as
his spotlessness of character.
The country is safe, the Republi-
can patty is victorious, and the honor
of the white race is secure.
But what of the Negro? Is he
supposed to be endowed with ordi-
nary human pride and sensibilities?
To him the defense is, if anything,
more than insulting than the attack.
Why should it be considered more
heinous than any crime to possess
a trace of Negro blood? l doubt
whether any race since human civili-
cation began has ever been placed
under such ban of opprobrium. 1t
is the boast of statesmen and men
of renown that they carry in their
veins a blend of Indian blood. But
one drop that flows from African
veins vitiates ten times it's own
volume of any other strain. Against
this assumption the Negro rebels with
all the ardor and indignation of
which his nature is capable. Can the
Negro be expected to share in the
derogation of his own blood? Is his
color his own choosing? He is Who'll
| ly guiltless of the stain for which he
is stigmatized. Fermentation affects
the color of the body, but not the
quality Of the soul. Were Dumas
and Douglass and Dunbar accursed
of God and unworthy of honor and
esteem because of their sable hue?
Shall we be expected to give higher
need of glory to Plato and Shakes
peare, and Jesus because their skin
was white. Perish the thought!
Such self-abasement would comprom-
ise the Negroa's self-respcct and
hypothecate all hope. The Ten Com.
mandments assure US that the Father
of All Races and Breeds of Man
visits the sins of the fathers upon
the children to the third and fourth
generations of them that hate, but.
shows mercy unto thousands OF
them that love. The constitution of
the United States forbids the at
taint of blood, SO that the political
and legal sins of the fathers may
nul D6 FAoitSu upOA ILS Cu4luISu.
Must the Negro of all men stand
doomed to eternal infamy from the
foundation of the world to the end
Of time?
There can be no satisfactory solu-
ton of the race problem while this
notion prevails. In the face of its
inexorable exactions our little pallia-
tives ard programs are as Intellectual
as the application of emollients to the
hopeless consumptive. From an in
herent self-respect and in vindication
of the essential claims of humanity,
the Negro must insist that his blood
is as good as any which courses
/ through human veins.
(Signed) KELLY MILLER,
Howard University, Washington, D. c..
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