The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-11-06
HARDING ERRS
in GREAT PLEA
FOR THE NEGRO
PLAINLY SHOWS HE DOES
NOT UNDERSTAND GEN
ERAL CONDITIONS
BOSH AND BUNKUM
Pure And Simple. - Same Old
Tactics OF Throwing Sop To
Black Man 70 Get His Vote,
Jerking II Back With String.

Writing the Dispatch from Wash
irgton, d. c., under date of Novem-
Der 9rd, our correspondent, Mr.. Wal
lace Bassford, says;
when the president said in his
speech at Birmingham, whether you
like it or not, if our Democracy is
not lie, you must stand for the poll
tical and economic equality Of the
which will sooner or later have deep
er effect in the north than in the
south, and he was undertaking. the old
and impossible task of measuring un-
like things with the same yardstick.
OF course the real purpose of the
speech was political he expressed the,
desire that the white people of the
south would divide up on economic
lines and forget the race question
which is nothing but the old, old cf
fort to break the solid south. Even
Lincoln dreamed of it, and every Re-
publican president since has tried his
hand at tall in vain. The president
also urged the negroes to divide their
ranks on political questions knowng
all the time they would not do it. He
knew that those who take sufficient
interest or pride in their new found
rights to vote, still vote more than
80 per cent for the candidates bearing
the Republican label.
Conditions in the Southern States
demonstrate two things; first, that
the Southern white people are not
going to have equality Of any Kind
between the races; they couldn't have
if they wished, and they viii never
wish it. The difference, socially, eco
.nomically and ethnieally, are funda
mental and ineradicable; they go back
to creations dawn and to the Creator; 4
they have always existed and always (
will. The ipse dixit Of a president is
uttered, talked of for awhile and is
forgotten, while the age old funda
mental obstacles remain. In Egypt
before the Exodus even, an Egyptian
writer, speaking of the negro, said:
"He is different; his skull is not like
ours; it ossifies at the age of puberty,
after which the brain does not grow"
That is a free translation from the
cuneiform characters Of the Egypt
ans. The difference noted then exists
now.
If the presidents S words, quoted in
the first paragraph, mean anything.
they mean that the negro must be al
lowed to work on an absolute equali-
ty with the white mechanic or arti-
san. To be allowed to so work, he
would of necessity have to he admit
ted to membership in the labos unions
the bricklaycrS' union, the carpen
tcr's union, the steamitters, the boil
the stOnccuttcrs, the tim
ncrs the cigarmakcrs, the machinists,
The electricians, the typographical
union. The president says you must
stand for the political and economic
equality Of the races. 1t will be in !
tcrcstng TO note if the question will
appeal to the great labor leaders of
the country with the same force with
which it seems to have gotten hold Of l.
the president. It is interesting to ask :
how much equality in the northern !
cities to which the negro has nockcd T;
in recent years, where practically all ,
labor is performed by the members
Of labor unions, operating under their
rules, which require that each mem
Der demonstrate before selected
committee his ability to perform skill.
fully the work properly falling to
members Of that union. / believe it
is true at the present time that all
negroes are barred from membership
in these unions, and | am informed
by union men that there are a few
negroes in those cities who could
pass the required examinations pro-
1ided they were admitted 80 them
Now the question naturally arises viii
the great unions yield to the plainly
expressed determination of the presi
lent? Those who have tested the
temper Of these men in other matters
10 not think so.
If the president is sincere in his
startling utterance. he shoad show
his faith by his works. The world is
still judging the tree by its fruit
like twenty per cent Of
he Republicans are negroes; on that
basis. twenty per cent Of all the presi-
lCnt's appointments should 90 to
legroes. They should have two mem
lers Of the Cabinet, while part Of the .
assistant secretaries in the depart
nents should be negroes, and part OF
he presidents Office force. a few
members Of the Diplomat. CORPS.
.wo Associate Justices Of the Supre-