The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1920-03-20
The Race Question.

"While no doubt the public impress
sion, opinion and even belief generally
is that we have a race problem in thi,
country, 1 think the term in itself
makes it difficult to consider the i'll
feeling between people. whether it i:
caused by difference in economic eondi.
tons, religious beliefs. or race differ,
enees.
81 feel lOath to approach the prob
lem of good will and cooperation either
from a racial, religious or economic
standpoint. ! think il is simply a
moral question and a law-abiding ques.
ton. Those who deny the legal OF
moral rights TO others should be con.
sidered misdemeanantS or criminals,
and the adjective statutes so strength
ened that enforcement of the laws al
ready on the statute books could be
enforced and if found inadequate other
laws, assuring the equally declared by
the signers of the great American Char
ter, the declaration of independence.
The grandfather clause adopted in GER
tain states to deny the right of voting
TO eetrain citizens and segregation laws
and ordinances must be repealed.
and there are other ways of Geo
nOmically enfranchising those denied
their rights in certain activities, for
instance by public service corporations.
When in 1907 the question of municipal
ownership and operation of the in
tramural transportation system was
submitted to the voters, after the peo-
pie had at various times and occasions
in the years next preceding by large
majOrities declared themselves in favor
Of the proposition, the question came
up for final vote, whether to grant the
private interests this twenty year fran
ehise which had at various times been
denied them by the electorate. The
interests eleverly in an expensive ad-
Vertising campaign indicated that if
the city took over the business of in
tramural transportation Of passengers
and goods, employment would have to
be given according to merit regardless
Of race. This had the desired effect
and defeated the measure. That was
l3 years ago, but at this time il is to
be hoped public morality stands on
higher plane, and what would 60 long
way towards removing just cause for
Of discrimination against the
solored raee would be to enact q law
that whenever a private cor
poration is granted a franchise to own
and operate business that may be de-
lined as a public utieity, or basic in
1ustry, then the civil service merit rule
Of the political subdivision Of the state
where the principal headquarters of the
enterprise is located, should govern in
the employment and retention of help.
Here in Chicago this would open up on
equal terms opportunities for employ
nent Of many thousand eolored people
IN the transportation, gas, electric light,
telephone and kindred activities now
barred to them owing to the
lilly and stupid prejudice prevailing
among the immoral and half-edueated
md a few Others Having lived on the
south Side in what is now known as
he 'blaek belt for forty years, can
.estify that I have never had more
honest, quiet and law-abiding neighbors
han those who are Of the African race
.ither full or mixed blood.
In the precinct where live, we have
leveral families blessed with many or
ierly and wen behaved children, Of
mixed Caucasian and African blood.
hey seem to get along nicely, and
Why should they motif The amalgama-
ion Of the Indian race has almost been
in the fifty years that I