The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1920-12-04
THE EVERLASTING STAIN.

n uylu6 anu uGoPClolC POAlbASNi
party clutches at the straw of race
hatred as it's last gasping hope. Bouri
bon democracy is true to it's ruling
passion strong in death. The crafty
politician psychological the public,
and felt assured that the cry of Ne
gro blood would throw it into a spasm
of delirium. The infamy of this taint
was deemed to be more detestable
than the murderous brand upon the
forehead of Cain. 1t was thought to
outweigh in public estimation the en-
tire catalog of intellectual, moral and
political virtues. To charge an Amer
lean with theft, arson or murder
would be mild accusation as COM
pared 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 senti-
ment. 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 triumphed
over dastardly cunning. With amaz-
ing celebrity of action the charge was
refuted as soon as made. The das-
tardly deed rebounds to the shame of
the doer. Never before, and let us
hope, never again will any political
party sink to such a low level of in
fanny. Blessed are ye when men re-
vile you, and say all manner of evil
against you falsely. Wit hrighteous
indignation against the methods of
the character assassin the American
people with all but one voice sweeps
Harding into the White House, assur-
ed that his purity Of blood is as un-
blemished as his spotlessness of char
acter
The country is safe, the Republican
party is victorious, and the honor of
the white race is secure.
But what of the Negro Is he sup
posed to be endowed with ordinary
human pride and sensibilities? To
him the defense is, if anything, more
insulting than the attack. Why should
it be considered more heinous than
any crime to possess trace of Ne
gro blood? l doubt whether any race
since human civilization began has
ever been placed under such a ban of
opprobrium. 1t is the boast Of states
men and men of reknown that they
carry in their veins blend Of Indian
blood. Btu one drop that flows from
African veins vitiates ten times its
own volume of any other strain.
Against this assumption the Negro
rebels with all the ardor and indigna-
tion which his nature is capable. Can
the Negro be expected to share in the
derogation of his own blood? Is his
color of his own choosing? He is
wholly guiltless of the stain for which
he is stigmatized. fermentation af-
fects the color of the body, but not
the quality of the soul. Were Dumas
and Douglas and Dunbar accursed OF
God and unworthy of honor and es-
TEEN 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 compro-
mise the Negroes self-respect and hy-
pothecate all hope. The Ten Com
assure us that the Father
of All Races and Breeds of Man visits
the sins of the fathers upon the chill
dren to the third and fourth genera
tions of them that hate, but shows
mercy unto thousands of them that
love. The Constitution of the United
States forbids the attaint of blood, so
that the political and legal sins of the
fathers may not be visited upon the
children. Must the Negro of all men
stand dosmed to eternal infamy from
the foundation of the world to the
end of time
There can be no satisfactory solu-
tion of the race problem while this
notion prevails. In the face of its in
exorable exactions our little pallia-
tives and programs are as Intellectual
as the application of emollients to the
hopeless consumptive. From an in
herent sense of selfrespect 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.
Kelly Miller, Howard University.
Washington n T.