Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-11-19
IsIsAZIL LETTER..
Bahia, Brazil, April 80, 1872 D
To The Richmond Planet,
lRichmond, Va, u. S. A.

Richmond, Va, u. S. A.
Dear editor. The article in the
lower right hand corner OF page |,
The Planet, March 90, 1920 under
the heading, WANTED Judge to Or
der Segregation in Baltimore, Md"
like that of tho William Trotter case
in Philadelphia, also that Of MIR.
Bradys observations i'll the editor
ials Of said issue OF The Planet, are
all questions Of "social equality" OF
the races and nothing more.
In the first place, if the street and
neighborhood were both strictly high
class in their order Of preservation,
and that family of very poor means
which was also careless about the
general order of first class neigh
borhood, they would naturally depre
ciate the value of the property all
around them; from the very fact os
their negligence or inability tookeep
their property up to the general
standard of that neighborhood. And
this would apply to the case OF n
white family as well as & colored
one, so long as the conditions are
the same.
You see that colored people have
greatly brought these things upon
themselves by not recognizing these
conditions among their own people.
Mr.. John Mitchell, Jr. might have
once been common news-hop, a
printer, a type-setter or @ boot-black
and by his studiousness he has risen
to editor and then to banker. Where
his former income was less than 10
per cent. OF what it Is now, certainly
he should no longer be looked upon
as OF old, any more than man can
be looked upon as an infant. He was
once an infant but he has now
reached manhood and as such must
confront and assume the RESPONSE
bilities of man.
IL he does This we'll he should
enjoy all the happiness of any other
person Of similar condition, wheth-
er white or black. He has risen
from similar condition of that
of Benjamin Franklin's former, to
one equally important to that Of lat
ter social place accorded Franklin III
right to all the honor accorded the
former great editor, inventor and
statesman. And am one of those
who are willing to honor Mr.. John
Mitchell, Jr. with all the considera-
ton of his achievements. He is no
longer common wage typesetter or
pressman or daily wage servant.
He Is now man Of influence and
means. He used to be just "littlo
Johnny" but now he is Mr.. Mitchell,
to those not his superiors. And the
colored people Of the Anglo-SaXon
breeding were not SO slow In recog-
nizing these distinctions, they might
enjoy similar distinctions as colored
people Of latin breeding. But, no,
they do not want social equality"
TO say that such people are ignorant,
Is very mild way to describe them.
AS the position Of Mr.. Brady was iden-
tically the same as what they claim
for, via, "a negro can not become the
social equal to white" The same
and nothing moro. than social dis
equality; was imposed upon Mr.. Will
liam Monroe Trotter, by the Italian
barber In Philadelphia. And 1t is
this which will reduce the greatest
achievement of colored men to mere
ly nothing until they get sense and
courage enough to speak out boldly;
and say that they want al that belongs
to them and nothing more. Mr..
TrOtter surely had forgotten that he
said in Richmond, Va. that he did
not want social equality. Then he
was not eligible to be shaved in a
shop prepared to serve only gentle
men. And ITO man who does not
believe in social equality between tho
races, has Il right to kick against
such treatment. when it is imposed
I am only wondering when such men
as Kelley Miller, Pickens, Dubois,
etc. will open their eyes to these
facts. You may sneak around the
point all you want; or you may climb
over tho walls and como in by some
back way; but il your garments and
credentials are not equal to the best,
out you go, when the warden is sent
around to see if all present are equal
to the degree in which the house Is
opened! DO you get my meaning
now! AS in heaven: so on earth; let
thy will be done, our heavenly father
Hence let me declare again, that
I am for absolute social equality to
all under similar conditions, and no
man who disagrees with this claim
is worthy Of being initiated into the
church OF God, whether secret or
public and I take with me all the
scientific authority OF the world to
hence. Aud If 7 lose my life upon
these grounds. I die asa brave man
and will question the Great God of
heaven about my rights. It must be
remembered that the Jews tried to
establish some other way into heaven
more than 1000 years ago, and to-
day they must return to the first prin
ciples. God has no respect for per-
sons" And this is the stumbling
block Of oil the world.
The first thing to do, is to get a
mans heart into your old chest, or
rather to be made a Man" in the
heart" and then try to obtain SIM
liar recognition by true and lawful
body Of such. And if one fails ilt
the latter but has the first, Jesus
has promised to make good the differ
ence. Then Mr.. Editor I shall keep
what have got and how about you?
For absolute equality to all, under
similar conditions.
"A