The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-02
HARDING
BEHIND
The TIMES
II / S Pronouncement
For Political a n d
Economic Equality
Not Welcomed IN
North
BY WALLACE BAssFoRD

or not, if our Democracy is not a
lie, you must stand for the political
and economic equality Of the
races" he was uttering sentiment
which will sooner or later have
deeper effect in the north than in
the south, and he was undertak-
ing the old and impossible task of
unlike things with the
same yardstick..
Of course the reo! purpose Of the
speech was political; he expressed
the desire that the white people of
the south would divide up on eco
nomic lines and forget the race
uestion-which is nothing but
the old, old effort to break the SOL
id south. Even Lincoln dreamed
of it, and every Republican presi-
dent since has tried his hand at it
all in vain. The. president also
urged the negroes to divide their
ranks on political questions-know-
ing all the time they would not do
it. He knew that those who take
sufficient interest or pride in their
rights to vote, still vote
more than SO per cent for the can
didates bearing the Republican Ia
bel.
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 will
never wish it. The differences, So
cially, economically and clinical
ly, are fundamental and ineradi-
cable; they, go back to creations
dawn and to the Creator; they
have always existed and always
will. The ipse dixit Nof a president
IS uttered, talked Of for awhile and
is forgotten, while the age-old
fundamental 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 cunejforn
characters of the Egyptians. The
difference noted then exists now.
If the presidents words, quoted
in the first paragraph, mean any,
thing, they mean that the negro
must be allowed to work on an alb
solute equality with the white me-
chanic Or artisan. To be allowed
to so work, he would Of necessity
have to be admitted to membership
in the labor unions-the bricklay-
ers' union, the carpenters oaica,
the steamftters, the boilermakers,
the stonec@tters, the timers, the
cigar1nakers, the machinists, the
electricians. the typographical un-
ion. The president says, You must
stand for the political and econom-
ic equality Of the races 1t will be
interesting to note if the question
will appeal to the great labor lead
ers Of the country with the same
force with which it seems to have
gotten hold of the president. 1t is
interesting to ask how such equal
ity is possible in the northern
cities to which the negro has flock
ed in recent years, where practical
ly all labor is performed by the
members Of labo. unions. operat-
ing under their rules, which re-
quire that each member demon
strate before a selected committee
his ability to perform skillfully the
work properly falling to members
Of that union. I believe it is true
at the present time that all negroes
are barred from membership in
these unions, and I am informed
by union men that there are few
negroes in those. cities who could
pass the required examinations
provided they were admitted to
them. Now the question naturally
arises, will the great unions yield to
the plainly expressed determination
Of the president? Those who have
tested the temper Of these men in
other matters do not think SO.
If the president is sincere in his
startling utterance, he should
show his faith by his works. The
world is still Judging the tree by
its fruit. Something like twenty
per cent Of the Republicans are
negroes; on that basis, twenty per
cent Of all the presidents appoint
ments should go to negroes. They
should have two members Of the
cabinet. while part Of the assistant
secretaries in the departments
should be negroes, and part Of the
presidents office force, a few men,
bers Of the diplomatic corps, two
associate justices Of the supreme
court, ct cetera But will the APP
pointments be made? No, not one
of them-in fact. the negroes Will
not get at President Harding $;
hands three appointments that are
desired by white Republican poll
ticians. 1t is reported that the
president hasn't even selected ne
gro chauffeur, and the country will
wait breathlessly to see if any of
his vacancies in the cadet corps at
West Point and Annapolis will b.
filled with negro boys. Political
sincerity, like charity, should begin
at home; and Marion, Ohio, yearns
for negro postmaster.
Before the ornaments confer
ence begins the president will have
time to go to California and re-
peat the birmingham speech, mere
ly substituting the word "Japa-
nese" for the word negroes Why
not?